Steve Lyons

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…

Rolling right through mid-September with more great interviews, conversations, livestreams, and episodes!   For a bonus episode on Saturday, Jamin welcomed Jeff Lerner to the podcast on the new program, Logistics & Beyond, for a discussion about the power of relationships in professional growth.   Supply Chain Now · “Logistics & Beyond: The Power of Relationships in Professional Growth”   On Monday, Scott dug back into the archives for This Week in Business History, and discussed JC Penney, Karsten Solheim, & more.   Supply Chain Now · “This Week in Business History for September 14th: JC Penney, Karsten Solheim, & More”   On Tuesday, Scott and Greg welcomed Eric Rempel with Redwood Logistics and talked about Next-Generation Third Party Logistics.   Supply Chain Now · “Next Generation Third-Party Logistics: Eric Rempel with Redwood Logistics”   On Wednesday, Scott and Greg welcomed Patrick Kelly with The Produce Industry Podcast and Michael Chavez with Golden Star Citrus for a great podcast-crossover collaboration!   Supply Chain Now · “Pioneering Leaders in the Produce Industry: Patrick Kelly & Michael Chavez”   On Thursday, we published Greg’s TECHquila Sunrise, with special guest, Benjamin Gordon, with Cambridge Capital.   Supply Chain Now · “Scrappy Underdog to…