Manufacturing Industry Observations: Talent, Tariffs, and Innovation
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supply chain
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September 10, 2025
Toys, Tech & TMS: How A & A Global Plays to Win
In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton talks with Brett Johnson, IT Director at A&A Global, and Shannon Vaillancourt, President and Founder of RateLinx, about A&A Global’s journey to transform their shipping operations. Brett details how they addressed inefficiencies in their old TMS, implementing RateLinx’s flexible toolkit to streamline processes, reduce costs, and scale operations without adding staff. The conversation explores how A&A Global overcame challenges like manual data entry, slow carrier onboarding, and inaccurate rate quoting through powerful integrations like ScanForce, Cubiscan, and mobile printing. Brett and Shannon also highlight the role of Lean Six Sigma practices in driving continuous improvement and achieving significant cost savings, faster shipping, and enhanced efficiency. This episode is hosted by Scott Luton, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Learn more about A&A Global Connect with Shannon Vaillancourt INSIGHT 2025 Conference Learn more about RateLinx Learn more about our hosts Want more Supply Chain Now? We know you can’t get enough Supply Chain Now! Don’t miss a single episode, livestream, or webinar: Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now…
strategy
Podcast
February 14, 2024
Analysis of the US Bank 2023 Q4 Freight Payment Index
Bobby Holland is a man in the know. Nearing four decades of broad-based data processing, software engineering, and consulting experience, he is now the Vice President/Director of Freight Business Analytics, and in charge of the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. Published every quarter by U.S. Bank, it has become a go-to source of information for freight shipping trends at a national and regional level. Joining Bobby on this episode of the podcast is the returning Eric Olson, Sales Support Operations Director at Total Quality Logistics (TQL), where he has spent almost 20 years working in a variety of management roles. Listen in as the conversation focuses on the U.S. Bank 2023 Q4 Freight Payment Index, based on billions of dollars worth of spend data. Bobby reveals that one region of the country saw a huge drop in shipments of more than 25% year over year. Insights such as this, underpinned by raw and unquestionable data, are why companies such as TQL and supply chain professionals like Eric turn to it for valuable insights that help to underpin their own strategies. Through the podcast, the duo talk through seven key takeaways from the 2023 Q4 report, explaining some of the trends…