Joining Scott Luton and special guest host Will Chu in today’s episode of Supply Chain Now are two supply chain supremos in the form of Patrick Leblond, Director of Supply Chain Systems and Process Optimization at GAF, and his colleague Derek Heer, Supply Chain Systems & Process Optimization Manager. GAF is North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, with over 4,000 employees and 35 manufacturing operations spread across 27 locations in the US. Due to this formidable footprint, its supply chain is extremely multifaceted and nuanced, and it is Patrick and Derek’s job to ensure operations run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. This involves careful management and curation of a technology stack made up of different systems and software that sings in harmony. For example, a major priority for them right now is warehouse optimization, a multi-year project which involves the modernization of a legacy WMS platform. Patrick and Derek also spend a lot of time collaborating with and providing their own frontline insight to Will, who is the CEO and Co-founder of Vector, a yard management platform designed to increase visibility for supply chain personnel and their partners. Throughout the discussion, the trio touch on their working relationship…

From saving time, cutting costs, and enhancing efficiency to mitigating errors, relieving workforce pressures, and reducing employee turnover, technology adoption can pay dividends when it comes to freight auditing. In this unique episode of Supply Chain Now, we’re joined by two companies that have worked together to realize the benefits that technological innovation can bring to the freight auditing table. With Ecolab having undergone its own highly successful transformation journey, Natalie Rekow, Senior Logistics Manager, Transportation Admin, Cost Performance and Freight Payment, offers up her firsthand experiences on the differences that embracing key solutions can make. Alongside her is Shannon Vaillancourt, President and Founder of RateLinx – the partner enterprise that stepped in to support Ecolab during its process optimization venture – who provides a window of insight looking at exactly what’s involved in moving from a manual to technology-driven operation. Tune into this insightful discussion on freight auditing transformation to discover: · The difficulties presented by manual processes. · How AI-backed software can be leveraged to tackle the work of hundreds of people. · The critical importance of not just any data, but good data.