< Back to Blogs
Share:

AI and the Future of Supply Chains: How Leaders Move from Hype to Real Impact

Special Guest Blog Post written by Karin Bursa, Founder and CEO of NIRAKIO and Supply Chain Now Host 

 

Artificial intelligence is no longer a “what if” in supply chain — it is here. In fact, Gartner predicts that 50% of cross-functional supply chain management solutions will use intelligent agents to autonomously execute decisions in the ecosystem by 2030. But how do leaders move from hype to real impact? During our recent Supply Chain Now Power Panel, I asked five senior executives to share where they see AI making the biggest impact. Their answers revealed not just excitement, but a roadmap for how supply chains can evolve.

Here is how they responded, in their own words.

Q: Where do you see AI making the greatest impact in your supply chain?

Eliza Simeonova – VP Global Supply, Mars Pet Nutrition

“AI forces operational discipline. Clean data is no longer optional. The system itself demands it. I also see AI shaping supply chain synchronization — aligning suppliers, factories, warehouses, and customers in new ways.”

Whitney Shlesinger – VP Global Planning & Logistics, McCormick

“For me, it’s about people. Employees want to move beyond non-value-added work. AI allows us to free them up for strategic thinking, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.”

Sylvia Wilks – CSCO, Lamb Weston

“AI is an enabler for better forecasting, inventory optimization, and cash flow management. It’s about using analytics not just to see the future, but to improve working capital today.”

Stephanie Beal – CSCO, Hasbro

“We’ve rolled out tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to every employee, and adoption has been phenomenal. We’re also applying AI to demand planning and strategy reviews. It is already a game-changer for decision-making.”

Tamera Fenske – CSCO, Kimberly-Clark

“The next stage is Agentic AI — not just seeing insights but offering recommendations. One use case we love is knowledge management: decades of tissue manufacturing expertise now searchable in seconds.”

Closing Thoughts

What I found remarkable is how each leader sees AI not as a replacement, but as an accelerator: of discipline, of creativity, of financial impact, and of decision-making.

Their perspectives highlight a bigger truth: AI won’t transform supply chains on its own. Leaders will. And as these executives showed, the future is not about replacing people — it is about empowering them.

Check out the full conversation in this on-demand link and let us know how you think AI will impact your supply chain. And join us for the next “Never Normal” Power Panel on January 7th- register here!

More Blogs

supply chain control tower technology
Blogs
December 22, 2025

Top Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partners for Distribution and Supply Chain Management

This post is written by our friends at Winfosoft. Winfosoft is a globally recognized Microsoft Cloud Services Provider with more than 30 years of experience in ERP software solutions. Learn more at: https://winfosoft.com/   Choosing a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner is a major decision for any distributor. The right team can help improve inventory visibility, reduce errors and give leaders clearer numbers to work with. Using the wrong one can slow things down and create more manual work. This guide explores partners with proven experience in distribution and supply chain operations. Each has a slightly different focus, so readers can see which model fits their business best.   What Dynamics 365 Partners Specialize in the Distribution Industry? Microsoft Dynamics 365 combines finance, operations, sales and customer information in one system. For distributors, this means a single place to manage stock, pricing, orders and warehouse activity across locations. Specialized partners build on that core system. They design the processes and integrations that align with how distributors actually operate their businesses. This list highlights partners based on their clear focus on distribution, demonstrated experience with Dynamics 365 and independent coverage published in the last few years.   1. Winfosoft Winfosoft is a…
reverse logistics
Blogs
January 28, 2026

Why Can’t America Train Workers for a Trillion-Dollar Industry?

Inside the reverse logistics education gap and the economic blind spot keeping it invisible Special Guest Blog Post written by Deborah Dull   Tony Sciarrotta has been asking the same question at industry conferences for years. As the Senior Director of Circularity and Reverse Logistics at the National Retail Federation, he knows what answer he’s going to get. But he keeps asking anyway. “Anybody in here go to school for returns management, reverse logistics, circularity? Any degrees in those fields the room?” It’s rare that anyone raises their hand. “That’s what’s wrong with our industry,” Sciarrotta told me at NRF Rev this January, the first conference under NRF’s new reverse logistics banner. “We still need to fix it.”   The Numbers That Should Make Headlines Here’s what makes reverse logistics so fascinating: the scale is staggering, but the infrastructure to support it needs to be stronger. According to the National Retail Federation, American retailers processed approximately $890 billion in returns in 2024 which is roughly 17% of all retail sales – and it’s higher for ecommerce. But that number almost certainly understates reality. “We have a fragmented industry,” Sciarrotta explained. “Where are all those returns going? It has to be…