In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton sits down with two leaders shaping the future of reverse logistics from the floor to the classroom: Troy Campbell, Director of Reverse Logistics Centers at The Home Depot, and Dr. Glenn Richey, Jr., Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management at Auburn University. Troy opens the doors to Home Depot’s four Reverse Logistics Centers: Phoenix, Pittston (PA), McDonough (GA), and Indianapolis, showing why a people-first culture remains the operating system for returns at scale. He gets real about “automation when the box isn’t a box,” how rethinking inbound flows through 3PLs reduces touches and transportation cost, and why simple vendor conversations (like consolidating daily pallets into a single weekly load) can unlock outsized impact. His north star: make associates’ days easier, and the entire reverse network improves. Glenn zooms out to the macro shifts: the move from minimizing returns to maximizing returns within a circular economy, generative AI for scenario planning and real-time decision support, and reverse logistics as the operational backbone of sustainability. He maps the skills the next workforce will need, calls for clearer industry coding to separate reverse data from forward logistics, and outlines how universities can build…

2024 has begun with tremendous challenges for the global supply chain, as the ongoing Red Sea crisis and the Panama Canal drought continue to escalate, impacting multiple key stakeholders. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, join hosts Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson as they welcome Windward’s Co-Founder and CEO, Ami Daniel to the show, for an in-depth exploration of the current technology-driven supply chain landscape. Tune in and discover: How the transformative roles of AI and digitalization, including the use of Gen AI, can effectively manage ocean supply chains, even during these uncertain times Why Windward’s platform goes beyond standard visibility solutions, enabling its customers to manage by exception for efficient disruption management in the ocean logistics space Practical applications of AI for streamlined logistics management for navigating unpredictable hurdles