Chris Mennona

At MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, Scott Luton sat down with Christian Lieberoth-Leden, Principal and Global Senior Expert, and Florian Salamon, Director of Consulting at 4flow, to unpack a complex warehouse transformation project that highlights the realities of modern supply chain growth. The discussion offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to design, implement, and scale a next-generation operation while keeping business moving uninterrupted. When Growth Forces Reinvention The project began with a clear challenge: a rapidly growing customer had outgrown its existing U.S. warehouse network. According to Christian Lieberoth-Leden, the company anticipated “doubling volume” over the next decade while simultaneously managing a major operational shift from B2B to B2C fulfillment. The existing facility simply could not support the future business requirements. A new warehouse was inevitable – – but this wasn’t just about adding capacity. It was about rethinking the operation entirely. At the same time, the stakes were extremely high. The warehouse would become a mission-critical hub for the company’s U.S. business, meaning there was little room for error. Start with Requirements, Not Tech One of the most important themes from the conversation is that successful transformation projects begin long before automation decisions are made. Christian emphasizes…

In July, what is being called the “largest IT outage in history” grounded air cargo and travel and caused “substantial disruptions” to the networks of such supply chain giants as FedEx and UPS. While cybersecurity company CrowdStrike blamed the worldwide outage on a “software update” and not a cyberattack, the event illustrates the importance of taking measures to safeguard the supply chain systems we all rely on for the movement of goods and people. Cybersecurity is Paramount in Digital Supply Chain A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report published in October 2023 said that “bad actors are using more sophisticated tools and techniques to exploit vulnerabilities in digital networks, and weak points can be difficult to detect. Companies with established cybersecurity capabilities are being compromised through less sophisticated third parties that are connected to their network.” Today’s Supply Chain Remains Vulnerable to Cyberattacks According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of organizations targeted by supply chain cyberattacks skyrocketed by 2,600% between 2018 and 2023. Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report said there was a 68% year-over-year leap in the amount of “supply chain interconnection” involved in cyber breaches. Among high-profile cyberattacks affecting the supply chain: In December 2020, Forward…