Episode 04
My job is to make
supply chains boring.
No surprises. No fire drills. I help U.S. manufacturers fix the part, supplier or category that is putting a ship date at risk.
20+
Years Experience
Global
Supply Chain Scope
Accenture
Alum
Fortune 500
Procurement
Logistics
& Freight
Distribution
& Inventory
AI-Augmented
Operations
Scroll
$30B
Inventory Network
183
Countries Reached
$21.37M
Client Savings
$26.5B
Merger Integration
About the Founder
I've spent 20 years making supply chains boring.
I'm John Foley. I've led a procurement category for ADM across the U.S. and Canada. Before that, I was a Manager in Accenture's supply chain strategy practice, delivering procurement and supply chain transformations for Fortune 500 clients.
Before that, I spent 20 years in Air Force logistics, where one late part could ground an aircraft. That's where I learned that boring is something you build on purpose.
Now I bring that to U.S. manufacturers, end to end, from design to service. I start where it hurts: the part, supplier or category putting a ship date at risk.
United States Air Force · 2002 to 2022
Deputy Director, Global Distribution, U.S. Transportation CommandDeputy Director, Foreign Military Sales: $48.8 billion program
Manager, Supply Chain Strategy
Accenture
Operating model redesign, merger integration, logistics planning and supply chain visibility
Procurement Category Leader, U.S. and Canada
ADM
Led a $150 million maintenance, repair and operations spend category
Founder & Principal
Foley Strategic Advisory · 2025–Present
Design, plan, source and procure, make, fulfill and service, for U.S. manufacturers
Newsletter
The FSA Supply Chain Weekly Brief
Supply chain signals from design to service, distilled into one actionable brief every week.
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Services
Strategy without execution is a hallucination. Execution without strategy is chaos.
The companies that win are the ones that refuse to separate the two.
Five ways to start
- 01Scout Proof Audit
Find the money your suppliers overbilled. I check your supplier invoices against what you agreed to pay, then hand you a claim list with the backup for each claim and draft letters to your suppliers. Fully remote.
See how the audit works → - 02Second-Source Stand-Up
One part, one supplier, a ship date at risk. I build the plan and the shortlist to qualify a second source before it costs you a shipment.
- 03Sole-Source Negotiation Pack
For the supplier you can't walk away from: the facts and a negotiation plan your team can run.
- 04After a Merger or Buyout
Two supplier lists and two prices for the same part. I find the first round of savings for your 100-day plan.
- 05Category Review
One category or part family, reviewed in two to three weeks, with written moves your team keeps running after I'm gone.
How I work
No six-month studies. No junior analysts learning on your dime.
- DiagnoseA fast look at the part, supplier or category at risk.
- DesignStrategy and roadmap tailored to your constraints and ambitions.
- DeliverThe highest-impact work first, with results on the profit and loss statement.
- SustainTransfer knowledge, build capability, and make myself unnecessary.
What sets this apart
- Practitioner, not theorist. I do the work myself, with 20+ years of hands-on experience in every conversation. No partner sells the engagement and then disappears.
- Speed to impact. A named problem and a written plan in weeks.
Market signals now live in FSA Intelligence. Open FSA Intelligence →
Watch: Chain Reaction
Supply chains, explained one link at a time.
Each episode starts with a headline and follows one product through the six stages of the supply chain: design, plan, source and procure, make, fulfill and service.
Latest episode · Oct 29, 2026
Apple's $5 Trillion Paradox
Apple is worth about $5 trillion, yet in late October a new U.S. order for its foldable iPhone showed delivery in January 2027. Follow one phone through six stages and see where it breaks.
Three rules from this episode
- Dual-source where you can. Own it where you can't.
- The calendar doesn't set the pace. Demand does.
- What gates the launch gets the focus.
Earlier episodes
Episode 03
Your Hoodie Has a Passport
Episode 02
Your $7 Latte's Hidden Supply Chain
Episode 01
Where Your Products Come From
Created by John Foley. Videos load from YouTube only when you press play.
Insights
Perspectives From the Field
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Read →Newsletter
The FSA Supply Chain Weekly Brief
Supply chain signals from design to service, distilled into one actionable brief every week.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy
Get Started
Ready to Build Something?
Whether you're navigating a procurement transformation, building supply chain resilience, or exploring how AI changes the game — let's talk.
Prefer email? Write to john@foleysa.com.