Cristina Aleixendri

Special Guest Blog Post written by Jeff Echel and Steve Lykken with e2open   Supply chain planners in high-tech don’t just manage shipments; they’re crisis managers, data detectives, and sometimes, referees in a high-stakes game of inventory tug-of-war. Why do these planners find themselves huddled in “war rooms,” surrounded by spreadsheets and urgent emails? It starts with relentless pressure: customers expect rapid, reliable service, but the reality is a maze of long lead times, outsourced manufacturing, and unpredictable global logistics. Securing critical components can take months, and a single misstep, like overstocking or missing a shipment, can ripple through the business, impacting revenue and margins. The chaos: War rooms and spreadsheet battles Add to that, the complexity of forecasting demand. Planners reconcile noisy, inconsistent data from retailers and distributors, often with little visibility, into . Forecasts are built, torn down, and rebuilt, sometimes manually, as teams try to align bottom-up channel data with top-down financial targets. Meanwhile, supply plans are constantly threatened by shortages, excess inventory, and last-minute changes. When demand surges or supply is disrupted, channels compete for limited stock, sometimes “stealing” from each other, and sometimes winning simply by being the loudest voice in the room. All of…

It’s been an exciting week here at Supply Chain Now! Catch up on all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams right here for all the hottest supply chain news! On Monday, we launched Dial P for Procurement with program co-hosts Kelly Barner & Scott Luton who welcomed two professionals who have put their procurement and supply chain experience to work in the service of others: Anna McGovern, Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Food Bank for New York City, and Kathy Fulton, Executive Director of the American Logistics Aid Network.   On Tuesday, Laura Cyrus with Truckers Against Trafficking joined host Enrique Alvarez to share how supply chain & trucking workers are uniquely positioned to combat human trafficking.   On Wednesday, we launched our new Digital Transformers series in partnership with Total Network Service. Check out our first episode as Scott Luton, Kevin L. Jackson, and special host Thomas Carter welcome Dave Stehlin and Chris Poli to the show.   On Thursday, we released The Supply Chain Buzz with Kevin L. Jackson, Greg White, & Scott Luton who discuss leading stories from global supply chain and global business, including the skyrocketing costs of medical supplies, the impact of IoT…