Supply Chain Now

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 discuss the latest in retail supply chains from an analyst’s perspective. 2022 brought its fair share of challenges to global business. As we step closer to the end of the year, the ‘Big Guy’ himself – Santa – is now checking his list (and checking it twice) to see which supply chains were naughty and which were nice. In this episode, Mike takes a broad look back over the year with co-hosts Scott Luton and Jenny Froome: • Which supply chains he believes are moving in the right direction, despite constant headwinds • His take on supply chain management and innovation in Africa • How machine learning and AI allow companies to do the best they can with the talent they have in house

Inflation got you down? It’s time to get proactive—and control the controllable. How well can your team manage invoices, analyze cash flow and communicate with suppliers? It might be time for a stronger digital ecosystem. Tune in to hear Dan Reeve of Esker, Inc. share his recommendations for supply chain leaders looking to combat the negative impacts of inflation and become more agile in the face of disruption with Scott and Greg. Find out why an economic downturn is the perfect time to innovate, how automation can increase customer service levels and free up staff and what you can do right now to protect your company’s future in the year ahead.

As disruptive events persist, buying organizations must ensure that pricing, supply, and capacity remain stable across the supply chain. This requires sourcing teams to drive greater throughput and decision making under increased workload and event complexity, creating their toughest state of play in many years. Fortunately, sourcing leaders are uniquely positioned to create new sources of value by combating persistent market pressures and building resilience amidst volatility. In this episode, created in collaboration with a live Supply Chain Now audience, co-hosts Scott Luton and Greg White are joined by Ahmad Jiwani, Director, Product & Segment Marketing at Coupa, to discuss: • How sourcing and procurement professionals are being asked to lead during these challenging economic times • How a well-run strategic sourcing program can help companies build more agile supply chains • Ways that leading sourcing programs are leaning on optimization to keep costs low while also advancing ESG program goals such as reduced carbon emissions

Charles Walker isn’t afraid to jump out of the plane and deliver—literally. As a Jumpmaster, Senior Logistics Officer and Master Sergeant (to name a few titles) in the U.S. Army, Charles gained the skills he needed (and more) for a storied career in supply chain management, which is exactly what followed. In this episode, he sits down with Scott to share his reflections on his career, the keys to leadership success, and advice for aspiring supply chain professionals.

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 Kelly Barner, host of Dial P for Procurement, Greg White and Scott Luton, and was made possible by the team at 6 River Systems. In this session, created in collaboration with a live Supply Chain Now audience, Kelly, Greg, and Scott discussed: • The challenges associated with placing too much reliance on regulation in the fight against bad actors on the world stage • Truck driver strikes that are once again causing disruption in South Korea, and how that government’s handling of them compares to the U.S. federal government’s response to the railway strike • Disruptions in the lettuce supply chain that are interfering with (GASP!) the menu at Chick-fil-A • The current trend of the U.S. manufacturing industry according to the Institute for Supply Management’s November 2022 Report on Business

The year may be ending, but cybersecurity challenges are only heating up heading into 2023. To get prepared, Scott and Kevin sat down with Bruce Spector and Karen Braxton to discuss the top five cybersecurity priorities for manufacturing next year in this episode sponsored by Microsoft. Learn more about how Maryland’s state government has supported increased workforce training for digital security, why you need to take a holistic approach and enforce procedures, and much more. #MSFTAmbassador

Get into the holiday spirit with this classic edition of This Week in Business History. Listen as Kelly Barner takes listeners back to visit an era and a place mythologized by one of the most popular Christmas stories of all time: A Christmas Carol. The story, which was written by Charles Dickens and published in 1843, addresses a number of economic and social issues that not only marked the impact of the Industrial Revolution and emerging middle class, but how poverty was viewed and treated by society at the time.

The relationship between a graduate professor and their students is a special one. They learn from each other, facing new challenges with fresh solutions. Dr. Jason Miller, a Professor at Michigan State University, believes his current students are among the hardest working that he has come across in his teaching career. In this interview, two of those students join Dr. Miller and Scott Luton to share their professional backstories. Ashley Yearwood is a senior at Michigan State University in the Honors College and President of the Supply Chain Management Association. Jacob Lava, also a senior at Michigan State, is majoring in supply chain management and serves as CFO on the executive board for the Supply Chain Management Association. In this interview, you will hear Dr. Miller, Ashley, Jacob, and Scott discuss: • The importance of discipline-focused organizations run by graduate students, like the Supply Chain Management Association at Michigan State • Their perspective on the top supply chain trends and news stories • How the realignment being seen in global supply chains today opens the door to new ways of thinking – and plenty of career opportunities

As production delays persist across the supply base, global transportation delays continue to cause massive shipping issues and peaks in demand continue to occur, even more stress is being placed on corporate supply chains. It’s more important now than ever for organizations to maximize effective planning strategies and build out their supply chain planning capability. But how do you benchmark your process maturity? And what tools are most effective at rapidly helping to build a more mature planning process? Join CCH Tagetik at Wolters Kluwer  and Supply Chain Now to learn how to evaluate your process maturity and identify opportunities for growth in 2023.