Jerry Collins

We are proud to announce that Scott Luton, Founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, has once again been recognized as the #1 Global Thought Leader and Influencer on Supply Chain for 2025 by Thinkers360—marking his second consecutive year at the very top of this prestigious list. This exceptional distinction reaffirms Scott’s ongoing leadership and influence in the global supply chain arena. Under his dynamic stewardship, Supply Chain Now has grown into an award-winning digital content platform—delivering podcasts, livestreams, webinars, and virtual events that resonate across more than 60 countries. Scott’s voice continues to shape and empower the industry, inspiring professionals worldwide with insights that drive innovation and progress. Learn more here.

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Caglar Ozdag, a supply chain leader at ZS. Known for its deep analytics and technology expertise across industries such as life sciences, airlines, consumer goods, and agriculture, ZS has become a trusted partner for organizations looking to elevate their planning and manufacturing performance. Ozdag leads the firm’s supply chain practice with a focus on planning from detailed forecasting through detailed scheduling. As a former practitioner himself—having led planning operations at large global enterprises—he brings a grounded, real-world perspective to the challenges facing today’s supply chain leaders.   Old Problems Persist—and New Ones Are Emerging When asked about classic and emerging challenges in planning, Ozdag didn’t hesitate: firefighting isn’t going away. From supply planning disruptions to last-minute schedule changes, firefighting remains a daily reality. “Life happens,” Ozdag noted. Plans rarely match reality, and organizations must constantly adjust. But today, a new layer has been added: AI uncertainty. Everywhere he goes, leaders are asking the same questions: “Is AI the right investment?” “Will the ROI materialize?” “Are we adopting the right tools, or just chasing hype?” This blend of enduring complexity and emerging skepticism has become a defining…