Ismail Safi

Get ready to increase your supply chain IQ! Check out all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams from this week right here! On Saturday, Karin Bursa welcomed Manda Hunt from the Empty Stocking Fund to TEK TOK to talk about how the organization transformed from a brick and mortar model to an online virtual gift selection.     On Sunday, Scott and Greg welcomed Mark Morley from OpenText to the podcast to share his key observations in the latest supply chain tech.     On Monday’s podcast episode, Wasim Munayyer from the Munayyer Group joined Jamin on Logistics & Beyond to talk about the three traits needed to succeed when it comes to optimizing technology in the freight space & the importance of leveraging available resources and information related to tech.     On Tuesday, Scott Luton and special co-host Page Siplon with TeamOne Logistics welcome an esteemed panel of mental health advocates on the podcast: John Hearn with The Benefit Company and established healthcare leader, Yinka Ajirotutu.     On Wednesday, Scott Luton and Greg White welcome Eric Olson with Total Quality Logistics and Bobby Holland with U.S. Bank to talk about the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index.…

At the 2025 Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Fred Baumann, Senior Industry Principal at Kinaxis, one of the world’s most recognized leaders in supply chain planning and orchestration. Kinaxis has spent over four decades shaping the planning landscape and has been named to the Gartner Leaders Quadrant an extraordinary 11 consecutive times—a testament to its execution strength and long-term vision. Baumann’s role at Kinaxis centers on helping chief supply chain officers and senior leaders shape their strategic transformation roadmaps, quantify value, and build the business cases necessary to achieve breakthrough outcomes.   From Episodic Disruptions to Continuous Turbulence When asked about old and new challenges facing supply chain planning teams, Baumann observed a major shift: disruption is no longer episodic—it’s continuous. Historically, companies faced major disruptions every few years. Today, volatility and constraint-related challenges—whether driven by tariffs, sourcing changes, geopolitical shifts, or supply shortages—are unfolding weekly or even daily. This environment demands a new way of working. The speed of global business is accelerating, and uncertainty is at historic highs. As Baumann noted, organizations must now adjust their supply chains “much faster than they had to even last year.” The shift isn’t only…