Let's Talk Supply Chain

Stephen Dascoli & Vincent Lacopella talk about cross-border ecommerce - the challenges & opportunities; the importance of technology; and market growth.

[07.24] Introductions to Stephen and Vincent, and their roles at CargoWise and Alba Wheels Up.

[09.58] The rapid rise in ecommerce, and the factors driving its international growth.

“As consumers, we want convenience. You can compare prices, it’s cheap… cross-border ecommerce is going to continue to grow.”

[11.54] The impressive growth rate we can expect in ecommerce, and what that growth means for the industry and the different players within it.

“The pandemic saw some changes in the way ecommerce was shipped… with more growth comes more opportunities for forwarders, but also more challenges.”

[15.04] From compliance and regulations to capacity, the big challenges posed by cross-border ecommerce growth and how they’re affecting the B2B supply chain.

“Surging B2C commerce is going to continue to put pressure on small to medium sized forwarders – the volume that the ecommerce giants ship these days, they’re taking up all the capacity with carriers and making it hard for small-to-mids in the international space.”

[18.50] The growing opportunities for forwarders in cross-border D2C ecommerce fulfillment.

“We see huge opportunity on the southern border, a lot of companies are looking to put inventory there, and keep it there until it’s sold… companies that don’t do that, and still pay duty on that D2C, might be at a disadvantage because of the pricing.”

[23.42] Why forwarders are recognizing this time of growth and becoming proactive; and how they’re tackling the challenges, embracing the opportunities, and making the operational changes needed to ensure success.

“They’re recognizing that if they don’t have the capabilities in the cross-border ecommerce space, they’re going to have to eventually, or they’re going to miss out… They’re working it out, doing the research, talking to the right people so, once that opportunity comes up, they’ve got the right tools, they’re in the right place, they’ve got the resources – and they can jump on it.”

[27.14] How technology is helping organizations to realize faster, safer, and more reliable cross‑border ecommerce order fulfillment.

“The competition in the space, with such little margins – you can’t just throw people at the problem, the overheads of throwing labor at it just isn’t going to work… organizations must utilize technology to automate their processes.”

[28.51] Alba Wheels Up’s long-standing relationship with CargoWise, and the benefits it brings.

[31.26] How investment in technology has allowed Alba Wheels Up to take advantage of opportunities presented by international ecommerce fulfillment and boost their business intelligence and customer service.

[33.34] Vincent’s advice for how organizations should approach opening themselves up to international ecommerce, and the challenges and opportunities it brings.

“We’re in this debate in the customs brokerage community about Section 321… so companies need to figure out how they’re going to operate in the space, how are they going to take advantage of what’s going on? Because I don’t see any big regulatory changes on the horizon that are going to change the trend.”

[36.29] The typical questions and concerns of brands looking to partner with CargoWise, and Stephen’s advice for overcoming volume and data fears.

“Don’t be afraid of the amount of data there is. The majority of that data (if you do it the right way), you can validate it, screen it – it’s only a small portion of that data that you actually need to action.”

[38.20] The future for cross-border ecommerce, and how we can expect to see the market continue to grow.

Head over to CargoWise’s website now to find out more, download their free ecommerce eBook, or request a cross-border ecommerce consultation. You can also connect with CargoWise and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, YouTube, X (Twitter) or Facebook, or you can connect with Stephen or Vincent on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want more, we have lots more amazing CargoWise content for you! Check out 346: Enable and Empower Your Supply Chain, with WiseTech, 367: Going Beyond Visibility – Unveiling The Invisible, 369: From Chaos To Clarity: Simplifying Global Customs Compliance, 371: Going Beyond Visibility – From Risk to Resilience: How Technology Is Transforming Global Supply chains, or 373: Going Beyond Visibility – Culture and Digitization.

Lalitha Rajagopalan talks about her career journey; the experience of founding her own business; her passion for equality; & what she loves about procurement.

[07.40] Lalitha’s early years, and how she went from a degree in economics to the world of procurement and supply chain.

[10.20] Lalitha’s extensive education, and her ongoing commitment to curiosity.

[12.45] Lalitha’s time at Ariba and SAP; her journey of moving through various functions in product management and marketing; and the big lessons she learned along the way.

[17.37] The role of sponsorship and mentorship in Lalitha’s career progression; the culture at SAP and Ariba; and how, and why, Lalitha built her own personal ‘board of directors.’

[22.03] Why Lalitha chose to co-found her own company after a lengthy corporate career, and her experience of making the leap.

[24.08] An overview of ORO – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[26.22] Lalitha’s self-confessed ‘procurement geek’ status, and what she loves so much about the industry.

[29.34] Why Lalitha is so passionate about diversity and equality, and what the industry can do to keep making progress.

[32.20] Lalitha’s advice for women and other underrepresented voices that are looking to get into the industry, or take the next step.

[36.27] The future for Lalitha, for ORO, and for the industry.

You can connect with Lalitha over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from more female founders, check out 364: Women In Supply Chain™, Lisa Morales-Hellebo, 331: Women In Supply Chain™, Sylena Urbanoski or 275: Women In Supply Chain™, Amani Radman.

Evan Shelley of Truck Parking Club talks about creating tech that truckers want to use; why the industry is tough for the small guys; & transforming trucking logistics.

[06.49] Evan’s background in real estate, and how his experiences led him to found Truck Parking Club.

[08.49] An overview of the current trucking landscape, and the challenges the industry is facing.

[12.24] How The Truck Parking Club process works for truckers.

[13.30] How Truck Parking Club utilizes networking to access and secure available parking locations.

[16.43] How much land an owner needs to sign up to Truck Parking Club, and start monetizing empty and available space.

[18.57] The development of the Truck Parking Club app, how it works, and why it was designed entirely with drivers in mind.

[21.43] The impact that Truck Parking Club is having on truckers, businesses, and the industry.

[24.42] The top three reasons why truckers need local parking; and how Truck Parking Club is evolving as drivers discover fresh ways to use the solution and empower themselves with new flexibility and control.

[27.57] A case study detailing how Truck Parking Club “completely changed” a key clients business, improving their efficiency and impact.

[31.38] The environmental impact of saving thousands of hours of fuel annually, and how sustainability is inherent within Truck Parking Club.

[33.42] Truck Parking Club’s 300+ locations over the U.S, and the additional locations they’d like to add to their portfolio.

[36.04] The future for Truck Parking Club.

Head over to Truck Parking Club’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Truck Parking Club and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter) or Facebook or you can connect with Evan on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more about trucking, check out 360: Deliver A Great Trucker Experience, with DCLI, or read about The Top 5 Challenges for Trucking Companies Providing Container Drayage.

Amy Leachman of Delivery Solutions talks about the brand & what they do; ecommerce & the importance of omnichannel; and provider and solution diversification.

[07.58] How, and why, the ecommerce market has evolved so rapidly over the last few years; and the landscape of the industry in 2024.

“COVID really shaped or accelerated the business… the need for last mile delivery, and how we think about true retail operations and technologies, has really morphed over the last four years.”

[11.13] The challenges and opportunities that retailers are facing in the current climate; and the importance of keeping a close eye on cost and control.

“COVID rushed everyone to say ‘I need to integrate here, there and everywhere!’ So, looking at your tech stack, you then have 9, 10 different integrations for everything post-click. How do we simplify that – the cost and the maintenance it takes to uphold all of those API integrations – as well as keep the control?”

[12.31] An overview of Delivery Solutions – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

“Delivery Solutions is a seamless omnichannel experience for everything post-purchase.”

[16.34] Amy’s background; how she moved from delivery service provider to technology solution provider; and why she’s so passionate about the retail industry.

[18.36] The ideal client for Delivery Solutions.

[19.35] The importance of Delivery Service Provider (DSP) diversification; and how Delivery Solutions is helping customers to successfully manage their DSPs.

“When you have different delivery partners across the board, not all of them will have the same value prop… each is going to provide a different technology solution, coverage, what they will and won’t do… It’s very important to diversify in order to make sure you’re choosing the most cost-effective providers, and those that are hitting the right KPIs.”

[23.43] What the diversification of delivery options means for clients, customers and the industry; and how collaboration allows all partners to achieve shared success.

“It’s coming together to simplify omnichannel, and to say: “we’re all in this together.” We want to work with the delivery partners, with the shipping carriers; we want to make sure the communication is clean, concise and proactive. Because, the more the customer is buying and the more opportunities they have to interact with the brand, the more we all win together.”

[26.33] How the Delivery Solutions team are helping clients to manage the balance between customer demand and expectation, and demanding sustainability goals.

[28.48] A case study showing how Delivery Solutions helped a large retailer to drastically reduce its integrations – simplifying its tech stack, reducing costs, and increasing order volumes by 35%.

[32.19] A closer look at onboarding and implementation, and how Delivery Solutions work with clients.

[35.29] How Delivery Solutions use AI and machine learning to boost customer experience, improve communication, and help retailers make informed decisions for themselves.

[37.51] The future for Delivery Solutions; and the omnichannel trends we should be looking out for in 2024 and 2025.

“Retailers are going to continue to meet customers where they are, based on their buying habits and the ever-evolving technology solutions they can provide them.”

Head over to Delivery Solution’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Delivery Solutions and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn or Facebook, or you can connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more about retail and the last mile, check out 393: Get 100% Visibility Over Your Final Mile, with OneRail, 394: Be Agile, Decrease Costs, and Improve Supply Chain Accuracy, with Osa Commerce, or 383: Transform Your Supply Chain and Retail Planning, with RELEX Solutions.

Jill Standish & Laurence Brenig-Jones join Sarah Godet of RELEX to discuss collaboration; surge buying and social media; & balancing cost with service.

[05.37] An introduction to today’s guests, Jill Standish of Accenture and Laurence Brenig-Jones of RELEX, and their roles.

[07.20] An overview of an upcoming RELEX report, surveying retail and CPG leaders, that details the industry’s main challenges, opportunities and investment areas; and Jill and Laurence’s reactions to the initial findings.

[10.58] Sarah, Jill and Laurence reflect on the rise in surge buying and the role of social media; how companies are starting to tackle these changes; and how the rise of generative AI fits in.

[28.04] The guests reflect on the power of collaboration between supply chain partners and retailers; the growing importance of joint forecasting; and the impact this collaborative transparency can have on businesses, and the industry.

Dave Cox of Polaris Transportation Group talks about embracing change; the importance of relationships; cross-border complexity; & the power of digitization.

[06.38] How Polaris Transportation Group was founded 30 years ago, and the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

[07.38] An overview of Polaris – what they do, and how they help their customers.

[08.58] The ideal client for Polaris.

[10.30] A closer look at how Polaris has expanded over the years, and the mindset at the forefront of that growth.

[12.51] The importance of embracing change; and the challenges and priorities Polaris are seeing across the industry right now.

[16.27] Polaris’ cross border services; the complex challenges in cross-border trade; the importance of digitization and strong relationships; and how these elements come together to deliver great experiences for Polaris customers.

[19.48] A closer look at Polaris’ supply chain solutions, and how Polaris is utilizing transparency and honest communication to move beyond a “we’ve always done it that way” approach and deliver solutions that work.

[24.10] How consolidation can help businesses achieve better supply chain design and planning.

[26.07] Polaris’ progressive approach to tech, and how their digital transformation journey has helped Polaris scale and better serve their customers.

[33.11] Why Polaris launched the Larry Cox Academy, and the impact it’s having on the brand, and the supply chain community.

[37.47] From increasing cross-border business to a focus on sustainability, what to look out for in 2024; and the future for Polaris.

Head over to Polaris Transportation Group’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Polaris and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X (Twitter) or you can connect with Dave on LinkedIn.

In this episode of the #LetsTalkSupplyChain Podcast, we discuss:

[07.11] The early years of Pam’s career, and what she learned along the way.

[09.23] Why Pam moved to Brazil, and how she tackled the challenges of living in a new country head-on. 

[14.06] How a chance encounter led Pam to produce the very first Entrepreneur Week in Brazil and launch the Latam Founders Awards, which went on to become known as the ‘Oscars for Technology in Latin America.’

[18.21] The importance of breaking down the barriers between the corporate world and disruptive start-ups, and Pam’s advice for budding entrepreneurs looking to take the next step.

[22.27] Why Pam embraced a global lifestyle, moving from Rio de Janeiro to San Paulo, and ultimately to Miami to join Lab Ventures.

[25.58] How Pam’s ‘Future Of’ event series was acquired and became Manifest, and a closer look at the challenge of producing the very first event during a global pandemic.

[29.01] From sponsorship to speaking topics, a peek behind the scenes of producing an event like Manifest.

[33.23] What we can expect from the future of Manifest, as it gets bigger and better each year.

[35.41] Why Pam is so passionate about bringing people together, and her advice for people or businesses seeking that connection.

[40.11] How Pam approaches the all-important work/life balance; why incorporating time for yourself and your loved ones is vital; and a glimpse into what downtime looks like for her.

[47.01] Pam’s advice for all those looking to follow in her footsteps.

[48.26] The future for Pam.

Plus, Pamela Simon tells us all about her career journey; global travel; embracing connections; and how her event series became the biggest name in supply chain events.

Karin Bursa joins Christine Barnhart to launch Supply Chain Unfiltered & talk about industry challenges, bad ERPs & the importance of interoperability.

[09.25] An introduction to Karin Bursa, her long-time friendship with Christine, and her passion for supply chain tech.

“I had a practitioner background, and I saw the opportunity for technology to make every day a little bit better… I wanted to be part of helping many companies, not just one, do that – and fell in love with supply chain technology!”

[13.15] From innovation and challenges to geopolitical disruption, Karin and Christine discuss the current landscape of supply chain.

“It’s a great time to be in supply chain! If you want to make an impact, you’re in the right domain.”

