Monica Truelsch

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…

What’s been happening at Supply Chain Now? This week, our program hosts welcomed many special guests this week to talk about startup growth, manufacturing, procurement, and, of course, supply chain! Check out the latest interviews, conversations, and podcast episodes right here! On Monday, we released 2 new episodes! In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, hosts Kelly Barner, Scott Luton, and Kim Winter welcome special guest Sam Achampong to talk about why it’s absolutely crucial for procurement to be aligned with your overall business strategy. On This Week in Business History, host Scott Luton delves into the story of Dr. Lillian Gilbreth, whom many refer to as “the Mother of Modern Management” and “America’s First Lady of Engineering”. On Tuesday, we released 2 new episodes! On this episode of Supply Chain Now, Lora Cecere, Founder of Supply Chain Insights, sat down with Scott Luton and Greg White to discuss COVID-19’s impact on software development, chip shortages, supply chain performance metrics, and more! On TECHquila Sunrise, host Greg White welcomed Jack Freeman of PeakSpan Capital to hear his path from startup to the investor seat, including what he’s learned, what he’s still learning and some new areas that he’s getting…