Supply Chain Now

Supply chains used to be built primarily around cost and efficiency. Abe Eshkenazi says that era is over. Today’s leaders have to balance AI, resilience, geopolitical risk, talent, cybersecurity, and a level of disruption that makes predicting what comes next nearly impossible. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton speaks with Abe Eshkenazi, CEO at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), about how the supply chain profession is changing. From what organizations need to get right before scaling AI, to the reshaping of globalization, the growing importance of optionality, and the evolution of the chief supply chain officer into an enterprise strategist, Abe breaks down the forces redefining supply chain leadership. Abe explains why AI success depends less on the technology itself and more on data, talent, governance, and strong processes; why globalization is not disappearing but being redrawn around resilience and regionalization; and why supply chain leaders can no longer focus solely on operations. He also shares how ASCM is preparing professionals for jobs that do not yet exist, what leaders can expect from CHAINge 2026, and why his book, “The Chain: Links That Bind Us”, starts the supply chain story with the consumer rather than…

Most wine drinkers picture a boutique vineyard. Andrew Rice says the real story is scale: hundreds of rail cars, thousands of truckloads, and a regulatory maze most consumers never see. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and special guest co-host Wanda Johnson speak with Andrew Rice, senior ERP technical product manager at Gallo, about the wine supply chain. From grape to glass, government regulation and the three-tier system, harvest and weather risk, inventory and aging complexity, and how technology like agentic AI is transforming operations. Andrew explains why wine supply chain complexity comes down to regulation and aging, how Gallo balances luxury and commercial brands against the unpredictability of nature, why most wine should actually be consumed within one to five years rather than aged indefinitely, and how Gallo’s tech-forward culture is helping the company scale one of the world’s oldest industries.   This episode is hosted by Scott W. Luton with special guest co-host Wanda Johnson. Produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Connect with Andrew Rice Connect with Wanda Johnson Learn more about Gallo Learn more…

Most organizations understand their direct suppliers. Far fewer understand the suppliers behind them. As supply chains become more complex, the greatest risks often originate well beyond Tier 1, from critical sub-tier suppliers, shared manufacturing dependencies, geopolitical exposure, raw material shortages and single points of failure that remain invisible until disruption occurs. Join Sphera and Supply Chain Now to explore why leading organizations are adopting an N-tier approach to supply chain risk management. We’ll discuss how greater supply chain transparency enables organizations to uncover hidden dependencies, understand the true impact of supplier risk on products and operations, and make faster, more informed decisions before disruption affects the business. Whether you’re responsible for procurement, sourcing, supply chain operations or enterprise risk, you’ll gain practical insights into how N-tier intelligence is helping organizations move beyond reactive risk monitoring towards proactive supply chain resilience. You’ll learn: Why taking a product-first approach to supply chain intelligence delivers more actionable insights than monitoring suppliers alone. Why understanding your supply chain beyond Tier 1 is becoming essential for managing operational and business risk. How to uncover hidden supplier dependencies, concentration risk and single points of failure before they lead to disruption. How to connect supplier intelligence to…

The digital economy may get the headlines, but behind every AI breakthrough, electric vehicle, automated warehouse, and data center is a complex physical supply chain making it possible. In this episode of The Buzz, hosts Scott Luton and Karin Bursa welcome Gaurav Singh Chaudhary, founder and editor of Silicon and Steel, to explore the infrastructure, materials, energy, and global trade relationships powering some of today’s biggest transformations. From Walmart’s massive investment in automated fulfillment to dramatic shifts in the Southern timber industry, Scott, Karin, and Gaurav break down the connections between changing consumer demand, automation, trade policy, and supply chain strategy. They examine the potential impact of semiconductor tariffs on AI infrastructure, why nuclear energy’s fuel supply could become a critical bottleneck, and how AI and EV manufacturers are increasingly competing for the same electronics and manufacturing capacity. Along the way, the conversation highlights an important reality: the AI economy isn’t purely digital. Its growth depends on chips, energy, batteries, data centers, manufacturing capacity, logistics networks, and resilient global supply chains. Key Takeaways Speed must be designed into the network. Walmart’s next-generation fulfillment investment demonstrates why companies can’t simply compensate for poor network design with more expensive transportation. Automation is…

