Erik Green

At Supply Chain Now, we talk a lot about innovation, resilience, and what’s next for our industry. But behind every great conversation, great idea, and great community is something even more fundamental: curiosity. We read because we’re curious. We read to learn. We read to grow. And sometimes, we read simply because it’s fun! That’s why we created Between the Lines by Supply Chain Now, a space for our community to share what we’re reading, what’s making us think, and what we’re excited to recommend to others. This isn’t a traditional book club where everyone follows the same reading list. Instead, it’s a shared shelf, built by the Supply Chain Now team and our broader community. You’ll find business books and personal development reads alongside novels, memoirs, histories, and unexpected favorites. No required genres. No assigned chapters. Just real people sharing real recommendations. Because great books shape us in different ways. Some help us sharpen our skills. Some challenge how we see the world. Some help us slow down, escape, or recharge. And often, the most meaningful growth comes from reading something we never would have picked up on our own. With Between the Lines, our goal is to create…

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…