Charles Walker

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…

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Nari Viswanathan, a veteran innovator in the planning and procurement technology space and a key leader at Coupa. The two reconnected after several recent collaborations—including webinars, industry sessions, and conversations in Dallas—and discussed the new realities of supply chain planning and how organizations are embracing technology like never before.   Coupa and Autonomous Spend Management For those less familiar with Coupa, Viswanathan explained the company as the global leader in autonomous spend management—a framework that brings together direct and indirect spending to help organizations manage total spend more intelligently. Direct spend, of course, is where supply chain operations come into focus, making planning, design, and cost optimization central to the value Coupa delivers. Viswanathan leads Coupa’s global supply chain strategy, shaping how the company positions and scales its solutions across the market. After years spent in supply chain planning technology, he now sits at the intersection of procurement, supply chain, and advanced analytics—an area he believes has never been more exciting or more critical.   Old Problems, New Pressures—and a Greater Willingness to Innovate When asked about the biggest challenges facing planners today, Viswanathan emphasized a…