“There’s some really cool stuff happening, but we have to get out of our own way. The biggest barrier to automation, innovation, visibility – is something called spreadsheets!”

[20.36] An audience poll: “who’s company is currently doing an ERP upgrade?”, and Christine’s reflections on what she sees in the industry when it comes to ERP’s.

“ERP’s were built to show the state of the system today – they weren’t intended to plan the business for the future.”

[22.34] What interoperability means to Karin; how it brings trading partners together; why it needs to facilitate the interpretation of data, as well as just data exchange; and the growing importance of supply chain planning.

“We’ve been talking about ecosystem collaboration since the early 2000’s, it’s not a new idea. But the technology to do it is so much better today.”

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Christine, check out 380: Women in Supply Chain, Christine Barnhart or 328: Blended – Breaking the Class Ceiling.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

The panel discusses bias - where it comes from; how we call it out; the process of learning and unlearning; the impact of titles; & the top 5 workplaces biases.

Ryan Petersen talks about his entrepreneurial journey; the changes behind the scenes at Flexport; and what we can expect from them and the industry in 2024.

[06.30] Ryan’s incredible founder journey, and the ‘why’ behind building Flexport.

[09.17] How Ryan sold #logistics tech as an investment opportunity, bringing interest to the industry and raising over $2 billion worth of investment for Flexport to date.

[11.27] The role of the press in the ups and downs of Flexport’s history; Ryan’s approach to publicity; and his proactive approach to using marketing to bring transparency to the industry.

[14.47] From #acquisitions to internal re-structuring, a closer look at the big changes that have happened behind the scenes at Flexport over the last year.

[18.21] Why Flexport acquired Shopify Logistics, and how it fits into Ryan’s vision for the future – particularly when it comes to growth and data.

[25.45] The reason for the recent staff layoffs at Flexport, and why Ryan isn’t interested in bad press. [27.54] Why Flexport acquired technology from Convoy, and exactly how that #technology will enhance Flexport’s offering.

[33.52] From ongoing disruption on the Red Sea to #sustainability issues, what we can expect from the industry in 2024 and how it’s impacting business.

[41.33] How Flexport is successfully utilizing different forms of #ai; why that success has been a decade in the making; and how Ryan plans to use AI in the future.

[51.51] Flexport’s plans for 2024 with Ryan back in the role of CEO. 

Lisa Dolan talks about her 26 year tenure at ALOM; how the industry has changed and the emerging trends to look out for; and why supply chain needs a re-brand.

[08.36] Lisa’s career journey, and how her spirit of adventure led her from IT to manufacturing and supply chain.

[09.58] An overview of ALOM and what they do; and the forward-thinking woman in supply chain that led Lisa to becoming one of the founding employees of ALOM 26 years ago.

[15.15] Lisa’s 26-year career at ALOM, the different ways she’s touched the business, and her current role. 

[17.29] The many and varied ways that the industry has changed throughout Lisa’s career so far. [

23.51] From demand planning and inventory to #AI, the trends to look out for in 2024.

[28.43] The varied job roles within supply chain, and why it’s so important to spread the word that there is a place for women in the #industry.

[31.17] Lisa’s advice for women looking to build a career in supply chain.

[34.10] Lisa’s advice to organizations that claim to struggle when it comes to finding female, or other diverse, voices for events and speaking #opportunities.

[39.29] The personal and professional #achievements that have defined Lisa’s life and career.

[43.13] The future for Lisa. 

Yifat Baror & Padhu Raman of Osa Commerce talk about AI & data; the importance of collaboration, connectivity & communication; & the challenges with visibility.

[07.11] An introduction to Yifat and Padhu, their backgrounds, and the experience they bring to Osa.

[08.36] An introduction to Osa Commerce, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[09.10] Why so many organizations are still struggling to achieve #visibility over their supply chains.

[10.21] Why supply chain organizations are allegedly spending 3.1 trillion dollars on bad data, and how Osa is tackling those challenges by creating collaborative and connected environments for their clients.

[11.46] From the difference between #proprietary and third-party data to accuracy, the biggest challenges with AI right now.

[13.05] The importance of #connectivity, and why so many organizations don’t understand that it’s actually their first step to success.

[14.03] The current concerns around #cybersecurity and organizations having too many systems at play, and how brands can tackle those issues by improving #integrations and controlling visibility.

[15.35] What communication means to Osa, and its role as one of the all-important "three C's."

[17.00] The importance of collaboration, and how #technology can help to ensure success.

[18.12] How AI connects the "three C’s" – connectivity, communication, and #collaboration – and drives success.

[18.52] The current challenges within #e-commerce, where collaborative visibility fits in, and how it can help solve key issues around demand forecasting, last mile, and inventory. [

20.46] A case study showing how Osa helped a large furniture retailer with real-time tracking across the product journey, reducing cost, increasing revenue and ultimately improving the customer experience by 65%. 

[23.06] From efficiency to resilience, what organizations should be thinking about in 2024.

[23.54] The future for Osa.

Peter Cyr of OneRail talks about the final mile, its evolution, diversifying carrier networks, & how OneRail are helping customers to achieve 100% visibility.

[07.05] An introduction to Peter, his background, and the transition that led him to #logistics technology.

[08.44] An overview of OneRail, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[09.06] The evolution of the final mile, and the three core factors that have helped to lead the industry to where it is now.

[10.28] With research showing that most supply chain teams have only 6% visibility over their supply chains, the risks inherent in a lack of #visibility, and how the final mile is helping to move the needle.

[11.10] What the final mile looks like now, what customers are demanding from retailers, and how those demands are shaping operational #strategies.

[13.10] The different options available to customers, and why the big and bulky category is changing the last mile game.

[14.46] How organizations should be evaluating their #partnerships and the importance of bringing all groups together in one universal conversation.

[15.37] The changing landscape of capacity and demand, and how OneRail can help customers to flex.

[16.58] The importance of diversifying your carrier networks, and finding the right mix, when it comes to mitigating risk and gaining greater control and visibility over the final mile.

[18.51] A case study showing how OneRail helped a key client with their on-demand offering, developing a new SLA around a challenging one-hour delivery need.

[19.59] Peter’s advice for businesses looking to work on their final mile for 2024, and how OneRail works with customers to grow #sustainably together.

[21.52] What 2024 is going to bring for the final mile, and the #trends to look out for.

[22.57] The future for OneRail. 

[23.53] The big topic that will be top of mind for supply chain professionals in 2024. 

The panel discusses preference vs. bias; the differences; the impacts; and the ways that we can tackle bias in ourselves and within our communities.

John Delligatti of SDI talks about data challenges, digital transformation, understanding KPI's and why SDI created its ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics

08.10] An introduction to John, his role at SDI, and a reminder of what SDI does and how they help their customers.

[10.04] Some of the main challenges in supply chain data and why, as an industry, we may be making more progress than we think. [

15.14] An overview of SDI’s Zeus technology, how it tackles some of the industry’s key challenges to give organizations power over their supply chains, and what makes it so different from other #technologies.

[25.38] Why the ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics Guidebook is for all supply chainers, not just data analysts.

[26.44] How a site manager should use the ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics Guidebook to enhance their job function and utilize the insights inside.

[30.04] The importance of determining and setting relevant and meaningful #KPIs, and how the ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics Guidebook can help organizations on that journey.

[36.02] How the ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics Guidebook can help organizations understand what’s important and act on those priorities.

[38.53] The problem with digital transformation, and how resources like the ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics Guidebook can help to bridge the gap, lay the groundwork for success, and equip businesses with knowledge they can understand and action.

[44.41] How a #procurement professional could use the ZEUS Supply Chain Analytics Guidebook to help train staff and reference best practices.

[46.26] The future for SDI.

Dave Shrager of GAINS debunks supply chain myths & talks about the disconnect between tech & results, continuous change & why businesses need to find their why. 

[07.13] An introduction to Dave, his background, and his role at GAINS.

[09.06] Why many organizations are still struggling when it comes to investing in technology, and the ongoing challenge of finding the ‘why’.

[11.09] A recent report claims that 83% of executives say their supply chain tech investments haven’t delivered the expected results; the disconnect between the technology available on the market and the outcomes it delivers; and why vendors have to share the blame.

[15.09] The challenges of complex testing environments for smaller businesses; the importance of changing mindsets when it comes to transformation and what it means for your business; and why every organization needs to come back to the ‘why’.

[20.14] Debunking ‘truths’ that supply chain professionals hold dear – from ‘desperately seeking certainty’ and why there are no right answers, to whether or not any company has just one supply chain and why all businesses deserve world-class software.

[30.28] What decision engineering and composability mean, and how GAINS are using these concepts to help clients.

[35.06] How the right technology can help with effective inventory management and provide a competitive advantage.

[37.04] Why GAINS is equipped to lead the market in a new direction, and the importance of combining tribal knowledge with new innovation in business.

[44.52] From making a difference to pursuing success, what Dave is excited about for 2024.

Carmit Glik talks about swapping the corporate world for start-ups; leveling the playing field for SME’s; and how motherhood makes her a better leader. 

[08.37] Carmit’s career journey and how she found supply chain.

[12.04] An introduction to Ship4wd, Carmit’s role as CEO, and the brand's mission to level the playing field for SMEs.

[13.38] The day-to-day challenges faced by small businesses, and how Ship4wd is leveraging #technology and customer service to help solve those issues.

[22.06] Why Carmit transitioned from a large corporate to a small #tech brand, the differences and similarities between the two worlds, and why she’s so passionate about helping to create access and opportunity for SMEs.

[26.16] Why Carmit chose to embrace global travel as part of her career, and how it’s changed her personally and professionally.

[31.22] Carmit’s passion for supply chain, why it’s such a good career choice for young people, and her advice for anyone looking to enter the industry.

[34.26] The #challenges that Carmit faced as a woman in supply chain, and her approach to overcoming them.

 [37.17] Carmit’s approach to work/life balance, and how becoming a mother has brought her professional success as well as personal fulfillment.

[41.22] The career highlights and achievements that Carmit is most proud of.

[44.23] The future for Carmit. 

Igor Chigrin of Win Global discusses his DroneShip Project; its impact on sustainability; global transportation challenges; & the untapped potential in trade.

[06.35] An introduction to Igor, his background, and how he came to establish Win Global.

[09.01] An overview of Win Global – who they are, what they do, and how they help their clients.

[11.45] The ideal client for Win Global.

[12.13] An introduction to the DroneShip Project, and its objectives for the industry.

[15.27] How Igor pitched DroneShip, and secured #collaboration and funding from the University of Toronto and the Canadian Government, to turn his #innovative idea into reality.

[18.47] From safety and AI to fuel, a closer look at how DroneShip technology will work.

[22.14] An overview of the current, and historic, issues and challenges faced by the international #transportation industry. [

25.56] The opportunities, and untapped market potential, within the international transportation industry.

[27.55] How DroneShip technology will start to address the present-day transportation systems inefficiencies and open up a brand new market of #trade and travel for those who, previously, simply couldn’t afford it.

[36.49] The huge environmental impact of supply chain, and the potential that DroneShip technology has to #revolutionize global #sustainability.

[39.36] From freight forwarding to firefighting, the unique and varied applications for DroneShip.

[41.51] The future for DroneShip, and how organizations can get involved with fundraising and use cases testing.

Audrey Ross and Sarah Barnes-Humphrey talk about New Year disruptions; high-tech wearables; sustainable resolutions; and how trade finance can empower women.

The panel discusses doing good - personal vs corporate responsibility; the line between people and profit; & how organizations can create a positive impact.

Jeff Metersky talks about decisioning; the risks in using your gut; embracing a VUCA world; and why GAINS is putting a focus on configuration and optimization.

[06.35] An introduction to Igor, his background, and how he came to establish Win Global.

[09.01] An overview of Win Global – who they are, what they do, and how they help their clients.

[11.45] The ideal client for Win Global. 

[12.13] An introduction to the DroneShip Project, and its objectives for the industry.

[15.27] How Igor pitched DroneShip, and secured #collaboration and funding from the University of Toronto and the Canadian Government, to turn his #innovative idea into reality.

[18.47] From safety and AI to fuel, a closer look at how DroneShip technology will work.

[22.14] An overview of the current, and historic, issues and challenges faced by the international #transportation industry.

[25.56] The opportunities, and untapped market potential, within the international transportation industry.

[27.55] How DroneShip technology will start to address the present-day transportation systems inefficiencies and open up a brand new market of #trade and travel for those who, previously, simply couldn’t afford it.

[36.49] The huge environmental impact of supply chain, and the potential that DroneShip technology has to #revolutionize global #sustainability.

[39.36] From freight forwarding to firefighting, the unique and varied applications for DroneShip.

[41.51] The future for DroneShip, and how organizations can get involved with fundraising and use cases testing.

Marina Mayer, Katie Date & Jo Ann Dizy discuss money - why women need to stop working for free; their iniatives for change; & the importance of collaboration.

[07.42] An introduction to today’s guests Marina Mayer, Katie Date, and Jo Ann Dizy.

[08.47] Why Katie founded the MIT Women in Supply Chain Initiative; the impact it’s had; and how she learned the importance of conversation and connection.

[13.17] Jo Ann discusses her ‘Growth Circles’ initiative; its role in industries with few women; and the importance of creating supportive communities.

[16.32] Marina’s experience of launching the Women in Supply Chain awards and forum; and what she’s learned along the way.

[19.48] Why Sarah launched the Women in Supply Chain podcast and blog series; how it has inspired women in the industry; and why those experiences led to the creation of The Secret Society of Supply Chain.

[22.22] The group discusses whether women are their own worst enemies, and highlight the urgent need for greater collaboration between women.

[28.56] The panel discusses whether or not women support each other enough; the myths and stereotypes around women; and how organizations and individuals can create more opportunities for women and celebrate their accomplishments.

