When you build something that has never been done before, you need clear understanding – and a solid plan – for every level of the supply chain. Stone Distributing, a leading premium beverage wholesaler in southern California, wanted to get their team out of the load building business. They partnered with Zengistics, a technology driven supply chain and logistics partner that provides scalable managed transportation offerings, to break supply chain norms, disrupt the status quo, reimagine the su...
Jul 31, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 1150
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! This week’s edition of The Buzz featured Robert Yturri, Chief Product Officer at FORLOH, along with hosts Scott Luton and Greg White. FORLOH makes high-end American-made outdoor gear, so they know a thing or two about sourcing an...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 1149
In this special episode of Supply Chain Now, we continue coverage from the annual SAPICS 2023 Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, as host Scott Luton interviews the best and brightest supply chain changemakers that are literally building bridges and making a difference across the continent of Africa. Listen and learn more about: The need for increased utilization of the rail network for a more sustainable future The importance of a circular supply chain and the integration and adaptation of s...
Jul 26, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 1148
Supply chain management is a crucial aspect of saving lives, as it ensures the efficient flow of essential goods and services. Nowhere is this more evident and more evolving than on the continent of Africa. In this first episode of a three-part series, Scott Luton is reporting from the annual SAPICS Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, learning from the supply chain professionals in attendance and their inspiring supply chain missions. The discussions range from the importance of dialogue in p...
Jul 24, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 1147
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! This week’s edition of The Buzz featured two audience favorites as guests: Constantine Limberakis and Mike Griswold. With many school districts starting to ramp up for students to return, and retailers stocking the shelves in ant...
Jul 21, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 1146
What would it look like to come to this country with one suitcase in hand to achieve the American dream? It might include the opportunity to serve as a corporate leader at Dell, to be sworn in at the White House to serve on the United States Investment Advisory Council, and to receive numerous accolades, including “Twenty-Five Influential Women in Business” by MEA Magazine; “America’s Top Diversity Advocate” by DiversityBusiness.com; and “Best of the Decade” by Minority Business USA. What if you...
Jul 19, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 1145
What's going on with the UPS and Teamsters negotiations? And in global trade markets? In today's business buzz episode, host Scott Luton shares a variety of business observations and interesting news stories that are at top of mind for supply chain and business professionals. Also, listen for surprise appearances from two return guests for a few new podcast recommendations for your listening pleasure! Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com...
Jul 17, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 1144
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! This week’s edition of The Buzz was a Digital Transformers edition, and it featured hosts Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson. They opened the conversation – and kicked off the second half of 2023 – by talking about the most recent ...
Jul 14, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 1143
Companies working to achieve net zero carbon emissions across the entire value chain must take urgent and decisive action. Any product innovation has to take into consideration the environmental impact over the lifespan of that item. Julie Ryan is the Senior Manager of NA Returns and Remarketing at HP, where she has been innovating for more than 36 years. Anyone who purchases a product from HP directly has return privileges. Julie’s organization authorizes those returns and manages the physical ...
Jul 12, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 1142
Although procurement is a critical function for all companies, few are investing in their talent and technology. With continued supply chain disruptions and pressure from inflation, procurement teams are trying to figure out what their next normal is going to look like. John Lander joined OMNIA Partners following a 20-year career at Office Depot. His experience includes building a world-class sales culture, sales deployment optimization, sales productivity improvement, merger and acquisition exe...
Jul 10, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 1141
Supply chains have faced several challenges over the last few years, and there is no end in sight. They have overcome the danger of food shortages and PPE scarcity and are now bracing for the impact of driverless vehicles and omnipresent AI. There is never a dull moment when you work in supply chain. Dr. Yossi Sheffi is the Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems, Professor of MIT Civil and Environmental, and an Engineering...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 1140
Louisiana currently ranks 49 out of the 50 states when it comes to health outcomes. Despite that disturbing fact, there are amazing healthcare teams and organizations working tirelessly to elevate the health of the communities they serve, one patient at a time. Régine Villain is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Ochsner Health System, a Louisiana-based organization that was recently recognized with a fifth-place ranking in the Gartner Healthcare supply chain Top 25. Ochsner Health is a not-for-p...
Jul 05, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 1139
Gartner’s Top 25 Supply Chain ranking was started 19 years ago to celebrate the best supply chains in the world and to raise awareness about the impact a well-run supply chain can have on the overall health and competitiveness of a business. Mike Griswold is the Vice President of Research at Gartner, specializing in retail with a particular focus on forecasting and replenishment. He is responsible for Gartner’s annual Top 25 Supply Chain ranking and joins Supply Chain Now on a monthly basis to d...
Jul 03, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 1138
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! In this week’s edition of The Buzz, regular co-host Greg White was back after a few weeks away, ready to dig into the trends, the issues, and the opportunities of the moment… everything cool that's happening in supply chain. In t...
Jun 30, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 1137
Demand for sustainable, connected, and autonomous products is growing exponentially, forcing sourcing and procurement departments to keep up with new innovations while balancing costs. But there is a better way. New digital technology can help procurement teams in engineering-centric industries like automotive and industrial manufacturing to streamline their sourcing and contracting processes and better control material costs during new product launches and ongoing parts procurement for mass pro...
Jun 28, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 1136
Working through challenging situations teaches teams a lot of lessons. The pandemic taught supply chain teams about the value of options, the importance of getting to market quickly, and the dangers of having an overly complex, elongated supply chain. At the same time, it demonstrated the difference that can be made by having strong relationships and actionable transparency. Frank Dreischarf is the Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Solutions and LTL Operations at R2 Logistics. He has over 20...
