Paul Goydan

This post is written by our friends at e2open. E2open is the connected supply chain software platform that enables the world’s largest companies to transform the way they make, move, and sell goods and services. Moving as one.™ Learn More: www.e2open.com.   Global supply chains are under pressure like never before, and disruptions aren’t rare events anymore—they’re structural, constant, and often originate outside your four walls. A single weak link in your supplier network can ripple across production schedules, customer commitments, and brand reputation. The old playbook of reacting to occasional crises doesn’t cut it. To thrive in 2025 and beyond, companies need real-time visibility, predictive insights, and agile execution. That’s where supply chain control tower technology comes in.   What is a supply chain control tower, really? A control tower acts as the command center for your supply chain. It gathers and visualizes data, analyzes disruption impacts, and provides actionable recommendations before problems escalate. Advanced solutions can even automate responses to routine issues and enable cross-functional collaboration to ensure that decisions aren’t just well-informed, they’re executed across the supply chain as well.   Why control towers matter now Supply chain risk isn’t a passing cloud; it’s a thunderstorm that…

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton caught up with Rob Haddock, a seasoned supply chain practitioner and advisor with Demand Chain AI, to discuss the persistent planning challenges organizations face—and why maturity, discipline, and optimization still matter more than buzzwords. Demand Chain AI blends consulting services with advanced supply chain technologies, focusing on optimization across trade promotion management, demand sensing, supply planning, and detailed production scheduling. Haddock’s role centers on helping organizations strengthen business processes—particularly sales and operations planning (S&OP), performance reporting, and the practical application of technology to improve execution on both the demand and supply sides.   A Practitioner’s Perspective on Planning Gaps Haddock’s perspective is shaped by decades spent inside large, sophisticated supply chain organizations. Early in his career, he worked within an iconic, global beverage company where advanced planning environments were already in place—though, in hindsight, he admits those tools were sometimes underutilized. Today, Haddock spends much of his time working with small and mid-sized organizations that haven’t been as fortunate. In many of these environments, planning maturity is still low, foundational practices are missing, and—unsurprisingly—Excel remains the primary planning tool. “Basic business practices that have been around since the 1990s…