[36.42] The group reflects on why money is often a taboo subject for women and the importance of being vulnerable.

[42.04] The panel discusses why women work for free; the dangers of undermining and devaluing women’s contributions; and the difference between volunteering for non-profits and working for free for for-profits.

[49.27] The group reflects on the importance of setting an expectation when it comes to paying women fairly; the pay gap consequences of working for free; and the importance of negotiation.

[54.46] From making recommendations to engaging on social media, the group discusses what we can all do to support women in the industry and move the needle.

[01.00.43] The panel put the spotlight on a selection of resources and key groups that are making an impact on women.

[01.03.46] The group sums up their thoughts and key takeaways from the discussion.

Katie Malakhov & Alex Jobin talk about RELEX; the current challenges in retail supply chain; and putting sustainability at the heart of everything they do.

[06.42] An introduction to Alex and Katie.

[07.16] Katie’s recent "Women In Supply Chain" award, her experience of the awards event, and what it means to her to be honored.

[08.30] Katie’s background, and how she found supply chain.

[10.00] Katie’s experience as a woman in the industry. [12.10] From mentorship to a dedicated women’s program, the different ways that RELEX supports women and elevates their voices.

[13.48] Alex’s experience of working with Katie, and benefitting from her #mentorship

[14.39] Katie’s advice for women in the industry, and for organizations looking to create more supportive, #diverse workplaces.

[18.29] The landscape of retail supply chain, and the challenges that organizations are facing across the industry.

[20.30] An introduction to RELEX and what they do.

[21.48] A closer look at RELEX’s demand planning #software, and how it’s creating impactful results for clients.

[23.46] How RELEX’s fulfilment solution supports and enhances demand planning. [27.43] The ideal client for RELEX.

[29.24] A case study showing how RELEX helped a large European grocer maintain stock availability and ease the burden for overworked staff, by achieving a 24% reduction in food waste and helping analysts to become 30% more efficient.

[31.37] The environmental impact of #retail supply chain, and the importance of sustainability.

[34.21] The future for RELEX. 

Ashley Yentz talks about failed 2023 predictions; supply chain complexity; visibility, agility & planning; cybersecurity; & why AI is only as good as your data. 

The panel discusses cancel culture; how and why it's changed; the role of social media; & what organizations can do to tackle it and create thriving workplaces.

Christine Barnhart talks about her supply chain journey; how women promote themselves & support each other; finding her voice; & the power of building a tribe.

[06.42] An introduction to Alex and Katie.

[07.16] Katie’s recent "Women In Supply Chain" award, her experience of the awards event, and what it means to her to be honored.

[08.30] Katie’s background, and how she found supply chain.

[10.00] Katie’s experience as a woman in the industry.

[12.10] From mentorship to a dedicated women’s program, the different ways that RELEX supports women and elevates their voices.

[13.48] Alex’s experience of working with Katie, and benefitting from her #mentorship [

14.39] Katie’s advice for women in the industry, and for organizations looking to create more supportive, #diverse workplaces.

[18.29] The landscape of retail supply chain, and the challenges that organizations are facing across the industry.

[20.30] An introduction to RELEX and what they do.

[21.48] A closer look at RELEX’s demand planning #software, and how it’s creating impactful results for clients.

[23.46] How RELEX’s fulfilment solution supports and enhances demand planning. [27.43] The ideal client for RELEX.

[29.24] A case study showing how RELEX helped a large European grocer maintain stock availability and ease the burden for overworked staff, by achieving a 24% reduction in food waste and helping analysts to become 30% more efficient.

[31.37] The environmental impact of #retail supply chain, and the importance of sustainability.

[34.21] The future for RELEX. 

Travis Barnier talks about DrayMaster; managing limited freight in a competitive market; building stronger relationships; and effective rate management.

[06.53] An introduction to Travis, his experience in the #drayage industry, and his journey with DrayMaster.

[09.34] An overview of DrayMaster – what they do and how they help their customers. \

[10.33] The ideal clients for DrayMaster.

[13.23] An overview of the market, as we look towards 2024, and the landscape for both truckers and 3PL’s.

[17.03] The unique challenges faced by both truckers and 3PL’s, in a competitive market.

[20.39] A closer look at how organizations can tackle industry challenges, finding the right solutions that also start to unlock opportunities.

[22.27] A closer look at how DrayMaster works, and how both truckers and 3PL’s can utilize their solutions.

[26.42] The importance of #collaboration, and how DrayMaster is bringing organizations together to build more effective working partnerships.

[29.33] From #technology and agility to data and #collaboration, the benefits of working with DrayMaster.

[32.58] Two case studies show how DrayMaster helped a trucking brand and global forwarder to solve their challenges, and drastically reduce rate reduction requests and invoice discrepancies, resulting in big cost and time savings.

[38.13] The future for DrayMaster. 

Cris Ferregur talks about SDI; predicting demand in an unpredictable world; the power of data; & finding the balance between new technologies & legacy systems.

[06.05] An introduction to Chris, and his journey with SDI.

[06.40] A closer look at current supply chain challenges, and what SDI are seeing with their clients.

[07.41] Common data challenges, and the importance of good data in telling an organization’s ‘story’ in their supply chain.

[09.48] An overview of SDI – what they do and how they help their customers.

[14.04] The ideal client for SDI.

[15.29] How the landscape of just-in-time, just-in-case, and inventory management changed, from pre to post-pandemic; predicting demand in an unpredictable world; and how SDI’s Zeus software is helping clients move from a reactive to a proactive approach when it comes to FM and MRO supply chain.

[19.30] SDI’s advanced data analytics, and how they are driving #actionableinsights and #visibility for customers, in order to de-risk supply chains and make big cost savings.

[23.05] A closer look at SDI’s #risk assessment service, and how organizations can use those learnings to transform their supply chains.

[26.06] A case study showing how SDI helped their client, one of the world’s largest retailers, to improve #visibility and #efficiency, maximize project completion, and save time and cost, with the implementation of an integrated mobile platform.

[31.52] The importance of taking a ‘progress over perfection’ approach, and how organizations can find the balance between new #technologies with legacy systems.

[34.28] What #onboarding and #integration looks like with SDI.

[37.06] The future for SDI.

Dyci Sfregola & Hope White discuss how AI is changing the game for supply chain sustainability & how the right technology will improve your supply chain.

Don Hicks talks about Optilogic & what they do; answering the supply chain 'what-ifs'; & finding the perfect balance between cost, service, risk, and ESG goals.

[06.37] Don’s entrepreneurial career history, and how it led him to found Optilogic.

[08.15] Optilogic’s evolution from a generic #platform designed to empower developers, to a supply chain design solution; and why the principles of supply chain design need redefining.

[20.31] An overview of Optilogic – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[22.24] The ideal client for Optilogic.

[27.53] The stories behind brand names Llamasoft and Cosmic Frog; and why Don wants to bring the fun to supply chain. 

[30.37] A closer look at Cosmic Frog’s three core areas – #optimization, #simulation, and #risk.

[37.17] A deep dive into how Optilogic helps customers in a variety of different ways; and why we need to stop judging #investments based purely on financial return.

[40.27] How supply chain design and simulation can measure #sustainability to give businesses the information they need to start making impactful change; but why organizations need to reach a trade-off between cost, service, risk, and ESG goals.

[44.27] Don’s predictions for future #technology trends.

[49.08] The future for Optilogic. 

The panel talk about microaggressions: what they are; how to identify them; how to tackle them; and their personal experiences. 

Bill Benton talks about GAINS; how supply chain decision-making has changed; the impact of machine learning & AI; and committing to democratizing supply chain.

[06.11] An overview of GAINS – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[09.21] Bill’s father’s vision for GAINS, when he founded the organization in 1971, and the company’s evolution through to the present day.

[12.11] Bill’s move from GAINS CEO to co-founder, and how #industry changes are driving Bill’s vision for GAINS as an organization, but also for their clients and for the industry.

[17.12] The ideal client for GAINS.

[22.43] A deep dive into how GAINS helps customers and delivers up to 5x return on #investment.

[26.41] How supply chain decision-making has changed, and the impact of machine learning and #ai on the industry.

[29.01] GAINS' mission to #democratize supply chain – what it means, why it’s so important, and how that mission will change the industry.

[31.25] GAINS’ recent successful customer conference, and how it facilitates open two-way conversations that help GAINS build targeted, highly effective future #solutions for clients.

[33.59] The future for GAINS.

Tudor Maxwell talks about logistics digitization; change management; training and development with WiseTech Academy; & why chaos isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  

[01.45] An introduction to today’s guest.

[02.53] An introduction to WiseTech Academy.

[04.25] The current landscape of logistics digitization.

[09.17] From difficulty adapting existing processes to new tech, to fear of the unknown, why one of the biggest barriers to success within supply chain digitization is people – but why some resistance is actually healthy.

[13.32] Why a little chaos is to be expected in the early stages of planning a change management and digitization process, and how organizations can start to overcome objections.

[20.03] How companies can start to excite the wider team for change and include them on the digitization journey to ensure a smooth transition.

[23.17] The importance of training and development when it comes to change management and ongoing digitization, and WiseTech’s vision for the Academy as well as for driving change across the industry.

[25.06] The importance of collaboration between supply chain stakeholders when it comes to optimizing supply chain efficiency and decision-making.

[26.52] How individuals, as well as organizations, can engage with the WiseTech Academy to learn and upskill.

[29.02] The importance of creating a learning-oriented culture that encourages continuous improvement and embraces change.

[32.34] The three key stages of change management for successful digitization projects.

T.J. Kragenbrink talks about her career pivot and what she’s learned along the way; becoming an industry award-winner; and making strides in sustainability.

[07.23] T.J.’s early years, from #education to her career as a teacher.

[11.18] The four big transferable skills that T.J. took from teaching to supply chain.

[15.03] Why T.J. decided to leave teaching, and the journey that brought her to supply chain.

[20.01] The mentor who inspired and advised T.J. throughout her career #journey.

[21.12] An introduction to Inmar Intelligence and what they do; and the unique culture Inmar has created to support and nurture its team.

[23.22] The importance of a supportive #culture for working mothers; prioritizing self-care; and how T.J. finds her personal work/life balance.

[29.11] T.J. reflects on #sustainability – what she does personally, as well as how she is tackling the complex issue of post-purchase solutions at Inmar.

[35.37] T.J.’s recent 2023 Supply & Demand Chain Executive Women in Supply Chain award win, and what she’s looking forward to at the forum.

[37.20] Why women should pursue a career in supply chain, and T.J.’s advice.

[39.55] The future for T.J.

Nachi Mendelow & Mohan Dipsingh talk about risk, resilience, technology and why taking a holistic approach to your supply chain is the key to success.

 [01.49] An introduction to today’s guests.

[04.04] How the pandemic exposed #vulnerabilities in supply chains worldwide, bringing the topic of risk to the fore; and the most significant lessons we learned.

[07.18] The different types of working #siloes; the inherent risks for companies that continue to operate in silos; and the power to be found in embracing #collaboration.

[12.27] From robust escalation processes to creating a #culture of ongoing learning, how organizations can build resilience into their supply chain operations in order to adapt, tackle challenges, and manage risk and #disruption.

[18.33] The importance of taking a #holistic approach, from bringing different business units together with customers and suppliers to a focus on global optimization instead of local.

[22.09] The #strategies that companies should be looking to employ when it comes to assessing and managing risks within their network of trading partners.

[25.36] How #technology has evolved to become a critical component of supply chain risk management.

[30.07] Why adopting a single operating platform for end-to-end #logistics is crucial for risk identification and mitigation. [33.00] How CargoWise has helped organizations to build resilience into their supply chains, with their robust solutions, strong #infrastructure, and strategic partnerships.

[39.03] The risks we can all expect to see in 2024.

Fraser Robinson talks about Beacon Technologies; carbon and collaboration; building a data-centric approach to supply chain; and the problem with ERP's.

[06.00] Fraser’s career journey, and how a leadership role at Uber led him to discover a passion for a supply chain and go on to establish Beacon.

[08.31] The #disruptions and challenges within supply chain, the importance of #data, and why data sharing makes your organization a better service provider.

[15.01] An introduction to Beacon – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers – and Beacon’s three levels of #visibility.

[19.23] The ideal client for Beacon.

[21.29] A closer look at Beacon’s tracking #software, the benefits, and how they're going deeper with #visibility and #data.

[28.10] How Beacon is helping clients cut #carbon and meet their ESG goals, and the importance of #collaboration.

[34.52] How Beacon helps clients achieve high and measurable ROI, from reducing detention and demurrage costs to empowering teams in contract negotiations.

[38.45] The problem with ERP systems, and why supply chain visibility platforms like Beacon are helping to solve the supply chain data challenge.

[40.55] Why Beacon is committed to empowering businesses, large and small, and the impact it will have on the industry.

[43.45] The future of the industry, and the growing importance of #automation.

Craig Seelig & Laurie Arnold talk about the compliance landscape; the cost of non-compliance; & the importance of technology to create a single source of truth.

[01.49] An introduction to today’s guests.

[02.40] A closer look at the ever-changing compliance landscape, and some of the biggest changes that have impacted the industry in recent years.

[05.20] Why compliance has become a huge cost center for global organizations.

[10.48] Why not investing in compliance can create a false economy, and lead to devastating business impacts.

[13.04] How technology can help to tackle modern compliance issues, and how a single, integrated technology can bring competitive advantage for organizations and help them more effectively navigate our complex regulatory landscape.

[17.47] A closer look at the CargoWise customs and compliance solutions that are changing the game for clients.

[21.35] The added value of CargoWise’s denied party screening.

[23.35] Why JAS Forwarding chose to work with CargoWise and the benefits of being able to see data from beginning to end in identifying patterns and opportunities.

[26.41] Why some of the world’s largest freight forwarders choose CargoWise.

