Thobekile Nxumalo

Stay up to date on all the latest conversations, interviews, and episodes we released this week here at Supply Chain Now! We kicked the week off with a special episode of Digital Transformers with host Kevin L. Jackson and Scott Luton. This episode also featured the Vice President of Strategic Customers at Ratelinx, Andrew Hooser. During this episode Andrew talks about how Ratelinx helps companies unite their data and take action. For This Week In Business History Kelly covers stories from plumbing inventors to a black woman holding incredible records for having a substantial amount of patents. For this episode of Supply Chain Now host Scott gets to chat with the CEO and co-founder of Tommy Run, Bernard Parks and Tandreia Bellamy. One topic that is discussed includes why logistics is an important part of EVERY business model because “everything has to touch a truck”. On Wednesday we released an episode of Logistics With Purpose with host Enrique Alvarez and Kristi Porter. This episode also features Audra Weddle, Shipping Director and Ryan Grabill, Director of International Disaster Service, for Convoy of Hope. This episode focuses on Convoy of Hope and the logistics of disaster outreach. For this special Thursday feature…

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Nari Viswanathan, a veteran innovator in the planning and procurement technology space and a key leader at Coupa. The two reconnected after several recent collaborations—including webinars, industry sessions, and conversations in Dallas—and discussed the new realities of supply chain planning and how organizations are embracing technology like never before.   Coupa and Autonomous Spend Management For those less familiar with Coupa, Viswanathan explained the company as the global leader in autonomous spend management—a framework that brings together direct and indirect spending to help organizations manage total spend more intelligently. Direct spend, of course, is where supply chain operations come into focus, making planning, design, and cost optimization central to the value Coupa delivers. Viswanathan leads Coupa’s global supply chain strategy, shaping how the company positions and scales its solutions across the market. After years spent in supply chain planning technology, he now sits at the intersection of procurement, supply chain, and advanced analytics—an area he believes has never been more exciting or more critical.   Old Problems, New Pressures—and a Greater Willingness to Innovate When asked about the biggest challenges facing planners today, Viswanathan emphasized a…