Ben Gordon

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…

Another great week here at Supply Chain Now! Have you listened to all the episodes? If not, no worries! Check them all out here: We added a special Saturday episode on May 2nd and featured the first of three speakers from the 2020 AIAG CR Summit and their insights from the conference. First up was Michael Wurzman…     …Then on Monday we featured Tolga Yaprak with iPoint…     …And then on Tuesday, we featured Bruno Sarda.     On Wednesday, we published another episode in the fantastic Logistics with Purpose series sponsored by Vector Global Logistics. Our special guest was Lauren Noce with Hungry.     Then we published the new and improved Supply Chain Buzz, with Scott and Greg sharing and discussing the latest news and events in Supply Chain and beyond.     And to wrap up the week, Scott chatted with the Resilience360 team about their upcoming webinar about the 2020 Hurrican Season.     Which was your favorite episode? Make sure you tune in next week for more great conversation, timely topics, and exceptional guests on Supply Chain Now!