[28.52] Craig and Laurie’s advice for achieving supply chain compliance.

Pete Gowanlock talks about KNNX; the benefits of blockchain; technology & collaboration; and solving the challenge of visibility and information sharing.

[07.04] An introduction to #blockchain.

[09.39] Why the conversations around blockchain have taken a back seat in the last year, but why it remains key to the future of supply chain.

[11.34] The current landscape of blockchain in supply chain, and its huge potential for the future.

[12.34] An introduction to KNNX – who they are, what they do, and how they help their #customers.

[15.41] The ideal client for KNNX.

[17.38] A closer look at KNNX Freight, and examples of effective real-life #applications.

[22.34] KNNX’s Asset Track platform, and how the #solutions within it are solving the challenge of visibility and information sharing for organizations.

[25.21] The importance of collaboration, and why advancing #technology is key to helping companies work effectively together.

[27.25] A closer look at #onboarding and #integration with KNNX.

[32.28] The many and varied opportunities within the blockchain, from #cybersecurity to #sustainability.

[35.44] The future for blockchain, and its application across supply chain.

[37.34] The future for KNNX.

Gene Gander and Amna Shah discuss visibility - what it really means; the challenges and opportunities; tech investments; and how CargoWise can help.

[02.38] An introduction to today’s guests.

[05.05] A closer look at Amna’s company AHS Consulting, her long-standing relationship with WiseTech, and why AHS is a WiseTech and CargoWise partner.

[07.42] What supply chain visibility really means, and why it’s so important.

[11.15] The huge increase in #investment in new visibility tools and #tech since 2020, the role of the pandemic, and why visibility is the industry’s number one priority.

[15.26] A closer look at how that increased investment in visibility tech has begun to impact the industry.

[21.00] The current #challenges and barriers to achieving better #visibility within supply chain.

[27.20] An overview of the solutions that CargoWise is using to break down these #barriers for their customers and deliver better visibility across the industry; and how CargoWise brings visibility to an organization's entire operations, not just freight.

[31.36] The role of machine learning and intelligent #analytics within CargoWise, with solutions such as predictive ETA and container automation.

[33.38] A closer look at the CargoWise #workflow and tracking solution, and how #automation can help optimize teams and reduce resistance to new tech.

[37.37] The ideal client for CargoWise.

[40.00] Gene and Amna’s top tip for achieving supply chain visibility.

The panel discusses what women have to think about vs men; societal expectations; the impact of bias and stereotypes; and how we can create safe spaces for all.

Chris Garrison talks about Onfleet; the importance of empowering drivers; achieving competitive advantage by delighting customers; & the future of the last mile.

[05.52] The evolving landscape of last mile, and the challenges and #opportunities in the space.

[09.20] An introduction to Onfleet – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[11.03] The ideal client for Onfleet.

[13.19] The importance of effective #dispatching and route planning, its impact on everything from customer satisfaction to sustainability, and what dispatch with Onfleet looks like.

[17.36] Why driver empowerment is key, and how Onfleet’s solutions are creating happy drivers and, ultimately, happy customers.

[21.21] Why customer satisfaction has emerged as an area of opportunity, and how Onfleet are delighting customers in a notoriously difficult space.

[26.07] The power of good data, and what monitoring, reporting, performance and insights look like with Onfleet.

[29.08] A case study showing how Onfleet helped a key client to dramatically reduce route times, opening up opportunities for growth and boosting the bottom line.

[32.46] A closer look at #onboarding and #integration with Onfleet.

[35.31] Last mile trends and what they mean for the future of the sector.

[39.39] Onfleet’s recognition in Gartner’s 2023 Hype Cycle for Supply Chain Execution Technologies as a key player for Last Mile Delivery Solutions, and what the future holds. 

Lisa Morales-Hellebo talks about the power of technological invention and innovation; awards; building communities; and making sustainability a priority.

[06.04] Lisa shares an update on what she’s been up to since her last appearance on the show, and the awards and accolades she’s achieved.

[08.44] What awards mean for Lisa and why they’re important, particularly for women and other underrepresented groups within supply chain.

[11.50] A closer look at Lisa’s organization REFASHIONED, what it does, and the growing portfolio of innovative companies it supports.

[13.23] A closer look at Lisa’s Industrial Transformation Fund; what makes it different; her disruptive approach; and the businesses that the fund is investing in.

[21.18] The importance of community; and the impact that the community Lisa is building is having on the industry, from innovation to accelerating change.

[23.55] Why sustainability is at the heart of everything Lisa does, and why our systems need to be completely reworked if we have a hope of stopping, and reversing, climate change.

[28.24] Lisa’s advice for organizations looking to initiate change.

[34.15] A closer look at some of the innovations that Lisa is seeing in the industry, including a spotlight on SIMPLIFYBER, an innovative fashion brand creating the apparel of the future with its proprietary, fully-biodegradable material formula and sustainable additive manufacturing system.

[36.37] Lisa’s role as a mentor at The Founder Institute, and the array of opportunities that are now available for young people coming into the industry.

[39.17] Lisa’s approach to work/life balance and self-care, and the importance of downtime for creativity.

[41.30] The future for Lisa.

Bobby Strenk talks about SecurSpace; the challenges of limited storage and parking space; collaboration and connectivity; and improving driver experience

[05.31] The impact that a lack of industrial outdoor storage (IOS) near major #intermodal hubs, as well as the scarcity of overnight truck parking near major highways, is having on the #transportation and supply chain industries.

[08.04] An introduction to SecurSpace – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[10.09] A closer look at the SecurSpace Marketplace from a customer’s perspective.

[14.04] A case study showing how SecurSpace helped a key client to avoid waiting times and detention and demurrage costs, boosting #efficiency and saving time and money.

[19.50] How SecurSpace brings #collaboration and connectivity together to help create efficiency and drive the industry forward.

[23.13] The importance of putting a focus on exceptional driver experience, and how SecurSpace is helping to tackle the labor shortage and improve industry conditions by creating a better, safer, and more efficient working environment for drivers.

[27.08] A closer look at the SecurSpace Marketplace from a partner's perspective.

[29.44] The ideal clients, both customers and partners, for SecurSpace.

[32.37] How SecurSpace’s gate management solution enhances their offering.

[34.28] SecurSpace’s recent #acquisition by WiseTech Global, and what it means to them to become part of the WiseTech family.

[36.01] The future for SecurSpace.

Tony Thrasher talks about SPS Commerce; the landscape of retail supply chain; collaboration; and the importance of meeting consumers where they want to buy.

[06.11] An introduction to SPS Commerce, and why #collaboration has been key to their vision and sustained success.

[09.08] The changing landscape of the retail supply chain, and the current challenges and trends of a post-pandemic environment.

[11.38] A closer look SPS – what they do, how they help their customers, and how they facilitate effective working relationships between retail organizations.

[14.20] The ideal client for SPS Commerce.

[16.46] A reminder of what EDI is and the role it plays in data exchange; and how SPS makes #integration and trading partnerships easy and effective.

[22.25] What data and #visibility mean to SPS and their customers;  the importance of data normalization; and why customers that use SPS Analytics outperform industry benchmarks.

[26.42] A case study detailing how SPS helped a key 3PL client simplify and speed up customer onboarding, with effective integration and playbooks for working with key trading partners.

[29.55] How SPS is changing the industry for the better with inclusive, two-way collaboration.

[32.51] The importance of meeting every consumer where they want to buy, and how SPS is helping customers to serve their consumers effectively down the chain.

[35.12] What #onboarding and #integration look like with SPS Commerce.

[38.10] What 3PL’s should be thinking about and #investing in as the industry continues to evolve.

[41.29] The future for SPS Commerce.

The panel discussed what it means to be a victim; personal experiences; weaponizing and gatekeeping victimhood; bias and discrimination; and pity.

Lee Newitt talks about DCLI; investing in improving trucker experience; chassis regulation; & its mission to transform the way chassis work within supply chain.

 [05.32] A closer look at the landscape of the #intermodal industry, and what the market looks like as we head into the second half of 2023 and into 2024.

[09.13] A breakdown of different #chassis types, and an overview of DCLI – who they are, what they do, and their impressive company growth over the last decade.

[12.00] How DCLI works with a multitude of different industry stakeholders, and why a focus on creating exceptional driver experiences brings everyone together and drives success.

[16.01] The different challenges that DCLI customers face, and the unique, customer-focused, and flexible approach that DCLI takes to problem-solving for them.

[19.39] How DCLI has worked with private domestic container customers to provide flexible #collaborative solutions that have helped these customers scale efficiently and cost-effectively.

[22.22] DCLI’s mission is to transform the way chassis work within the intermodal supply, and how that mission will continue to change the industry for the better.

[24.25] A closer look at DCLI’s best-in-class equipment and ongoing initiatives, from true improvement to chassis refurbishment, that deliver improved #sustainability and efficiency, as well as reduced costs, for customers.

[28.06] How DCLI supports customers in the back end, through tools for tracking and quoting, and the investments we can expect DCLI to make in this area in the coming years.

[30.46] DCLI’s recent #acquisition and the benefits that it will bring.

[31.56] Where DCLI stands on the controversial topic of the government regulation of chassis and the creation of national gray pools.

[37.43] The future for DCLI.

Alexis Mizell-Pleasant talks about her time in the US Navy and her passion for supporting veterans; balancing a career with motherhood; and supply chain trends.

[05.53] Alexis’s early years, and the family history that led her to join the Navy and attend a military college.

[07.53] Alexis’s passion for communication and the arts, why she moved from the military to academia, and how she came to study British literature in London.

[12.10] How Alexis joined AC Business Media, and her prior experience in supply chain.

[14.41] A closer look at Alexis’s role as the Managing Editor at Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics magazines.

[15.37] Alexis’s perspective on the supply chain industry, and why it needs to be more proactive in seeking out fresh pairs of eyes.

[16.49] Alexis’s take on the emerging supply chain trends to look out for.

[18.41] Alexis’s experience as a woman, as she moved from the Navy to supply chain, and the similarities between the two worlds.

[19.57] The growth of Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics magazine’s Women in Supply Chain award and forum, and their #collaboration with Let’s Talk Supply Chain.

[22.52] The importance of supporting veterans as they transition out of the military and into civilian life, and Alexis’s tips for organizations looking to hire #veterans.

[25.42] Why Alexis is a Mom first, the challenges of striking the work/life balance, and the importance of an understanding, empathetic work #culture.

[29.25] Alexis’s perspective on the importance of supply chain #certifications and ongoing education.

[32.33] The future for Alexis.

Christopher Platt talks about Blackberry Radar; the challenges & opportunities in multimodal; safety & compliance; & why now is the time to invest in tech.

[05.53] Alexis’s early years, and the family history that led her to join the Navy and attend a military college.

[07.53] Alexis’s passion for communication and the arts, why she moved from the military to academia, and how she came to study British literature in London.

[12.10] How Alexis joined AC Business Media, and her prior experience in supply chain.

[14.41] A closer look at Alexis’s role as the Managing Editor at Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics magazines.

[15.37] Alexis’s perspective on the supply chain industry, and why it needs to be more proactive in seeking out fresh pairs of eyes.

[16.49] Alexis’s take on the emerging supply chain trends to look out for.

[18.41] Alexis’s experience as a woman, as she moved from the Navy to supply chain, and the similarities between the two worlds.

[19.57] The growth of Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics magazine’s Women in Supply Chain award and forum, and their #collaboration with Let’s Talk Supply Chain.

[22.52] The importance of supporting veterans as they transition out of the military and into civilian life, and Alexis’s tips for organizations looking to hire #veterans.

[25.42] Why Alexis is a Mom first, the challenges of striking the work/life balance, and the importance of an understanding, empathetic work #culture.

[29.25] Alexis’s perspective on the importance of supply chain #certifications and ongoing education.

[32.33] The future for Alexis.

Josh Dunham talks about why he co-founded Reveel; helping businesses ship smarter and save more; advocating for clients; & leveling the playing field.

[06.16] The challenges that Josh observed whilst working in sales at DHL, and how they ignited his desire to level the playing field and establish Reveel.

[08.05] What has and hasn’t changed in the 17 years since Josh founded Reveel, and what the industry looks like now when it comes to logistics and shipping management. 

[10.03] How Reveel disrupted the market by changing its business model and creating software that removes costly consultancy fees.

[11.22] A closer look at the Reveel platform – what it does and how it helps its customers.    

[13.23] The ideal client for Reveel.

[15.05] A case study detailing how Reveel helped a key client to achieve their objective of owning their relationship with their carriers, resulting in a multi-seven-figure cost saving.

[17.08] A closer look at Reveel’s Parcel Shipping & Carrier Contract Monitoring & Management solution, what it does, and the benefits it brings to shippers.

[21.45] A closer look at Reveel’s shipping data analytics software, what it can do, and how it helps customers.

[24.43] The vision behind the launch of Reveel’s Shipping Intelligence™ Platform, how it’s disrupting the market, and whether or not parcel consulting is dead.

[28.04] What integration and onboarding look like with Reveel.

[30.12] The importance of collaborative partnerships, and why Reveel believes in advocating for their customers.

[32.46] The future for Reveel.

Greg Kress talks about MFG & Shapeways; enabling manufacturers to digitize; the challenges in a fast-paced market; and why AI will transform manufacturing

[06.14] The challenges within traditional manufacturing that led to the creation of Shapeways, and how the brand tackles those challenges for its customers.

[08.42] A deeper dive into Shapeways, and the two core halves of its operation.

[13.03] How strategic partnerships allow MFG to manufacture on-demand, and deliver world-class metrics for their clients.

[16.30] The landscape of global manufacturing, and how Shapeways is driving change through its MFG platform.

[23.07] The importance of customization in today’s fast-paced market, and some of the innovative ways MFG has helped customers with complex customization needs.

