About CAPSI
Continental Action Plans for Sustainable Industry
“Whenever I hear that we need a national dialogue, as in, we need a national dialogue on gun control, police reform, or voter rights, I wonder, where exactly would we have that dialogue? In the newspapers, on social media, in our courts? These venues are ill-suited for substantive national dialogues.” ... Michael Sussman
The Continental Action Plans for Sustainable Industry (CAPSI) is the strategic thinking community, a part of OTNA, that designs Industrial Systems Initiatives and IntelliConference Series.
Industrial sectors operate as fragmented silos, each pursuing narrow, sometimes conflicting goals. As a result, industrial development unfolds as a series of isolated projects rather than integrated systems. Given the challenges posed by climate change, we must redesign our industrial systems and supply chains for efficiency and sustainability.
Addressing these challenges demands unprecedented collaboration among all stakeholders within a framework that fosters trust and actionable plans. Therefore, CAPSI brings together diverse representatives from industrial sectors to facilitate whole systems planning for profitable and sustainable outcomes. We achieve this through topic-focused IntelliConferences®.
As a society, we aren’t lacking intelligence for solving problems. What we have lacked is a communication framework and platform for building solutions without being derailed by excessive competition and mistrust among vested interests. Over thirty years as trusted advisors working with thousands of partners from industry, government, academia, and communities, OnTrackNorthAmerica developed IntelliSynthesis®, a powerful tool for mobilizing stakeholder intelligence and goodwill. Despite prevailing beliefs, addressing all elements of a system makes it easier to build consensus and develop action plans. New solutions appear that would have otherwise remained concealed. The more aspects of a system we identify, measure, and consider, the more we turn its interactions into positive synergies.
Consider how transportation has typically been planned, or more accurately, not planned. Supply chains have evolved as a chaotic response to shippers’ and developers' indiscriminate land transactions, regardless of the transportation inefficiencies those choices impose. Supply chain shortcomings that became public during COVID-19 were met with a massive public investment in infrastructure. Unfortunately, this precious capital is allotted for individual competing projects while serious system inefficiencies remain. Consequently, we continue to stimulate more highway-centric supply chain activity and underutilize railroads’ energy, space, and capital efficiencies for moving heavy weight over land.
Stakeholders operate in a competitive and, in some cases, monopolistic mode, neither of which allows for the collaboration needed for supply chain efficiency. To create sustainable, multimodal industrial systems, we must shift toward integrated planning of supply chains, land use, and transportation.
"Yes, a profound shift is necessary. Time is of the essence. We live in a critical moment of potential environmental collapse alongside the need to expand economic vitality to more people. Thankfully, we have the tools to produce action plans for success. Redesigning industrial systems will deliver both environmental and economic sustainability. Join us in CAPSI for a brighter future!” ... Michael Sussman
