Bradley Leimer

Special Guest Blog Post from e2open From demand sensing to dynamic allocation, here’s how leaders turn peak season logistics into profit   Call it Q4, The Golden Quarter, or Peak Season—it’s the 100-day sprint through fall and winter holidays where profits soar, plans tighten, and one slip leaves you scrambling through January. Across peak season logistics, most companies obsess over outbound speed. Yet the real winners are brands that master inbound logistics flow months earlier. Getting the right inventory to the right locations isn’t glamorous, but it’s where the margins live. Every peak season playbook demands strategic evolution. Rerun last year’s strategy this quarter and you’ll sink—unless you’ve built sophisticated inbound logistics capabilities, airtight supplier partnerships, and precise forecasting to anticipate market shifts. With the right strategy, you can stride into the Golden Quarter. That means: Smarter forecasting that detects demand shifts before they hit Sharper allocation that puts inventory exactly where it’s needed Replenishment planning that maintains flow under pressure On Time in Full (OTIF) execution that keeps products moving and shoppers happy In peak season, accuracy wins. Miss inbound positioning, and your bottom line misses too.   Inbound planning: The difference between stockouts and sales Golden Quarter demand…

At the 2025 Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton caught up with Justin Siefert, a familiar face in the supply chain community and a leader at John Galt Solutions, a global provider of end-to-end supply chain planning software. From demand and supply planning to inventory and S&OP, John Galt supports organizations across industries with the holistic capabilities needed to thrive in an increasingly unpredictable landscape.   A Company Investing in the Next Generation Before diving into industry trends, Siefert shared an update on one of the programs that sets John Galt apart: its supply chain scholarship program, which awards $10,000 to students pursuing supply chain degrees. This year’s cycle brought in a record number of nominations, with new winners set to be announced in January. It’s an initiative Siefert is proud of—and one that reflects John Galt’s belief in cultivating tomorrow’s leaders.   Old Problems, New Pressures: Planning in a World of Uncertainty When asked about the biggest challenges facing planners today, Siefert didn’t hesitate: uncertainty. While the forms of disruption change—pandemics, geopolitical shifts, demand shocks, evolving portfolios—the underlying challenge remains the same. Planners must anticipate what’s next and respond quickly, often in real time. “No day…