Donald Ratliff

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…

Want to hear the latest supply chain trends and industry news? Make sure to catch up on all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams right here! On Saturday, Scott Luton and Vector Global Logistics’ Enrique Alvarez welcomed Patrick Nelson, a decorated combat veteran whose received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart Medal, to hear his thoughts on what makes an effective leader in a challenging year like this.   On Monday, Scott welcomed Rod Sherkin with ProPurchaser.com back to the podcast to discuss one of our most asked topics: how to optimize the job search and truly stand out amongst the crowd.   On Tuesday’s podcast, we welcomed Sandro Natale with AT&T and Thomas Carter with TNS – Total Network Service to discuss digital engagement and digital transformations plus its role and purpose with your customers, employees, and partners.   On Wednesday, special guest Zachary Ramirez with Ally Logistics joined Scott and Greg to talk all about simplifying logistics in an ever more complex world.   On Thursday, Dale Wilkinson, Founder of goodgigs, joined us to share the trends he’s seeing among mission driven companies as the workforce remains virtual in the foreseeable future, the other media channels…