Len DeCandia

Special Guest Blog Post written by Deborah Dull   Imagine it’s launch season in your supply chain, and a team of AI agents is hard at work: coordinating shipments with suppliers, allocating inventory, and handling a missed delivery. It’s hard to go a day without hearing about the latest AI headlines: new LLMs, new applications, new use cases. These discussions are part of my every day. Business leaders and IT teams are eager to explore – and they have a lot of questions… and apprehension. In these discussions, we have found one framework that lands consistently: consider AI agents like new hires, not new software.   Step 1: Hire Like You Mean It Just like hiring humans, this step is about defining what you need. The first decision is the purpose of the role: what problems are you trying to solve? Where are your people overwhelmed? Where is your business growing in coming months? From here, the next decision is to build the business case just like you would for a new headcount. For example, consider the ROI of having a digital employee who can process supplier performance data 24/7. Now, decide on the type of agent that will join…

Another BIG week at Supply Chain Now! If you missed an episode, get a quick summary and listen here! We published a great Logistics with Purpose episode on Saturday the 8th, featuring Shane Buerster with Z Beans Coffee. Supply Chain Now · “Logistics with Purpose: Shane Buerster with Z Beans Coffee”       On Monday, Scott and Greg spoke with Keith Saunders, Vice President of Direct Materials and Sourced Finished Goods at Zep Inc.   Supply Chain Now · “Supply Chain Front & Center: Keith Saunders with Zep Inc.”     Stephanie Thum talked about relentlessly focusing on the customer on the podcast on Tuesday with Scott and Greg.   Supply Chain Now · “Relentlessly Focused on the Customer: Stephanie Thum with Practical CX”     On Wednesday, we published this week’s Supply Chain Buzz, which featured an excellent interview with Andrew Kelley, the CCO of Boxlock.   Supply Chain Now · “The Supply Chain Buzz for August 10th with Featured Guest Andrew Kelley from BoxLock”   On Thursday, we shared another great episode in the TECHquila Sunrise series with Greg White, where Greg shares the latest investments, acquisitions, innovations, and glorious implosions in Supply Chain Tech every week.…