[25.18] The ideal customer for MFG; how they work together; the key benefits; and why MFG was designed to support customers across multiple industries.

[30.58] An overview of membership options with MFG, and a look at what onboarding and integration look like.

[32.57] The quoting process with MFG and how AI, visibility, and communication are vastly improving the process.

[35.27] A closer look at MFG’s 3D model viewer, and how interactive visualization improves the manufacturing process.

[36.53] The future of the manufacturing industry, the impact of COVID, and Greg’s take on some of the impacts we’re going to see as a result of industry transformation.

[42.35] The future for Shapeways and MFG.

The panel discusses anxiety; physical and mental triggers and symptoms; how we can support others; and the resources and techniques that worked for them.

Yifat Baror talks about Osa Commerce; how e-commerce is changing the industry; combining the power of collaboration & visibility; and tackling data chaos

[04.55] Yifat’s entrepreneurial journey and why she co-founded Osa.

[08.40] The current landscape of e-commerce, and how it has changed over the past few years.

[10.14] An overview of Osa – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[11.53] The ideal client for Osa.

[13.48] A closer look at the Osa platform, and the different ways that customers can engage with it.   

[15.18] From data-driven decision-making to risk management, how Osa are using #ai to deliver big benefits for their clients.

[16.55] A case study detailing how Osa helped a key client to achieve connectivity, helping them to access new markets quickly and efficiently, reduce their #logistics costs by 15% and increase revenue by 20%.

[20.03] The current challenges when it comes to data, and why Osa’s mission is to tackle data chaos in the supply chain.

[21.44] Osa’s vision for the future of data, and how they’re innovating to make that vision a reality.

[23.12] What onboarding and #integration look like with Osa.

[25.05] The risk that comes alongside data integration and #digitization, the importance of #cybersecurity, and what supply chain professionals need to think about when they’re driving #digitaltransformation transformation projects.

[29.00] The importance of staying one step ahead, and how Osa are helping their clients to achieve a competitive advantage.

[31.25] The future for Osa.

Holly Pearce talks about her career so far; the changing landscape of logistics; swapping teaching for studying; and why she’s a self-confessed supply chain champion. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps

[04.55] Yifat’s entrepreneurial journey and why she co-founded Osa.

[08.40] The current landscape of e-commerce, and how it has changed over the past few years.

[10.14] An overview of Osa – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[11.53] The ideal client for Osa.

[13.48] A closer look at the Osa platform, and the different ways that customers can engage with it.   

[15.18] From data-driven decision-making to risk management, how Osa are using #ai to deliver big benefits for their clients.

[16.55] A case study detailing how Osa helped a key client to achieve connectivity, helping them to access new markets quickly and efficiently, reduce their #logistics costs by 15% and increase revenue by 20%.

[20.03] The current challenges when it comes to data, and why Osa’s mission is to tackle data chaos in the supply chain.

[21.44] Osa’s vision for the future of data, and how they’re innovating to make that vision a reality.

[23.12] What onboarding and #integration look like with Osa.

[25.05] The risk that comes alongside data integration and #digitization, the importance of #cybersecurity, and what supply chain professionals need to think about when they’re driving #digitaltransformation transformation projects.

[29.00] The importance of staying one step ahead, and how Osa are helping their clients to achieve a competitive advantage.

[31.25] The future for Osa.

Martin Lew talks about Commtrex and what they do; the challenges and opportunities in rail; empowering shippers through choice and connectivity; and why transloading is the future of the industry.

[06.00] Martin’s background and his vision for Commtrex.

[08.34] Why businesses move freight by rail and the key opportunities within this mode.

[11.18] The evolution of Commtrex; the major shift happening in the workforce; how these generational changes impact rail; and the importance of technology in bridging the gap.

[17.24] The ideal client for Commtrex. 

[22.18] How Commtrex helps their clients to move into new markets and diversify, saving one brand 18-22% across each lane and giving leverage to shippers struggling with carrier service levels.

[29.22] What onboarding and integration look like with Commtrex, and the infrastructure fundamentals to consider when using rail.

[35.08] A closer look at Commtrex’s consulting services.

[38.35] Sustainability and the positive impact of rail.

[41.24] The future for Commtrex.

Rik Walters tells us all about GoFreight; visibility, and its impact on margins; creating memorable customer experiences; and leveling the playing field for SMBs

[07.34] An overview of GoFreight – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

[09.05] The ideal client for GoFreight.

[10.43] How GoFreight was founded with small and medium-sized businesses in mind, and why it’s so important to empower smaller brands to make it easier to start, run and grow businesses. [14.47] A closer look at GoFreight’s freight forwarding management software, and the key customer benefits.

[19.03] GoFreight’s container tracking system, the visibility it brings for its customers and customers’ customers, and the impact of that visibility at a business level. [22.52] The impact of demurrage, detention, and per diem fines on squeezed margins, and how GoFreight can help reduce fines and maximize this area of opportunity.

[24.57] Why GoFreight values ‘customer obsession’ and ‘customer trust’, why focusing on customer experience is so important, and what success can look like when businesses have a genuinely customer-centric approach.

[27.42] What freight forwarders should be thinking about and the strategies should they be adopting, to bolster their supply chain management, as we enter the second half of 2023.

[29.13] What onboarding and integration look like with GoFreight.

[32.12] A case study showing how GoFreight helped a key client to move away from a system that wasn’t working, helping them save time and money, and improve efficiency.

[34.59] The future for GoFreight.

The panel discusses what seniority means to them; how it differs from leadership; the importance of job titles; & their experiences of good and bad leadership.

Bill Catania talks about OneRail; the challenges & opportunities around capacity; & why he believes that technology can’t change all outcomes, but people can[06.16] Bill’s entrepreneurial journey and the shopping experience that led him to establish OneRail.

[08.30] The concept behind the name ‘OneRail,’ and the expertise and fresh perspectives being injected into supply chain by people coming in from other industries - just like Bill. [11.18] The ideal client for OneRail. [13.54] The key challenges OneRail customers are facing, and how OneRail develops solutions to tackle them. [15.13] A closer look at OneRail’s integrated network and its benefits. [16.04] The challenges and #opportunities around capacity; building partnerships that meet a need; and how OneRail operates as a true extension of its customers. [22.18] What visibility means to OneRail; the importance of creating the best customer experiences; and how OneRail is helping clients to evolve their fulfillment infrastructures to provide an Amazon-level experience. [23.58] OneRail’s approach to exception management, and the benefit to be found in empowering people with #technology. [25.21] A case study showing how OneRail helped a key customer that was struggling to offer expedited delivery across their network. Within one year, OneRail got them live with a 98% on-time rate, in all 120 warehouses, and with a 20% reduction in transportation costs. [28.18] What onboarding and #integration look like with OneRail. [30.45] The future for OneRail.

Brian Bourke talks about how the pandemic changed last mile delivery – the challenges; opportunities; & how SEKO is enhancing customer experience

[06.49] An introduction to Brian and SEKO. [08.20] How the pandemic impacted supply chain, boosted #e-commerce, and changed #last-mile delivery forever. [10.32] The importance of real-time feedback, like reviews and star ratings; and how that customer experience data is pulling supply chain teams together with other business areas, such as marketing and finance, to enhance collaboration and improve strategy. [12.56] A closer look at the emerging market trends for 2023, and the reverse bullwhip effect the industry is experiencing as it settles, post-pandemic. [16.53] From diversifying sourcing to improved #collaboration, what companies can do to prepare themselves for the unexpected. [21.02] The power of #partnership; why it can bring benefits across multiple business areas other than just supply chain; and what it’s like to partner with SEKO. [26.18] The importance of offering different delivery options, and using that data to test and experiment. [30.02] Why the word ‘visibility’ is over-used, and what it means for last-mile delivery. [34.51] The future for SEKO.

Seretha Willingham talks about her career; swapping the corporate world for entrepreneurship; scaling a business during a pandemic; & the secret to her success

[06.49] An introduction to Brian and SEKO. [08.20] How the pandemic impacted supply chain, boosted #e-commerce, and changed #last-mile delivery forever. [10.32] The importance of real-time feedback, like reviews and star ratings; and how that customer experience data is pulling supply chain teams together with other business areas, such as marketing and finance, to enhance collaboration and improve strategy. [12.56] A closer look at the emerging market trends for 2023, and the reverse bullwhip effect the industry is experiencing as it settles, post-pandemic. [16.53] From diversifying sourcing to improved #collaboration, what companies can do to prepare themselves for the unexpected. [21.02] The power of #partnership; why it can bring benefits across multiple business areas other than just supply chain; and what it’s like to partner with SEKO. [26.18] The importance of offering different delivery options, and using that data to test and experiment. [30.02] Why the word ‘visibility’ is over-used, and what it means for last-mile delivery. [34.51] The future for SEKO.

Richard White talks about WiseTech; his entrepreneurial journey; visibility; growth through acquisition; and his vision for the industry

[07.23] An introduction to WiseTech and its vision for the industry. [09.10] The ideal customer for WiseTech, and why scale breeds success. [10.57] An overview of Richard’s entrepreneurial journey, how he founded WiseTech, and why he decided that this brand would be his “forever job.” [14.11] How Richard created WiseTech’s credo, and why workplace culture is so important. [18.18] How the pandemic changed the industry, why WiseTech were so quick to adapt, and how they are helping customers to navigate the current challenges of the ‘new normal.’ [23.07] A closer look at CargoWise, and the many and varied ways it is helping customers. [26.43] How CargoWise helped DHL to reduce their Information Systems costs by around 200 million euros per year, and DSV to dramatically grow their company through quick and successful mergers and acquisitions. [31.03] Why the CargoWise Partner Program was developed, and the benefits of industry collaboration. [34.34] The complexity of visibility – why it means different things to different people, and why visibility might not be as valuable as you think. [39.46] WiseTech's tactical acquisition strategy, why that approach is key to building a global business, and the recent acquisitions of Envase and Blume. [47.00] The future for WiseTech.

The panel discusses emotional recovery; share their experiences & words of advice; and reflects on how we can open up conversations to better support others.

Sharon Manker talks about her career; finding community through education; advocating for change unapologetically; and successful supplier diversity programs

[07.29] Sharon’s childhood career ambition, and how she inherited her impressive drive and passion from her mother. [08.59] Sharon’s ongoing learning journey, the importance of education, and how it led her to supply chain. [15.10] Sharon’s role as Director of Supplier Diversity at Radian, and her plans to bring data-driven, innovative initiatives to the industry. [15.56] The current challenges within supplier diversity, and the importance of advocates in bridging the gap to bring large corporates and small diverse businesses together. [22.41] How Sharon became a contributing author to Drexel University Black Alumni Council’s unique book "A Legacy to Share," and a sneak peek at her upcoming book. [25.10] Sharon discusses Juneteenth – what it is, why it’s so important, and what she’s doing to mark the occasion this year. [30.36] Why Sharon is so passionate about pursuing roles on boards and committees and championing women and under-represented voices. [34.04] Sharon’s experience as a woman across her 20 years in supply chain, how important other women have been to her career, and how the landscape of the industry is changing. [35.53] The difference between mentors and sponsors, and the many and varied mentors that continue to play an important role in Sharon’s career development. [39.04] Sharon’s advice for companies looking to better support women and diverse voices in the industry. [40.30] The future for Sharon.

Jonas Krumland chats about Logward; improving relationships through integration; and the importance of changing mindsets, as well as building great software

[07.24] Jonas's background, and why he founded Logward in 2018. [09.56] What has, and hasn’t, changed in the last five years, and a look at today’s key challenges and trends. [12.03] An overview of Logward – what they do, how they help their customers, and their approach to technology integration and onboarding. [18.22] The ideal customer for Logward. [22.23] A closer look at Logward’s Sourcing Solutions - what they do, the key features, and benefits. [25.17] From #capacity to forecasting, how Logward’s Procurement Solutions are addressing some of the industry’s trending concerns. [31.33] An overview of Logward’s Transport Solutions, and the visibility it provides. [33.59] How Logward works with customers to understand their unique needs and develop strategic, customized control towers. [37.28] How the lack of transformational resources across many businesses is impacting change and #digitization across the industry; and why it is so important to change mindsets as well as build great software. [41.10] What does and doesn’t work when it comes to digitizing supply chains in the real world. [44.17] The future for Logward.

Juliette Samson talks will about her career; hyper-collaboration; how tech is changing; and helping to raise the influence of women on boards

[07.53] Juliette’s background; her education and early years; and where she found her incredible drive at such a young age. [10.36] Juliette’s long career at AT&T; her experiences; and her approach to embracing #opportunity. [13.31] An overview of Juliette’s career highlights, as she explored new markets and moved from Fortune 50’s to smaller companies; her biggest achievements; and what she’s most proud of. [20.47] Why Juliette took a chance on supply chain, despite a lack of experience, and her words advice of advice for other young people. [24.01] Juliette’s role as CIO of Genpro Inc; her perspective on how technology is changing; and why tech is an enabler to work smarter, not harder. [26.47] Juliette’s position at Targatek; how it’s leading the way in hyper-collaboration; and why that approach is increasingly important in business. [30.20] Why Juliette is on the board of the National Kidney Foundation, and the importance of giving back to the #community. [33.41] Juliette’s experience as a woman in a male-dominated industry; her advice; and why she wants to help all young people do the right thing. [36.28] A look at Extraordinary Women on Boards (EWOB), and what they’re doing to help increase the presence and influence of women on boards. [39.49] From putting yourself out there to embracing change, Juliette’s advice for girls and women looking to follow in her footsteps. [44.19] The future for Juliette.

