Howard Rosenberg

At MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, Scott Luton sat down with RD Deshmukh, Chief R&D Officer at ID Logistics US, to explore how supply chains must evolve to keep pace with a rapidly shifting retail and e-commerce landscape. From AI deployment to warehouse design and customer expectations, RD offers a clear message: the old playbook no longer applies; and those who fail to adapt risk falling behind quickly.   A “Day-One” Mindset for Continuous Change Drawing from his experience at Amazon, RD emphasizes the importance of maintaining a “DayOne” mindset, which is one rooted in curiosity, adaptability, and constant reinvention. “Be curious, be innovative… the day you’re not curious, it will kill you,” he explains. In today’s environment, where disruption is constant, this mindset isn’t optional. It’s essential. Leaders must prepare their teams not just to respond to change, but to expect it. As RD puts it, the only certainty is that “tomorrow is going to change.” This philosophy underpins how ID Logistics approaches innovation, engineering, and customer solutions; always with an eye toward flexibility and resilience.   AI: Start with the Problem, Not the Technology While artificial intelligence continues to dominate industry conversations, RD cautions against rushing into implementation without…

Scott Luton: “SAP Sapphire 2026 featured a major emphasis on the Autonomous Enterprise and AI-powered business operations. From your perspective, what was one session (or prevalent theme amongst attendees) that you found to be particularly intriguing? And why?” Richard Howells: “Great session by Dominik Mark Metzger on the Future of Supply Chain – SAP Sapphire Virtual – Session Catalog. At SAP Sapphire, we’re introducing Autonomous Supply Chain Management, enabled by new Joule Assistants and Industry AI scenarios that apply this model to daily operations across planning, manufacturing, logistics, engineering, and asset management. General availability will be phased throughout 2026, starting now. By introducing a new set of AI-driven assistants and agents, we’re moving orchestration toward an autonomous operating model, where planning, manufacturing, logistics, and asset operations increasingly anticipate, coordinate, and resolve without manual intervention at every step. Highlight for me was the simple definition of the Autonomous Supply Chain where “People direct, AI Assistants orchestrate, and Agents execute”. Also, a callout to Rebecca Kaufmann from Takeda Pharmaceuticals for a great overview of how her company are, and plan to leverage AI to “augment human expertise and reduce the technical burden”.” Scott Luton: “There’s a growing sense across the industry that…