Supply chains are facing pressure from every direction, from inflation and shifting consumer behavior to climate-driven disruption and rapidly evolving AI capabilities. For leaders, the challenge isn’t simply keeping up. It’s figuring out where to focus, how to make faster and better decisions, and how to turn emerging technology into measurable business value. In this episode of The Buzz, Scott Luton and special guest co-host Tanzil Uddin are joined by Dheera Anand, Partner at Bain & Company, to unpack some of the biggest forces shaping supply chain today. They explore the latest challenges at the Panama Canal, changing consumer behavior, and lessons in regional resilience from APAC before diving deep into AI and supply chain transformation. Dheera shares practical examples of how organizations are moving beyond AI experimentation and “pilot fatigue” to create real operational value. The conversation also explores high-frequency decision-making, the importance of choosing the right AI applications, and how AI could reshape integrated business planning through faster scenario planning, continuous monitoring, and an “always-on” approach to IBP. Key Takeaways Predictability and visibility are critical to resilience. Disruptions such as those affecting the Panama Canal demonstrate why companies need to understand their exposure throughout the supply network, not…

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, hosts Scott Luton and Kim Reuter welcome Bobby Holland, Vice President/Director of Freight Business Analytics at U.S. Bank, and Heather Shilt, Director, Global Logistics at Fortive, to unpack Q3 2025 findings from the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, one of the industry’s most referenced trucking indicators, informed by tens of billions in transactions. The panel explores why volumes are down even as costs rise, how tariffs and manufacturing softness are reshaping regional performance, and where rate pressure and capacity tightness are showing up first. Together, they dig into nine key takeaways from the national and regional views (West, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast): most significant sequential gains in the West in four years, persistent softness in the Southwest, and mixed signals elsewhere as consumer demand, housing starts, and labor dynamics tug the market in different directions. From shipper playbooks (carrier-mix depth, lane-level cost vigilance, and alternate modes) to practical watch-outs for Q4 and early 2026, this data-driven conversation equips operators to trend, plan, and pressure-test their assumptions in a volatile environment. This episode is hosted by Scott Luton and Kim Reuter, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links…