Patrick Lo talks about Trakking; bringing predictability to container management; & the importance of working together to remove waste from supply chains

[07.40] Patrick’s background, and how a long career in #logistics led him to establish Trakking. [08.51] The current landscape of the industry, and the challenges and bottlenecks that Patrick sees as we head towards the second half of 2023. [11.34] An overview of Trakking – what they do, how they help their customers, and a look at their three core solutions. [15.10] The ideal client for Trakking. [17.03] How Trakking’s ‘Empty Container Release’ product is drastically reducing dead runs and improving #efficiency for clients. [19.47] From quicker turnarounds to decreased carbon emissions, the benefits of Trakking’s ‘Street Turn’ solution. [20.50] A closer look at the benefits of Trakking’s ‘Empty Container Return’ product. [26.15] The impact that Trakking’s services will have on the industry, and how solutions like theirs can solve key challenges and start to reshape the face of the industry. [29.15] How Trakking is helping to reduce carbon emissions, and how organizations can leverage Trakking #technology to meet their own ESG goals. [31.40] What onboarding and #integration looks like with Trakking. [34.38] Patrick and Sarah discuss whether self-driving trucks or even containers, are the future of transportation. [36.56] The future for Trakking, and the port community in Canada.

Last month, we shared one of my favorite recent episodes of Thoughts and Coffee with you - and we got such great feedback that we decided to do it again!

And in this episode, I’m joined by founder, CEO and author Steve Ferreira. Steve wants to bring vivaciousness to the shipping industry and he’s certainly doing that! Tune in for his take on why students are flocking to supply chain; why FMC offers false hope to shippers; and the big question on everyone’s lips: exactly what is happening in the ocean market?!

There is so much to get your teeth into in this episode so grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy!

[07.00] From the latest episode of Women In Supply Chain to an introduction to the brand new private network, The Secret Society of Supply Chain, an update on the latest at Let’s Talk Supply Chain.

[09.37] An introduction to Steve Ferreira; his vivacious approach to social media; and his business, Ocean Audit.

“My claim to fame is helping importers and exporters recover lost costs from the container get-in period… it only takes 50 containers to produce a $100,000 dollar refund.”

[12.31] Sarah shares the responses to her question of the week: “What characteristics or skills do you admire in a leader?”, and Steve reflects on the importance of a mindset shift towards empathy in the workplace.

[14.30] Steve gives us an update on the ocean market, sharing insights on rates, carrier strategies, and why more deals are getting done.

[16.50] The concept behind the video that won Steve the very first pair of limited edition Let’s Talk Supply Chain custom Air Force Ones in our five-year anniversary contest; and what’s coming up for Steve and his own industry brand.

“I’m a free spirit in the industry.. so I created ocean freight TV… and it’s geared towards bringing some excitement and enthusiasm into the ocean industry!”

[20.53] Sarah and Steve discuss why students are flocking to supply chain; and Steve shares his thoughts on the so-called industry talent shortage, the lack of mentors across the industry, and his words of advice for the next generation.

“Our lives are so different… we never experience the same thing. The cadence, the pace and the opportunities in the supply chain are one of the top areas of opportunity, and that’s why we have so many young people flocking to the industry.”

[26.38] Steve discusses his recent article: Why FMC Offers False Hope To Shippers.

“The problem is that the FMC is not an auditing agency. They’re looking for violations… where they can penalize an ocean vendor. They weren’t set up to repatriate money back to clients.”

[33.06] Sarah and Steve discuss a recent Freight Waves article suggesting that, despite the current turbulent market, the container shipping industry is not behaving like an industry facing an imminent crisis.

You can find out more about Ocean Audit over on their website, or you can connect with Steve on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from ‘the best 30 minutes on a Tuesday, check out Thought’s and Coffee – where the best industry players discuss breaking supply chain news over a good old cup of Joe!

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Welcome back to Blended! It’s episode 32, I’m joined by a brand new panel of fantastic professionals and, today, we’re talking about introverts vs extroverts.

Most of us, in our lives and careers, have considered what personality type we are. You might be a self-identifying Type A personality (which I know one or two of my guests today are!) In many workplaces you might even have undergone a personality test, so leadership can get a greater idea of individuals strengths and weaknesses.

And one factor that’s at the core of many personality assessments is whether you are introverted or extroverted. But the introverts vs extroverts question is pretty complex – it’s about way more than if you’re quiet or chatty. And since understanding introversion and extroversion can help you understand yourself and others better, we thought it was a really interesting topic to discuss here on Blended.

So today, our guests will be diving into what these words actually mean and the qualities we associate with them; sharing their own experiences; reflecting on why society values extroversion so highly; and sharing their words of advice for how organizations can better support all personality types in the workplace.

[01.09] Introductions to our Blended panellists.

[03.48] The group discuss the definitions of introvert and extrovert, and reflect on what the words mean to them.

“I’m an introvert… but I’m a public speaker and I love it! But there’s a difference, because it’s a situation that I control… and it’s one-directional.” Elouise

[16.05] The panel talk about labels, and whether there is still value in personality testing in the workplace.

“Education around how different people communicate in different ways is important. We make assumptions about people based upon how we communicate, our world vision, and we may be inaccurately assessing someone’s confidence, competence or leadership skills because they’re communicating in a different way and we’re interpreting that incorrectly.”  Cathy

[38.21] The group share their personal experiences of introversion and extroversion, and how those experiences have impacted them professionally and personally.

[50.57] The panel reflect on why society values extroversion so highly, and the unseen value of introverts.

“It comes down to politics… he who speaks the loudest gets heard, and that’s encouraged.” Jennifer

[01.01.54] The group share advice for managing introverts and extroverts in the workplace, and being a better colleague.

[01.08.09] The panel sum-up their thoughts from today’s discussion.

“Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, find the person that you vibe with.” Jennifer

You can connect with Jennifer, Elouise and Cathy and over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not check out 247: Blended – The Difference Between Culture and Community: What Can We Learn? or 210: Blended – Don’t forget the ‘T’: Talking Trans.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Flexport, an exciting and innovative software brand that is on a mission to make global trade easy for everyone.

Flexport is building the platform for global logistics, empowering buyers, sellers and their logistics partners with the technology and services to grow and innovate. Companies of all sizes – from emerging brands to Fortune 500s – use Flexport technology to move more than $10B worth of merchandise across 112 countries every year.

Today Will Urban, Chief Revenue Officer at Flexport, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; making sustainability a priority; the importance of providing visibility and control in a fragmented industry; and why global trade is a force for good.

Will Urban is Chief Revenue Officer at Flexport, where he’s responsible for driving go-to-market strategy and maximizing the value Flexport delivers to clients. Will is a 25+ year freight forwarding and logistics industry veteran; prior to Flexport, Will was the Regional Vice President of Northwest USA, Expeditors, one of the largest territories for the company. He oversaw all sales and operations, sponsored Fortune 500 global accounts and led an organization with nearly 1,000 full time employees under his leadership. Will is a licensed U.S. Customs Broker and holds an IATA/FIATA certificate.

[06.55] The current landscape, and challenges, of global trade; how Flexport are helping their customers to tackle those challenges; and their vision to create a seamless experience in a fragmented industry.

“The last 6 months… has shown two things: that our infrastructure in the US is over-taxed, and that visibility is not where it needs to be, when that system is taxed.”

[10.19] Flexport’s recent leadership changes; and what they mean for the company, and for the industry.

“Dave [Clark] is all about scale and using technology to enhance what we’re doing, so he’s making the bridge between traditional freight forwarder and digital supply chain company.”

[14.43] An overview of Flexport, what they do and how they help their customers; their mission to improve the supply chain industry; and what sets them apart.

“What’s really different is that we think about our competitors as our partners… we want to give our customers the very best experience, visibility and tools to help optimize their supply chain, end-to-end.”

[19.00] Flexport’s commitment to collaboration; and why harnessing the power of third-party partnerships is the way to better serve customers.

“It’s invisible to our clients, they don’t have to worry about looking at a different system, receiving different reporting or updates in a different manner – it’s that consistency that really drives the value.”

[23.04] Why Flexport.org was established; how it's making a difference with sustainability and humanitarian work; and why global trade is a force for good.

“We can be a very profitable business, and at the same time make a really great impact on the world.”

[25.50] Teresa Carlson’s appointment as head of Flexport.org, and exactly how her role will increase its positive global impact.

[28.20] The importance of sustainability; what Flexport customers are doing, and asking for, when it comes to ESG goals; and how Flexport supports them.

[33.19] Flexport Capital: how it has helped to keep small and medium-sized businesses afloat; and the importance of offering a holistic suite of solutions, all under one roof.

[38.01] A case study detailing how Flexport helped a client analyze their supply chain to identify key areas to optimize, diversify and reduce cost.

[41.15] The future for Flexport.

“We’re doubling down on technology… to make the platform the most meaningful, easy to use customer-centric supply chain tool.”

Head over to Flexport’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Flexport and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, or you can connect with Will on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, and want to hear more about the recent changes at Flexport, check out episode 320: Going Inside The Mind of Anthony Miller.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Esker, a long-standing software brand that is on a mission to build a foundation that promotes positive-sum growth, increased productivity, improved employee engagement, and greater trust between organizations.

Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. By developing AI-driven technologies and automating the order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles, Esker frees up finance and customer service professionals from time-consuming tasks, helps them be more efficient, and enables them to develop new skills.

Today Daniel Reeve, US Director of Sales and Business Development at Esker, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; the power of positive-sum growth; bringing people and technology together in harmony; and why not all cloud platforms are created equal.

[07.02] An introduction to Esker – who they are, what they do and how they help their customers.

“Folks are turning to us when they’re trying to free up their staff to be rockstars!”

[08.17] Esker’s mission, what sets them apart from the competition and why they’re ‘more than just another cloud platform.’

“We’ve often been seen as best-of-breed… but, increasingly, companies are realizing “wow, you guys are best of suite”… Companies are looking to put technology in place that leverages and enhances their ERP and improves the experience for the customers, suppliers and staff.”

[10.47] Esker’s commitment to ‘positive-sum growth,’ and what that means for brands, their employees, customers, suppliers – and for the planet.

“The concept is 'how do I put technology in, that brings efficiency and automation within my enterprise, without making it painful for my customers and suppliers?'”

[15.14] Why digital transformation projects are often unsuccessful, and Esker’s refreshing approach to providing close and ongoing customer support and training.

“Technology promises great outcomes, great efficiencies, great savings, great visibility – but there’s work involved to make that happen.”

[16.53] A closer look at Esker’s Procure-To-Pay solution, named in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant report for P2P suites.

[19.29] Esker’s Order-to-Cash solution, and how their technology facilitates collaboration and optimization to bring people and processes together and enhance customer experience.

[26.54] What integration looks like with Esker.

[29.24] Why Esker’s range of technology includes robotic process automation, AI and mobile functionality, but also supports traditional tech like fax and Excel; and the importance of finding the balance between helping to drive innovation and digitization in the industry, and meeting customers where they are.

“Quite often, when you put technology in, there’s a dip… I don’t think people are resistant to technology just because they’re resistant. A lot of the time, they’re so busy and everything is so pressured… you need to hold their hand and guide them and make it super easy for them to adapt that technology.”

[31.36] The ideal client for Esker.

“If folks care about a user experience and a workflow that's easy... they will often choose Esker over others.”

[36.04] A case study detailing how Esker’s technology helped a key client to reduce order entry time from 10 minutes to 10 seconds, which allowed them to free up their people to better serve customers and ultimately achieve high levels of growth.

[39.04] The future for Esker.

Dan Reeve is a Sales Director, approaching 22 years with Esker. Dan works to help companies free up front-line troops to be finance and customer service rockstars through the application of machine learning and AI.

Dan was fortunate to serve 10 years as a Combat Engineer in the British Army, then was attached to the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He traveled the world, served alongside Americans and many others, and learned everyone has a good idea, every Army unit thinks they are better, and what can you learn and apply so that you are indeed better prepared and more professional next time.

Head over to Esker’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Esker and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, or you can connect with Dan on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to 257: Creating Supply Chain Stability with Dual Sourcing and S&OP or read The Three Biggest Challenges For Procurement – And What To Do About Them.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain™, I’m joined by Liz Decker, a truly passionate and dynamic leader at one of Inc’s Best Workplaces in America.

Liz has a decade of broad experience across supply chain, having honed her expertise in all modes of logistics, covering international import/export, domestic truckload, drayage, customs brokerage, LTL, and air freight. From leading continuous improvement projects for Fortune 500 companies to leading SMB entrepreneurs through their first-ever international shipment, Liz is as versatile as she is dedicated. And she’s currently bringing her expertise and passion to her role as Director of Client Success at NorthPoint Logistics.

Today Liz will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for social causes; the importance of putting a focus on client success; and why she’s proud to say that she’s a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to supply chain. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

Women fuel the success of some of the world’s most successful businesses, yet barriers still exist. SAP is committed to supporting and elevating a new generation of women to profoundly lead and impact global supply chains and are proud to support the Women in Supply Chain™ Series and its efforts.

Supply chains need to evolve from low-cost and optimized to risk-resilient and sustainable and SAP can help.

SAP Digital Supply Chain solutions connect the entire process — design, planning, manufacturing, logistics, maintenance, and service; connecting your supply chains to the rest of your business and all your contextual data; supporting your efforts in alleviating risk in your supply chains.

SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software and for the last 50 years has been helping companies to run better. Find out more at sap.com/scm

[06.45] Liz’s early years: how her first job exposed her to a variety of different people and taught her to be adaptable, and how networking opened the door to supply chain.

“I’m a Mid-West girl – I’m the youngest of three, so I learned quickly that I needed to advocate for myself!”

[09.08] How the pandemic threw Liz into the deep end of supply chain; the highs and lows; and what she learned along the way.

“In 2022, I was having conversations with clients that were ‘I don’t care what it takes. I need my product, and I need it now.’… so it forced me to be creative, and learn the different aspects of our business.”

[14.43] Liz’s current role as Director of Client Success at NorthPoint Logistics; her experience of building a team from the ground up; and why she loves building relationships.

