Mike Griswold is the Vice President of Research at Gartner, specializing in retail with a particular focus on forecasting and replenishment. He is responsible for Gartner’s annual Top 25 Supply Chain ranking and joins Supply Chain Now on a monthly basis to discuss the latest in retail supply chains from an analyst’s perspective. Gartner held the 2021 Supply Chain Symposium/XPO focused on the EMEA region a few weeks ago, and many of the topics affect businesses and supply chains in every part of the globe. All of the macro trends that were discussed have a dual focus – doing well while doing good and making sure that the priorities of the customer (whether B2B or B2C) are understood and embraced by decision-makers. In this episode, Mike shares his key takeaways from the 2021 EMEA Supply Chain Symposium/XPO with co-hosts Scott Luton and Kelly Barner, host of Dial P for Procurement:
- Sustainable profit and sustainable profitability
- The importance of having a shared purpose
- Creating and strengthening value-aligned ecosystems
More Podcast Episodes
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November 12, 2024
Perritos a bordo: logística de mascotas
Cuando pensamos en mover carga de un punto a otro, normalmente nos imaginamos el movimiento de productos en grandes contenedores o tarimas por medio de aviones, camiones y barcos, pero muy pocas veces consideramos que también existe el movimiento de carga muy valiosa como lo son los animales. En este episodio hablamos de la logística de mascotas y todo lo que toma en cuenta en su planeación y ejecución. Para las personas que buscan salir de vacaciones o incluso reubicarse a otro país, viajar con sus fieles compañeros puede ser algo muy complicado, pero gracias VIPet esto ahora es mucho más sencillo. Jeannine Rivas decidió juntar sus dos grandes pasiones; cadena de suministro y estudios veterinarios, y fue así como creó su empresa de VIPet International para importar y exportar mascotas por el mundo. Descubre más sobre este sector que involucra el manejo de carga especial, delicada y viva; nuestras mascotas.
return management
Podcast
October 20, 2025
Ask Me Anything on Reverse Logistics & Returns
In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and special guest host Claudia Freed, President & CEO of EALGreen, welcome Chuck Johnston, Chief Strategy Officer at ReturnPro, for a deep dive into the “dark side” of supply chain: reverse logistics and returns management. They unpack why returns are a nearly trillion-dollar challenge in the U.S., how BORIS (buy online, return in store) strains store operations, and why many retailers still under-invest: leaders often can’t see the full cost across functions or make the ROI case for what’s treated as a cost center. Chuck shares how the space has evolved from yellow notepads to data-driven decisioning, highlighting intelligent algorithms that route items at the customer’s first return click, fraud mitigation with imaging and behavior signals, and how third-party innovation is compressing software build times. Claudia adds a nonprofit and circularity lens: donation channels, extended tax credits, and AI pilots (computer vision + MCP agents) that identify item condition and slotting in real time. Together, they explore where to start, why cross-functional “ambassadors” matter, and how partnerships across retailers, manufacturers, nonprofits, and 3PLs can turn returns from margin erosion into measurable value and social impact. This episode is hosted by…