Gene Pledger

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with two leaders from Manhattan Associates—Brett Lindner, Director of Product for Supply Chain Planning, and Ryan Gifford—Senior Director of Strategic Business Development. Together, the conversations painted a clear picture of one of the most persistent challenges in supply chain—and one of the biggest opportunities ahead: unifying planning and execution to drive agility, visibility, and better outcomes.   A Unified View of the Supply Chain Manhattan Associates is widely known for its strength in supply chain execution, spanning warehouse management, transportation management, labor management, and order management. As both Lindner and Gifford emphasized, what differentiates Manhattan today is its unified platform that brings execution and planning together—not as loosely connected systems, but as a single, cohesive foundation. Lindner explained that Manhattan helps companies model and design their future supply chains, enabling better planning decisions that directly inform execution. Gifford echoed that point, describing Manhattan’s approach as “two formerly siloed applications now dancing in unison”—all driven by a shared inventory and decision framework.   The Old Problem That Won’t Go Away: Silos When asked about old and new challenges in supply chain planning, both leaders pointed to the same…

At MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, Scott Luton reconnected with James Malley, Co-Founder and CEO of Paccurate, for a conversation that blended humor, operational insight, and a fresh perspective on where warehouse technology is headed. While the discussion included everything from Disney World to hot dog bun conspiracies, the core message was serious: supply chain organizations are entering a new phase where control, visibility, and operational simplicity matter more than flashy technology demos.   MODEX 2026: Less Hype, More Optimization After nearly a decade of attending MODEX events, Malley sees a clear shift in this year’s show floor dynamic. “I notice in some years at MODEX, there will be all kinds of wild technology that’s kind of futuristic. And in other years, the vibe seems to focus more on the maturation of technology in very established categories,” he explains. “This year is more of the latter.” In other words, the industry appears to be moving from experimentation toward optimization. Rather than chasing the next shiny object, many supply chain leaders are focusing on getting more value from the systems and automation they already have in place. Deeper analytics, better visibility, and operational refinement are becoming bigger priorities than headline-grabbing robotics demonstrations.…