95% of enterprise agentic AI pilots never deliver ROI (MIT, 2025). The gap isn’t ambition — it’s the jump from a model that works in a sandbox to an agent trusted to act on the plant floor, inside the systems your team already runs on. This session, with host Scott Luton and featured guests Vika Smilansky and Marc Amarillas with DataRobot, breaks down what that jump actually takes, and what it looks like solved, with agents orchestrated across the value chain, not in isolated silos: – Supply chain: multi-tier supplier risk and tariff exposure caught before a single-source failure becomes a line-down event – Plant operations: bottlenecks and downtime caught before they hit the shift report – Aftermarket: warranty leakage and reactive dispatch turned back into retained margin We’ll ground our conversation in real use cases, including a tariff signal that put $2.5B in revenue at risk, resolved in 72 hours instead of weeks, with a human signing off at every step. Not a pilot. Not a dashboard. A production-grade agent workforce — connecting planning, operations, and service to move manufacturers from reactive to proactive. Webinar Key Takeaways: Understand why 95% of agentic AI pilots fail — and the specific…

AI adoption is not really a technology question. It’s a trust question, and trust levels shift dramatically depending on where a company operates and who its customers are. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and co-host Bill Huber, retired VP CFO at VELUX, speak with Theodora Lau, founder of Unconventional Ventures, about trust and AI adoption, open banking and data interoperability, fragmented data versus bad data, workforce retraining, and the lessons global supply chains can borrow from fintech. Theo explains how to tell healthy friction from harmful friction, treat fragmented data differently from bad data, judge AI initiatives by outcomes instead of token usage, and build systems that keep people, not service providers, in control of their own data.   This episode is hosted by Scott W. Luton with special guest co-host Bill Huber. Produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Connect with Theodora Lau Connect with Bill Huber Learn more about Unconventional Ventures Learn more about VELUX Learn more about Supply Chain Now Learn more about our hosts Want more Supply Chain Now? We know you can’t…

An AI agent can finish a task and still violate the rules that matter most. In supply chain, that gap can affect cost limits, approved suppliers, compliance requirements, safety protocols, and escalation paths. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton speaks with Vin Vashishta, CEO and AI strategist at V-Squared, about intent contracts, audit trails, workflow reorchestration, tokenomics, semantic layers, and evidence-based AI strategy. Vin explains how to evaluate AI by the value it creates, budget for recurring usage costs, work with imperfect information, and require consultants to connect every recommendation to evidence, risk, mitigation, and business-specific ROI.   This episode is hosted by Scott W. Luton. Produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Connect with Vin Vashishta on LinkedIn Learn more about V-Squared Vin’s LinkedIn Post about Managing AI Agents The cost of intelligence: How CIOs can manage AI demand at scale Vin’s LinkedIn Post about the Cost of Intelligence Vin’s LinkedIn Post on The Semantic Layers Vin’s LinkedIn Post on AI Strategy Vin’s Training & Certification Classes Learn more about Supply Chain Now Learn more about…

On this episode of The Buzz, powered by Toyota Automated Logistics, hosts Scott Luton and Karin Bursa welcome Philip Vervloesem, Chief Commercial and Markets Officer at OMP, for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces reshaping global supply chains. From extreme weather and transportation disruptions to China’s rapidly expanding automotive industry, the team explores today’s biggest supply chain headlines before diving into AI, decision velocity, always-on planning, and the evolving role of supply chain professionals. Supply chain leaders have more data, technology, and intelligence at their fingertips than ever before, but the real competitive advantage comes from turning those insights into the right decisions faster. Scott, Karin, and Philip examine how organizations can use scenario planning, external market signals, AI agents, and connected decision-making to respond more effectively to disruption and uncertainty. They also explore why successful AI adoption isn’t simply about automation or replacing people. Instead, the future belongs to organizations that combine intelligent technology with human judgment, collaboration, trust, and business context. Key Takeaways Resilience happens before disruption. Scenario planning and decision intelligence give organizations more options while there is still time to act. External signals matter. Weather, climate patterns, market conditions, and other syndicated data can help companies…

Soft freight demand would normally suggest plenty of available trucking capacity. Q2 2026 told a different story. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton is joined by Karin Bursa, Bobby Holland, Director of Freight Business Analytics at U.S. Bank, and Dr. Jason Miller, Eli Broad Endowed Professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University, to unpack the latest U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. They examine why shipments remained subdued while shipper spending climbed sharply, including a nearly 28% year-over-year national increase in spending. The conversation covers regional freight conditions, tightening capacity, housing weakness, import activity, fuel costs, and the surge in physical infrastructure supporting AI and data centers. Bobby and Jason also share what supply chain leaders should watch as the market moves through the second half of 2026.   This episode is hosted by Scott W. Luton and Karin Bursa. Produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Connect with Dr. Jason Miller Connect with Bobby Holland Connect with Karin Bursa Learn more about Eli Broad College of Business Learn more about U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index…