Bill DeMartino

From Grocery Innovator to Global Tech Enabler At Manifest 2026, Scott Luton spent time with David Scheffrahn, Vice President of Sales with Ocado Intelligent Automation, to explore how fulfillment technology is evolving in an era defined by volatility. While Ocado is widely known in the UK and Europe for its e-commerce grocery leadership, Scheffrahn explained that the company’s North American focus is different. Over 25 years of building its own advanced grocery e-commerce and fulfillment operations, Ocado developed a powerful technology stack to drive efficiency. “What we’ve done in the last five years,” he shared, “has taken the tech stack that we built for our own use, and now we’re offering it to other companies to buy and use for their operations.” Today, Ocado supports 3PLs and global brands with end-to-end automation solutions that enable companies to maintain greater control over their omnichannel fulfillment, especially those looking for alternatives to marketplace giants.   Volatility Hasn’t Gone Away When asked about dominant supply chain themes heading into 2026, Scheffrahn was direct: “Volatility has not gone away.” He described 2025 as “a massive shock in the system,” with tariffs and shifting trade policies forcing customers to pause projects and reassess strategy. “Almost…

Another great week here at Supply Chain Now! Have you listened to all the episodes? If not, you can check them all out here: On Monday, Scott and Greg chatted with Jenny Froome and Dominique Zwinkels. Supply Chain Now · “Supply Chain Front & Center: Jenny Froome & Dominique Zwinkels”   Then on Tuesday, we continued in the Logistics with Purpose series and welcomed Jeremy Newhouse with MATTER to the podcast.   Supply Chain Now · “Logistics with Purpose: Jeremy Newhouse with MATTER”   On Wednesday, Scott and Greg tackled the top news in supply chain on the Buzz, and welcomed special guest Rob Lopez with Peach Tree Commercial Capital.   Supply Chain Now · “Supply Chain Buzz with Rob Lopez & Peach Tree Commercial Captial: Manufacturing, Money & More”   Scott and Greg were joined by Lynne Johnson and Joe Barto with AME on Thursday:   Supply Chain Now · “Helping Manufacturers Share, Learn, & Grow: Joe Barto & Lynne Johnson with AME”   And we wrapped up the week as Scott and Greg were joined by Ricahrd Schrade with Automation Intelligence:   Supply Chain Now · “Tomorrow’s Automation Today: Richard Schrade, Co-Founder & President of Automation Intelligence” Which…