Tommy Townsend

Get Ready to increase your supply chain IQ! We’ve got all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams right here from Supply Chain Now this week. On Monday, TEKTOK host Karin Bursa sat down with Scott to look back on 2020 and discuss what’s on the horizon for 2021   On Tuesday’s podcast episode, Kelly Barner joined Scott to discuss the lessons learned in 2020 and what’s to come in 2021.   On Wednesday, Scott welcomed Joe Donnell and Karl Fillhouer with Circle Logistics to talk about the recruiting and talent challenges they faced in 2020, consumer demand predictions after pandemic restrictions are lifted, & the next frontier in technological innovation.   On Thursday, Scott and Greg welcome Nurfad Nadarevic to the Supply Chain Buzz to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine distribution, automotive changes ahead, and more top news in supply chain this week.   We ended the week with an episode of TEKTOK, powered by Supply Chain Now, where host Karin Bursa shared the 3 Things C-Level execs need to know about Sales & Operations Planning & Inventory Optimization.   Which was your favorite episode this week? Never miss an episode by subscribing to Supply Chain Now! Make sure you…

At the 2025 Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton met with John Lash, who leads strategy and vision at e2open, a WiseTech Global Group company. E2open is a global platform powering the entire lifecycle of making, moving, and selling goods, with capabilities spanning planning, logistics, global trade, supply management, and procurement. The platform is designed not just for enterprise visibility but for true end-to-end coordination across extended supply chain ecosystems. Lash emphasized that disruptions rarely originate within a company’s four walls. “Your sub-tiers are where most of the risk lives,” he explained. “That’s where your day-to-day operations—and your long-term strategy—are truly shaped.” It’s a lesson sharply reinforced during the pandemic, which reminded leaders worldwide that no one does supply chain alone.   Old Challenges Intensified by New Realities When Luton asked about the biggest challenges facing planning teams today, Lash pointed immediately to constraints—supply constraints, manufacturing constraints, and now, the added layer of global trade volatility. Trade policies that once shifted every few years now change weekly, daily, or even hourly. Lash offered a striking example: Brazilian coffee duties jumped from 10% to 50% this summer—before returning to 0%. “How do you plan through that?” he asked.…