“There’s no playbook of what client success looks like in the logistics industry – an industry that has traditionally been transactional.”

[17.58] The biggest challenges that Liz's client success team face, and the importance of tackling obstacles with strategic thinking.

“My team's role is to advise. Here’s what we’re seeing, here’s what we’re hearing, here’s some data we can provide.”

[23.24] Liz’s thoughts on the cyclical nature of supply chain trends, and what the next few years might bring for the industry.

“It’s a people industry. As technology gets better, and as people adopt technology (because we are lagging), our scope will change… but no matter how much technology we have, someone has to be there.”

[26.22] The importance of good workplace culture, and what Liz has learned working at NorthPoint Logistics - one of Inc’s Best Workplaces in America.

“Culture isn’t something that you just check a box and it’s there. You have to make a conscious effort every single day… but it’s so easy for culture to slip away. Being vulnerable and transparent has been so important for me.”

[30.13] Liz’s passion for volunteering and charity work, and why more organizations should be supporting social causes and local communities.

“We talk about advocating for ourselves as women… and here’s my chance to advocate for someone who maybe can’t for themselves, or has some obstacles that I don’t have.”

[34.20] Why people are Liz’s passion and daily inspiration.

[35.08] Liz’s experience as a woman in supply chain; the power of social media; and her words of advice for women in the industry.

“I never had a mentor, but social media is a great thing.”

[39.30] The future for Liz.

You can connect with Liz over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from women who are passionate about client success, check out 305: Driving Your Parcel Performance: Check Engine Light, featuring Elle Brown, Senior Client Success Manager at Sifted, or 255: Women In Supply Chain, featuring Mardi Tegmeyer, Customer Success Manager at Emerge.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m shaking things up and sharing one of my favorite recent episodes of Thoughts and Coffee. In this episode, I’m joined by exciting industry writer and former Managing Editor of Payload Space, Ryan Duffy, to talk space logistics. Ryan is passionate about bringing us the scoop on the future of logistics, from emerging tech to the final frontier, and I loved finding out more.

So if you’ve ever wondered about the incredible world of space logistics, then this is the episode for you. We talked all about NASA's plans to start the first Gateway logistics mission later this year; we reflected on the stats that show the market is already expected to generate nearly $20 billion by 2040; and we explored the possible impact on GEO shipping due to the loss of Antonov planes.

You need to stay updated on the rapidly evolving space logistics sector, so – get ready to launch!

[07.12] An introduction to Ryan Duffy and leading publication Payload Space, and an overview of space logistics.

“Behind the scenes there’s a lot of logistics, manufacturing, testing, integrating… there’s a lot more than meets the eye when you see a shiny rocket launch!”

[10.15] Sarah shares the responses to her question of the week, “what is the best supply chain management software,” and Ryan reflects on the software that’s essential to space logistics right now.

“Surprisingly, with space there’s groundbreaking technology in science, but for a lot of missions it’s still managed in a very analogue fashion, with pen and paper or Excel!”

[13.03] Ryan explains GEO satellites and discusses a recent news article that details how a loss of Antonov planes may impact GEO shipping.

[19.09] Sarah and Ryan discuss the news that NASA plans to start work on the first Gateway logistics mission this year.

“The space industry loves to make logistical analogies – they’re called orbital transfer vehicles… but it’s tough to beat space trash truck!”

[24.42] Ryan answers an audience question: “What innovative solutions are in space logistics right now?” and explains the current opportunities within the industry.

[26.31] Ryan and Sarah discuss the research that indicates the space logistics market will generate $19.8 billion by 2040, and Ryan explains last-mile space logistics.

[28.38] An update on what’s coming up on Let’s Talk Supply Chain.

You can find out more about Payload Space over on their website, or you can connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from ‘the best 30 minutes on a Tuesday,' check out Thoughts and Coffee – where the best industry players discuss breaking supply chain news over a good old cup of Joe!

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Welcome back to Blended! It’s episode 31, I’m joined by a brand new panel of inspirational professionals and, today, we’re talking about education and bias.

It’s a topic that’s close to my heart, with my own educational and career journey. And, it’s a topic that has increasingly come under the spotlight recently in light of the labor shortages and trending workplace changes we’ve seen industry-wide. So now is the perfect time to really explore what’s going wrong, or right, with the way we think about education in the workplace.

Today, our guests will be diving into education and sharing their own experiences; exploring the hiring practices that often continue to support bias; reflecting on what the next generation are doing and thinking about when it comes to education and their careers; and sharing their words of advice for how organizations can tackle education bias and create more diverse workplaces.

[00.44] Introductions to our Blended panellists.

“Education bias is somebody being treated differently, or unfavorably, based on their educational background, where they went to school and what level of education they have.” Rose

[02.32] The group give an overview of education bias, and what it means to them.

“It was instilled in me from the second I was born: education, education, education… When I finished my degree, I felt that if I wanted to make more money, if I wanted to really excel in the corporate world, I had to have an MBA. And it took me a long time to think deeper about why I felt that way, and if I really needed it to be successful. ” Rose

[05.09] The panel share their personal experiences, their level of education and how important it has been to their professional career.

“Companies say ‘we want to retain more employees, what can we do?’ Well, help develop them! Develop them, make them want to stay with you. Sometimes simple questions have simple answers, we just have to take the time.” Jennifer

[23.14] The group discuss education bias within industry, and the age-old debate of experience vs education.

“To be on a tenure track, you typically have to have a PhD. And then once you get into your field, then it becomes rank – are you an assistant professor, associate professor or professor – so you still have a PhD, but rank becomes an issue.” Stella

“It’s hard to acknowledge and recognize your ego… but if we build more self-awareness, we can start to realise when our ego is leading things in the wrong direction, and the more we address that, we would see less bias.” Rose

[38.57] The panel reflect on what they’re seeing in the market around education bias and hiring practices.

“I think we put too much emphasis on education and not experience, but there is a catch 22. Because the requirement for an entry level job is 5 years – that doesn’t make sense!” Jennifer

[54.13] The group put the spotlight on the next generation, and what they’re thinking about when it comes to education and ongoing learning.

[1.04.57] The panel sums up their thoughts from today’s discussion.

You can connect with Rose, Jennifer and Stella over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, why not check out 328: Blended – Breaking the Class Ceiling, or 265: Blended – DEI in the Workplace – Not Just The Smart Thing To Do, But The Right Thing To Do.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by GateHouse Maritime, a market-leading ocean tech brand that is using its expertise and deep industry knowledge to make ocean visibility simple.

GateHouse Maritime delivers next-generation data insights for end-to-end ocean visibility. Founded in 1992, they help global supply chains, offshore industries, maritime providers and surveillance companies gain easy access to ocean data insights for resilient operations, value to end-customers and efficient, safe navigation for a profitable business.

Today Morten Bols, Market Development Director at GateHouse Maritime, joins me to chat all about the company; the power of good data; using technology to support sustainability; and their vision to optimize supply chains, and change the working lives of freight forwarders and visibility providers.



[06.53] An overview of the challenges for Gatehouse in the current climate, and for the maritime industry.

[08.04] An introduction to GateHouse Maritime – who they are, what they do and how they help their customers.

“We’ve been tracking vessels for more than 20 years, we have a lot of history and a lot of data.”

[08.44] How Gatehouse helps to keep freight moving and tackle disruption; how technology is rapidly changing, as organizations try to keep up; and Morten’s vision for optimizing supply chains and changing the lives of freight forwarders and visibility providers.

“What’s important is that you try to plan better! The industry hasn’t done that, and is still struggling to do it. The industry is struggling to work with technology and optimize the options they have available.”

[10.56] Gatehouse’s tracking product OceanIO, its benefits, and how clients use it.

“If you don’t have any tracking, you trust the carriers. And it’s not to say that all carriers are bad, but many are missing key components and key milestones to do this.”

[12.19] A closer look at Gatehouse’s port intelligence solution, why it’s so unique in the market, and the 20 years’ worth of data and detailed port surveillance that sits behind the product.

[15.24] The wide breadth of industries that can work with Gatehouse Maritime.

“There’s so many people to work with, and that’s so exciting!”

[16.20] Why Gatehouse doesn’t offer user platforms, and focus on what they’re good at – the data.

[17.26] The ideal client for Gatehouse Maritime.

[18.56] A closer look at onboarding and integration with Gatehouse.

[20.18] Why sustainability is a key pillar at Gatehouse, and how they’re helping the industry meet key ESG goals.

[21.34] Why Morten enjoys surprising industry brands with Gatehouse’s robust solutions.

[23.53] The future for Gatehouse Maritime.

Head over to Gatehouse Maritime’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Gatehouse Maritime and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Vimeo, or you can connect with Morten on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, and want to hear from some amazing women in the maritime industry, why not read Lauren Beagen on Protecting and Empowering Women in the Maritime Industry, or listen to episode 185: Chart a Course for Shipping Success, where Alison Cusack chats all about her business Cusack and Co, her career as a lawyer in the maritime industry, the importance of empowering shippers, and of driving better business.

This episode was filmed at Manifest 2023. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Renewal Logistics, a high-volume, high-throughput, collaborative and sustainability-focused woman-owned logistics company.

Renewal Logistics are an e-commerce fulfillment and third party logistics company with a specialty in apparel and consumer goods, partnering with eco-friendly brands that have outgrown in-house fulfillment and require flexible and scalable, on-demand solutions.

Today Courtney Folk, CEO and co-founder of Renewal Logistics, joins me to chat all about the company; how fulfillment and logistics are changing; creating exceptional brand experiences; and how they are leading the circular movement, through processing returns from your favorite national retailers.

[08.01] Courtney’s background, how her husband’s family dry cleaning business led her to co-found Renewal logistics and an overview of the company’s growth.

“As women… you have to be careful not to turn down opportunities, and not turn down people that are willing to help.”

[16.12] How the landscape of e-commerce, fulfillment, logistics and sustainability has changed, and the current industry challenges.

“The thing that’s different now is returns. Returns is what most e-commerce brands are struggling with. If you don’t have a solid sustainability and reverse logistics program in place, you end up ditching a lot of product, and not receiving the value out of it.”

[18.55] A closer look at Renewal’s services, and how they’re helping customers tackle key industry challenges.

“A lot of companies just never really think about how much agility they could have in the marketplace, if they had a really good option when it comes to that repackaging piece.”

[24.30] The ideal client for Renewal Logistics.

[27.40] How Renewal manages the popular trend of subscription boxes.

[31.34] The importance of building circular supply chains, and how a focus on returns and sustainability can give businesses a competitive advantage.

“It’s amazing how much money companies are leaving on the table!”

[41.43] The future for Renewal Logistics.

Head over to Renewal Logistics website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Renewal Logistics and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, or you can connect with Courtney on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, and want to hear more from Courtney, check out 328: Blended – Breaking the Class Ceiling, where Courtney joins a panel of industry leaders to discuss the sometimes controversial subject of classism.

And if you're interested in hearing more about the fashion and apparel industries, why not listen to 223: Women in Supply Chain, Tara St James, featuring Tara St James: fashion designer, sustainable design strategist and responsible supply chain consultant, or 239: Women in Supply Chain, Joanna MacDonald, featuring entrepreneur, fashion designer, communications and training specialist and philanthropist, Joanna MacDonald.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by the multi-talented Sylena Urbanoski: veteran, business founder, supply chain leader and start-up advisor.

Sylena Urbanoski is a strategic and dynamic operations leader with over seven years’ experience at the chief executive level, where she built profitable start-up divisions, grew business lines, managed deals, and streamlined operations. A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, Sylena also co-founded a company that sold at 10 times valuation within 24 month to Flexport.

Today Sylena will be talking to us about her career so far; her entrepreneurial success; her long-time business partnership; and why she’s so passionate about scaling start-ups. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

Women fuel the success of some of the world’s most successful businesses, yet barriers still exist. SAP is committed to supporting and elevating a new generation of women to profoundly lead and impact global supply chains and are proud to support the Women in Supply Chain Series and its efforts.

Supply chains need to evolve from low-cost and optimized to risk-resilient and sustainable and SAP can help.

SAP Digital Supply Chain solutions connect the entire process — design, planning, manufacturing, logistics, maintenance, and service; connecting your supply chains to the rest of your business and all your contextual data; supporting your efforts in alleviating risk in your supply chains.

SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software and for the last 50 years has been helping companies to run better. Find out more at sap.com/scm

[10.16] Sylena’s career journey and how a road trip with a friend led to a life-changing business and lifelong partnership.

“We went on a road trip and by the end of the trip we had the whole business plan sorted, and a vision about what we wanted to build. We found some investment backing, and jumped into it!”

[13.26] The vision behind Sylena’s first business, and its successful sale to Flexport.

“Customs in Canada are so far behind, and we went through the journey of what would it take to start digitizing and creating an environment where we could re-employ amazing women who weren’t staying in the industry, because it didn’t support their family and work/life balance.”

[17.46] Sylena’s experience working with Flexport, the next steps in her career journey, and her long-time business partnership with Cindy Christensen.

“I love building start-ups, I’m passionate about scaling them.”

[19.59] How and why supply chain has changed for women in the last decade, and the work that still needs to be done.

“Women in the supply chain industry spend so much of our careers fighting for any breath in the room… and it used to be that there were so few women in that room that it was so hard to partner up with other women because there was so little air to take.”

[22.26] From finance to the military to supply chain, Sylena’s experience across multiple male-dominated environments, and her experience of strong, supportive women.

“Every room I’ve ever been in as an adult has been male-dominated… it’s better now, but it’s nowhere near as good as it needs to be.”

[25.15] The industry areas that Sylena would like to see changed for women.

“The industry doesn’t create opportunities… there is no unifying place where continued education and promotion opportunities exist.”

