A lot of lip service is given to the concept of collaboration. How many times do we hear prominent leaders say “we should rally as an industry to find solutions to the issues that confront us all”?

Unfortunately, it rarely happens. We’re too busy trying to solve our own business challenges. The thought of taking time to gather with our industry peers to discuss and problem-solve is impossible, it seems. Where do we find time to get away from the mounds of emails, action items, and timelines? How do we gather our peers and confront the challenges we face when no one can pull themselves away from their own mounds of stuff to take a few days away from their teams?

Sometimes, we have to stop thinking about “time away” from the day-to-day as wasteful. Instead, I would argue that “getting away” with our industry peers every now and again can be productive to encourage proactive collaboration -- if it’s done right.

This year’s KGP Logistics Pinnacle Conference created by KGP Logistics and their sponsors* helped me begin to understand the wisdom of doing that. My fellow attendees included service providers as well as experts in product manufacturing and supply chain management. The agenda covered a broad range of issues confronting providers and vendors alike: driving down deployment costs, the changing media landscape, and the impact of regulatory and public policy on U.S. service providers. There was even some time to collectively revel in the great outdoors.

Since the organizers kindly allowed me to facilitate a Q&A session with 4 respected leaders from the service provider community, I thought it only fair that I share some of their insights with you. Read their take on a few questions posed during our time together. And see their facial expressions in the photos here that show their collaborative attitude during our time together. From my humble vantage point, this custom event, much like our own OSP EXPO**, helps dispel the notion that collaboration is only a buzzword in our market. At this year's KGP Logistics Pinnacle Conference, I saw it come to life.

Service Provider Panelists: (pictured from the left)
Tim Harden, President, Supply Chain and Fleet Operations, AT&T Services
Ben Foster, President and COO, Twin Valley Telephone, Inc.
Eugene Agee, Vice President, Procurement, Facilities and Corporate Security, Sprint
Charlie Barrow, Vice President, Operations & Engineering, FairPoint Communications

Following are a sample the questions the panelists answered in depth at this year's KGP Logistics Pinnacle Conference.

Question: The legacy network is going to be around for many years to come. Infonetics Research says it now costs $52+ a year to maintain a copper phone line today. What are some of the ways you are reducing costs to operate the copper network while evolving it to deliver higher bandwidths?

Question: As your network becomes more IP network based, what are the challenges you foresee as well as the benefits?

Question: How IP is reshaping the network?

Question: We all know that sustainability is a real business strategy. When companies increase efficiencies and reduce waste in their business practices, including their supply chains, it's likely they will reduce their costs. How is your company putting data behind its 'green' decisions to make a business case for strategic sustainability? How are you tracking cost savings?

Come back to this web page in a few days, when we'll have the panel's responses posted online. Then, you can read the candid responses to these questions, and those asked by audience members, at www.ospmag.com.
 

Kathleen Putrah and Trevor Putrah of KGP Logistics with the four panelists.

*KGP Logistics Pinnacle Conference Sponsors Include: 3M, Actelis, ADC, ADTRAN, CommScope, Corning, Emerson, Ericsson, General Cable, HughesNet, Motorola, Superior Essex, Telect, Tellabs.

**Are you craving this type of collaborative problem-solving?
Get it for FREE at OSP EXPO 2010. Register right now at www.ospmag.com/expo.
When prompted enter priority code: VIP2010.