Supply chain performance is still being measured by outdated assumptions. Lora Cecere argues that optimizing individual functions for lower cost does not necessarily improve the business. In fact, it can throw the entire supply chain out of balance. Better performance starts with understanding what is actually feasible within an industry, focusing on the metrics that drive value, and recognizing that supply chains are complex systems that cannot be improved one function at a time. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton speaks with Lora Cecere, founder of Supply Chain Insights, and Wael Abdelmalek, CEO at Uthereal, about the research behind Supply Chains to Admire and how that work is being brought into Ask Lora, an AI-enabled benchmarking and advisory platform. They explore why traditional supply chain rankings and generic AI tools can reinforce conventional thinking, how verified research and industry-specific data can create better benchmarks, and why leaders need a more balanced view of growth, operating margin, inventory turns, and return on capital employed when evaluating performance. Lora and Wael also explain how Ask Lora combines 10 years of research and benchmarking data with a private large language model designed specifically for supply chain decision-making. Rather than serving…

How are innovations helping to transform public health supply chains? How are technology providers and analytics specialists working with the health sector to bring cutting-edge capabilities so each person has the health care needed to thrive? During this episode of Supply Chain Now’s Supply Chain Leadership Across Africa series we talk with two people who talk about the importance of innovation for public health supply chains – and what it takes to make innovations sustainable in Africa. Director of VillageReach’s Global Technical Team and experienced health supply chain expert Tapiwa Mukwashi is our first guest. On a day-to-day basis, Tapiwa ensures VillageReach’s various teams across Africa have the technical assistance they need to do their jobs, working closely with vendors such as data analytics company Kapsule to do just that. David Chen, Kapsule’s Co-CEO and Co-Founder, also joins us to explain how his innovation came to market and some of the challenges, successes and lessons learned he has collected along the way. During the conversation, the duo highlight the progress made but emphasize the need for more mature modeling and professionalization of the supply chain to better underpin African health care networks. Here, the importance of skills, infrastructure and technology…