Jun 26, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 1135
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! This week’s edition of The Buzz was a Digital Transformers edition, and it featured hosts Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson. They opened the conversation by marking Juneteenth, a Federal holiday recognizing the day that word reach...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 1134
Many promises are made in logistics and supply chain every day, from shippers and freight forwarders, to customers and their stakeholders. As everyone has experienced over the last few years, making those promises is much easier than keeping them, with steep operational and financial consequences. E2open Director of Product Management Ritu Rooney has over 30 years of experience in the supply chain software industry and Matt Anderson, their Vice President of Logistics as a Service (LaaS), has bee...
Jun 21, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1133
Logistics congestion, geopolitical tensions, labor shortages, and increasing operational costs continue to put pressure on supply chain organizations. These unprecedented challenges have exposed the fragility of supply chain interdependencies and highlighted the importance of fast, informed decision-making in supply chains across all sectors, from pharmaceutical to FMCG. In a sector where unexpected global events or natural disasters can have huge implications, accelerating decision-making by us...
Jun 19, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 1132
Reverse logistics teams always have an important role to play in a company, but at Intel, they are uniquely well-positioned for impact. They truly have an opportunity to manage the entire product lifecycle, from planning to design through sales, warranty, and return. Greg Skrovan is the Global Director of Reverse Logistics for Intel Corporation. He has over 30 years of international supply chain experience in multiple industries, and he regularly shares his insights and expertise on supply chain...
Jun 16, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 1131
Dynamic leadership teams recognize opportunities as they present themselves, even when they come from unexpected places. When the team at CLX technologies realized their chemical industry clients wanted to keep certain key expertise in-house, CLX pivoted to oblige. Not only have they expanded the services they provide, but they also use their robust internal database of data about transportation carriers, rates, and service levels to help companies benchmark themselves. CLX Vice President Mike S...
Jun 14, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 1130
COVID-19, the Great Resignation, inflationary pressures ... Supply Chain leaders have had to maneuver several disruptions in recent history. Chances are they will continue to have to do so far into the future. Navigating the current business landscape is confusing and downright exhausting, and, as a potential recession looms, controlling costs and freeing up working capital are paramount in boosting supply chain resiliency. Dan Reeve is Esker’s VP of Sales and Alun Rafique is the Co-Founder of M...
Jun 12, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 1129
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! This week’s edition of The Buzz featured Scott Luton, co-host Constantine Limberakis, and special guest Mary Kate Soliva. She joined the second half of the show to talk about the impact of Typhoon Mawar, the strongest typhoon to ...
Jun 09, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 1128
While supply chain professionals are no strangers to evolving processes, it is now more imperative than ever to leverage next-gen technology to streamline manual tasks out of the supply chain workflow. AI-enhanced document automation can address labor shortages, increase competition, reduce costly data errors, and support the need to do more with less. Mark Toffoli is a VP of Sales & Business Development at Conexiom and John Gunderson is a Senior Consultant at Dorn Group. They each have over...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 1127
People might be surprised to know that the furniture industry handles complexity by making robust use of technologies such as augmented reality. And while they might not know, they can certainly feel the improved customer experience provided by companies that work and win as a team. Andrew Koenig began his full-time career with City Furniture in January 2006. He started in the Receiving Department and worked his way up through almost every division of the company. As the CEO of this Florida-base...
Jun 05, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 1126
The short-term challenges faced in supply chain can make it hard to find time to think about the future. That is why today’s leading supply chain thinkers focus there, looking years down the road and trying to imagine how innovation and macro trends will impact each part of the business. By exploring areas like generative AI, the metaverse, and the industrialization of outer space, they learn to think bigger and much further outside the box. Marty Resnick is a Vice President on Gartner’s Technol...
Jun 02, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1125
When Dr. Clinton Purtell was deciding which university to join after earning his PhD, he noticed something unique about the University of North Texas. Over 50 percent of the students identify as minorities, and 20 to 25 percent of the students are neurodiverse. That diversity gives the students a certain ‘grit factor’ that won him over, and today he is the Assistant Clinical Professor of Logistics and Operations, working with the students featured in this episode. Regan Weaver is a junior at the...
May 31, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 1124
Earlier this year, the Reverse Logistics Association held their 19th Annual Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was their biggest event yet, with over 350 member companies and over 800 people registered for the event, which featured a pitch competition, awards ceremony, top notch content, and – of course – plenty of networking time. Tony Sciarrotta has been the Executive Director of the Reverse Logistics Association since 2016 and is a return guest and co-host in the Supply Chain Now ...
May 29, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 1123
The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience! This week’s edition of The Buzz featured Scott Luton and special guest co-host Allison Giddens. They opened the conversation by sharing the latest edition of “With That Said,” Supply Chain Now’s LinkedIn newsletter. It highlighte...
May 26, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 1122
Modern warehouses need seamless integration between order release, picking, packing, shipping, tracking, and audit. This creates a closed loop of information on supply chain deliveries and makes it possible to support all modes of transportation in a single software platform. Without a real-time full-featured Warehouse Execution System (WES) or a Tier 1 WMS integrated into a multi-modal TMS, shippers are wasting time, money, and opportunities to optimize both their customer experience and transp...
May 24, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 1121
