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supply chain planning
January 6, 2026
ZS’s Caglar Ozdag on Firefighting, AI Skepticism, and Why Data Must Come First in 2026
At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Caglar Ozdag, a supply chain leader at ZS. Known for its deep analytics and technology expertise across industries such as life sciences, airlines, consumer goods, and agriculture, ZS has become a trusted partner for organizations looking to elevate their planning and manufacturing performance. Ozdag leads the firm’s supply chain practice with a focus on planning from detailed forecasting through detailed scheduling. As a former practitioner himself—having led planning operations at large global enterprises—he brings a grounded, real-world perspective to the challenges facing today’s supply chain leaders. Old Problems Persist—and New Ones Are Emerging When asked about classic and emerging challenges in planning, Ozdag didn’t hesitate: firefighting isn’t going away. From supply planning disruptions to last-minute schedule changes, firefighting remains a daily reality. “Life happens,” Ozdag noted. Plans rarely match reality, and organizations must constantly adjust. But today, a new layer has been added: AI uncertainty. Everywhere he goes, leaders are asking the same questions: “Is AI the right investment?” “Will the ROI materialize?” “Are we adopting the right tools, or just chasing hype?” This blend of enduring complexity and emerging skepticism has become a defining…
November 20, 2020
This Week on Supply Chain Now: November 16th – November 20th
Supply Chain Now has been full of great conversations, key takeaways, and inspiring stories from some amazing business leaders this week. Make sure you catch all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams right here for all the hottest supply chain news! On Saturday, Steve Britt, senior manager for customs at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, joins us in partnership with AIAG – Automotive Industry Action Group’s 2020 Supply Chain Summit to talk about his role and thepartnership between industry and US Customs and Border Protection. On Monday, Scott and the Vector Global Logistics team sat down with Steven Stirling from MAP International for an episode of our Logistics with Purpose series to hear Steven’s inspiring story that made him dedicate his life to bringing critical medicines and health supplies to some of the world’s poorest people. On Tuesday, TEK TOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast with host Karin Bursa welcomed industry trailblazer Lora Cecere, CEO of Supply Chain Insights, to hear about Lora’s career path On Wednesday, Scott and Greg sit down with Bob Bova from AccuSpeechMobile to the Supply Chain Buzz to talk about how voice automation in the warehouse is increasing producitivity and announcing na…