Aaron Freed

At Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2026 in Orlando, some of the sharpest minds in supply chain gathered to tackle one central question: what does the next operating model for supply chain actually look like? In a special livestream conversation, Scott Luton sat down with Mike Griswold, VP Analyst at Gartner, alongside fellow Supply Chain Now hosts Karin Bursa and Jake Barr, to unpack the biggest themes emerging from this year’s symposium. The consensus? Supply chain leaders are moving beyond AI fascination and toward something much bigger: redesigning how decisions, workflows, and organizations operate.   AI Is No Longer the Story. Outcomes Are One of the strongest themes from the event was a more mature, pragmatic approach to AI adoption. According to Mike Griswold, many organizations are finally moving past the “shock and awe” phase that dominated conversations a year ago. “People need to figure out exactly what problem or problems AI is going to solve for them,” Griswold explains. That may sound simple, but it represents a significant shift. Instead of experimenting with AI for AI’s sake, companies are becoming more disciplined about identifying operational value and measurable business outcomes. Griswold also warns against a familiar trap: creating “highly efficient…

Tariffs have the entire world on edge, and the Supply Chain Now hosts are staying abreast of the very latest developments on the tariffs front to share them with listeners. But believe it or not, there’s a lot more going on in the world that affects the supply chain industry than tariffs, and Supply Chain Now is keeping listeners informed about all the topics important to them. Tariffs, Of Course, and Government Regulations The Trump administration has cranked up trade tensions with its 145% tariff on most imports from China and the end of the de minimis exemption that allowed packages worth less than $800 to enter the United States duty-free. The Port of Los Angeles, the United States’ largest maritime gateway, is one of the American powerhouses that has been bracing for the impact. Port Executive Director Gene Seroka said on April 24 that he expected within the next two weeks container ship arrivals would “drop by 35% as essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased, and cargo coming out of Southeast Asia locations is much softer than normal.” At Supply Chain Now, we’re constantly monitoring what’s happening in LA and Washington —…