As strategic forces push manufacturing back to America, one obstacle threatens progress: finding the right people with the right skills. Before new factories can produce anything, they must be built—requiring a new generation of skilled tradespeople such as electricians, welders, and technicians. And once these modern facilities are operational, companies report an unexpected challenge: the biggest talent gaps aren’t just technical, but also in core soft skills like leadership, critical thinking, and communication. Join Supply Chain Now hosts Scott Luton and Allison Giddens as they welcome Alan Amling and Darrell Edwards from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville to explore a practical approach to developing a comprehensive workforce from the ground up. Learn what it truly takes to build, staff, and sustain the next generation of American manufacturing.

Today’s ecosystem is fraught with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (vuca) brought on by 2+ years of COVID, the war in Ukraine and multiple socio-political factors. Demand Planners carry the huge responsibility to navigate their organization through these difficult times but are left with traditional tools, starting from the assumption that the past will repeat itself. However, research conducted over the past two years indicate that demand forecasting investments made in AI-based platforms can return up to 6 times greater benefits over investments made in traditional planning systems.   This raises a few questions: Should planners autonomously embrace these new technologies to guide their organization through change? What changes can AI bring to an organization’s planning environment? How will it impact demand planning roles, and will humans be able to stay in control?   In this webinar, experts from Garvis will discuss this topic together with Robert Byrne, the inventor of “Demand Sensing”. They will bring more clarity to these questions and talk about the potential behind a new generation of AI planning solutions.