“We spent so long finding any available space in that room, we really haven’t, as women in this industry, embraced the opportunity to step in and take the space we deserve.”

[30.40] What the future holds for Sylena.

“If you look at everybody else that’s trying to solve supply chain from a tech perspective, they’re all looking at it from a freight perspective. But the only one unifying factor about supply chain… is that every shipment touches a customs broker.”

[32.49] Sylena’s words of advice for leadership, and women in the industry.

“Find community first, and lean into it.”

[35.35] What excites Sylena the most about the future of supply chain, and her advice for jumping in.

[38.11] Sylena’s biggest top tip for women in supply chain.

You can connect with Sylena over on LinkedIn.

If you'd like to hear more from Sylena, check out episode 26 of Blended – Veterans Voices: Inspiring Stories from Those Who Serve. And if you want to hear even more veteran voices,  listen to episode 14 of Blended – Veterans and Civil life: Winning the Battle of Workplace Discrimination.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Blume Global, a market-leading, sustainability-focused software brand that is removing a huge $1 trillion of waste from the global supply chain, and making logistics processes more agile, dependable, and sustainable with innovative execution and visibility solutions.

Blume Global is a technology provider committed to an ethical, purpose-driven supply chain ecosystem; and to creating a more sustainable environment through providing an open, neutral platform across all trading partners to drive asset optimization, predictive visibility and traceability.

Today Pervinder Johar, CEO at Blume Global, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; why digitization is now a requirement, not a preference; putting sustainability at the heart of everything they do; and helping businesses to utilize the power of visibility to manage their biggest business impacts in real-time.

[07.24] Pervinder’s background, the entrepreneurial journey that led him to found Blume, and the importance of bringing innovation and inspiration from other industries together to solve complex problems.

“I’m a computer science graduate, and I wanted to only work on large, complex problems… I started making control systems for nuclear power plants!”

[10.51] An overview of Blume – what they do and how they help their customers.

“Supply chain is a highly distributed environment… how do you connect all of those dots, and then optimize it?”

[11.59] The impact of supply chain on the environment, why Blume puts sustainability at the heart of everything they do, and why businesses need to stop making decisions just based on time and cost and consider modes that are more environmentally friendly.

[18.28] How Blume orchestrates an intermodal supply chain, and works as a competitive advantage for its customers.

“It’s not about visibility alone… it’s about: how do you guarantee that all the stuff is going to show up at the same time?… So having a large number of options, and an understanding of what needs to expedited, and what needs to be slowed down is key. And slowing down is equally as important from an environmental perspective… Speed is bad for the environment!”

[21.52] A closer look at the Blume platform, and how it can help with risk management.

[24.48] Blume’s R&D arm, and the importance of fostering innovation in supply chain.

[27.19] The ideal client for Blume Global.

[28.56] Two case studies showing how Blume services were used to connect small businesses, with no tech infrastructure, to larger ones; and to help shippers ensure quality sourcing and collaboration.

[32.00] The future for Blume.

“We want the ecosystem to continue to evolve in an organic fashion – and that’s what Blume means... a blooming ecosystem.”

Head over to Blume Global’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Blume and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or Twitter, or you can connect with Pervinder on LinkedIn or Twitter.

This episode was filmed at Manifest 2023. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Orderful, a collaborative and forward-thinking software brand that are building the future of EDI. With a pre-connected network, they’re aiming to move the needle from months to trade down to minutes.

Orderful is a complete cloud EDI platform for manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and technology companies. With an API that enables companies to connect once and trade EDI data with their supply chain, Orderful customers are able to consolidate their EDI software integration complexity and quickly enable trading partners as self-service to reduce costs.

Today Erik Kiser, CEO and founder of Orderful, joins me to chat all about the company; the challenges involved with traditional EDI solutions; bringing supply chains together; achieving visibility and addressing risk; and the future of EDI.

[05.59] A reminder of who Orderful are, and how they help their customers.

“We’re a modern EDI platform focused on making EDI onboarding fast, affordable, and easy.”

[07.14] An overview of EDI, its place in the industry alongside API, and why it’s ‘the plumbing of today’s supply chain.’

“It’s become the standard of trade… so we turned this whole legacy experience into a modern software experience for modern developers and modern teams.”

[10.08] The importance of good data in onboarding, and how Orderful helps to solve some of supply chain’s typical data challenges.

“We’ve been able to make it very simple for a company to start trading with a new partner, because we go right into validation and data. Most providers will only validate the structure of a file, but Orderful… can not only check the structure, but we also validate the data that’s in that transaction, so they can solve problems in real time.”

[14.31] What visibility means to Orderful, why it’s so important, and how visibility services like notifications can help companies solve challenges in real time.

[18.27] How Orderful empowers customers to confidently manage risk, and creates a smoother experience for teams across businesses.

[20.51] The ideal client for Orderful.

“We’re winning with 3PLs, 4PLs and SaaS platforms!”

[22.15] A case study showing how Orderful helped a major client to reduce its onboarding time and proccesses for new carriers from 90 steps and 12 weeks down to 30 steps in nine days, and how Orderful sits apart from its competition

[26.17] The future for Orderful.

Head over to Orderful’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Orderful and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, or you can connect with Erik on LinkedIn.

If enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Orderful, check out episode 281, where Erik talks all about why it’s so important to help the small guys get to market; why existing EDI software infrastructures can’t keep up; and Orderful’s mission to create a world where data trading is not a barrier. Or, you can read their blog A New Cloud EDI Platform: 5 Ways to Simplify EDI, or even watch Erik on a special live episode of Thoughts and Coffee, where Erik and Sarah dive into more issues around EDI and trending industry news.

This episode was filmed at Manifest 2023. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

It’s episode 30 of Blended: I’m joined by a brand new panel of inspirational professionals and, today, we’re talking about classism.

Now, some people believe that we’ve left classism behind. But, sadly, studies show that it’s alive and well – and its impacts are huge. The bottom 80% of the United States holds only 12% of its wealth; the bottom 60%, is just 3% of its wealth. And despite this huge disparity, little is being done to drive change.

In a world where we’re working hard to tackle issues around gender, race, sexuality, religion and more – why are conversations around socioeconomic groupings still so often missing from the conversation? Surely it’s high time we address class barriers, build bridges and work harder to become a more equitable society.

So today, our guests will be diving into classism and what it means to them; sharing their personal experiences; reflecting on education, privilege and pedigree; and discussing what organizations can do to tackle classism in the workplace and create more truly diverse communities.

[01.01] Introductions to our Blended panelists.

“When I think about classism, it’s really class discrimination. We live in a system where people are valued and treated differently based on their perceived class…. It’s so systemic and it reaches every single part of our system.”  Elise

[05.27] The group discusses classism, the complex issues that feed into it, and what classism means to them.

“It goes beyond how others perceive you – classism is also about how you perceive yourself. You grow up in a particular socio-economic group, and often you can self-limit.”

“We would be so much further along as a society if everyone was comfortable talking to other people with an open mind, more like ‘what can I learn from this conversation’ rather than ‘what am I going to disagree with.’” Courtney

[47.17] The panel shares their experiences of classism in the workplace, and the impact of pedigree and education.

“I didn’t think I was enough, I’m not good enough, I don’t have the pedigree – I never saw myself being someone that could be at an elite level. And it wasn’t because intellectually I wasn’t enough, it was because of that class that I was born in and what I saw all around me.” Christine

[58.02] The group share their ideas for how organizations can help to tackle classism in the workplace.

“It’s the subtle shift from looking for culture fit, to looking at culture add… we want someone to both support and challenge.”

[1.22.37] The panel sums up their thoughts from today’s discussion.

You can connect with Elise, Courtney, Amanda and Christine over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, why not check out 215: Blended – Shining a light on social inequality, or 323: Blended – How to Foster an Inclusive Workplace.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Enveyo, an innovative logistics software brand that wants to optimize every aspect of a business’s shipping operations, with solutions that leverage enterprise-level technology and big data experience to empower organizations to make business-transforming shipping decisions.

Enveyo is transforming the way technology drives logistics. As the only parcel TMS provider enabling end-to-end supply chain visibility, from shipping analytics and automation to customer delivery experience management, organizations are optimizing their shipping operations with Enveyo's cloud-based suite of solutions.

Today Coby Nilsson, CEO and co-founder of Enveyo, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; letting the data tell the story; the importance of predictive analysis to the future of logistics; and finding the balance between cost reduction and customer satisfaction.

[06.17] Coby’s career journey and his passion for technology.

“I’m a psych major who spent my entire career in technology… I have a passion for solving problems.”

[09.31] How Coby’s experience at Adobe inspired him to found Enveyo, the challenges he saw in the market – and why those challenges haven’t really changed.

“I ran global integrations, so we were measuring all the micro transactions… brands knew everything that was happening prior to purchase, but when you’ve bought it, it goes into the abyss… so brands wanted us to stitch that together.”

[13.10] An overview of Enveyo – what they do and how they help their customers.

“The underlying challenge for all of these organizations is the data.”

[13.51] An introduction to Insights, one of Enveyo’s five core solutions, the role of visibility, and what it means to Enveyo.

“What visibility means to me is bringing the data all together in a consolidated platform, and then allowing you, as a customer, to consume that data in ways that you want.”

[16.06] A closer look at Cloudroute, Enveyo’s innovative TMS software.

“Once you understand what’s happening and you have the data in one place, you can identify areas of opportunity.”

[18.13] Coby’s perspective on the ‘Excel epidemic’ and why businesses should be using technology systems like Enveyo instead.

“Excel is so ubiquitous, it’s a very powerful application but it starts to break down when you hit critical mass of data.”

[22.27] An introduction to Modeling, and the power of predictive analysis and data-driven decision-making.

“You start with Insights, then you see some opportunities. But before you want to pull the trigger on orchestration, test it out. Run a scenario and see if it’s going to have the impact you expect.”

[24.08] A closer look at Enveyo’s Alerting solution, its role as the communication bridge with the customer and how it can help to improve customer experience.

[25.49] The ideal client for Enveyo.

[27.27] A case study showing how Enveyo’s modeling solution helped a key customer to make strategic decisions around their carrier choice and distribution center, ultimately helping them to save 16% on shipping costs and grow by 31%.

[30.59] The future for Enveyo.

Head over to Enveyo’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Enveyo and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, or you can connect with Coby on LinkedIn.

This episode was filmed at Manifest 2023. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Paige Wei-Cox: one of Supply Chain Digital’s ‘Top 100 Women in Supply Chain,’ and a 2022 Pro to Know.

Paige Wei-Cox is a global leader with extensive cross-border supply chain experience. Over the course of her 20-year career at SAP, she has held a variety of management positions across the US and Germany. The recipient of Supply Chain and Demand Executives prestigious ‘Women In Supply Chain’ award, Paige is passionate about transforming today’s fragmented supply chains into a unified, collaborative and intelligent network of networks.

Today Paige will be talking to us about her career so far; the importance of industry recognition for women; why there’s more supply chain disruption to come; and moving countries, and continents, to pursue her dream. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

Women fuel the success of some of the world’s most successful businesses, yet barriers still exist. SAP is committed to supporting and elevating a new generation of women to profoundly lead and impact global supply chains and are proud to support the Women in Supply Chain Series and its efforts.

Supply chains need to evolve from low cost and optimized to risk-resilient and sustainable and SAP can help.

SAP Digital Supply Chain solutions connect the entire process — design, planning, manufacturing, logistics, maintenance, and service; connecting your supply chains to the rest of your business and all your contextual data; supporting your efforts in alleviating risk in your supply chains.

SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software and for the last 50 years has been helping companies to run better. Find out more at sap.com/scm

[06.09] How Paige found supply chain, and her varied career journey through the industry.

“My career went from manufacturing to R&D, PLM, logistics, planning, networks – it’s travelled the entire supply chain… it’s been a fun journey!”

[08.11] From a shift to demand driven and embracing a customer-centric approach, Paige reflects on how the industry has changed since the start of her career, and what she’s learned along the way.

“At that time, not many people talked about supply chain, it was more about ‘how do we optimize my enterprise… it was the beginning of digitization.”

[13.15] How and why Paige moved to Europe, her experiences, and the cultural differences she’s observed between Germany and the US.

[20.45] Paige’s current role as senior vice president, chief product officer and global head of SAP Business Network, and the challenges, highs and lows it encompasses.

“The fun part is the creation... the non-fun part is there’s no buffer time… when you don’t have a full calendar, you almost feel lost!”

[25.48] The challenges and changing trends that Paige is observing at an industry level, and from the perspective of SAP and their customers – and how she’s tackling them.

“We’ve gone through this incredible globalization, but I also see a trend of localization… the complexity of supply chain is no longer about finding the cheapest supply, or 100% outsourcing. It’s about how my whole supply and demand chain can connect.”

[30.41] Paige’s experience as a woman, working for 25 years in a male-dominated industry, and whether the landscape for women has changed.

“When I first started, I was the only girl… today if I look at my teams around the world, I see a lot of young women entering with passion… we’re much more diversified.”

[32.34] The importance of mentors, of elevating female voices in the workplace, and of women supporting women.

“To really grow and learn, you need someone to challenge and push you, but also support you and open their network to you.”

[36.23] Paige’s industry awards, and the importance of continuing to celebrate women in supply chain.

“Hopefully more women will find the topic to be interesting, because if you’re a problem-solver, there’s no other field more interesting than supply chain. There are so many challenges that nobody has answered that makes this industry super challenging but very fulfilling.”

[38.37] The personal achievement that Paige is most proud of.

[40.34] The future for Paige.

[41.56] Paige’s advice for girls and women looking to follow in her footsteps.

You can connect with Paige over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from other inspirational women from SAP, check out episode 321 featuring Darcy MacClaren, Senior VP of Digital Supply Chain and Manufacturing for North America or 283: Blended – The Rise of Asian Discrimination featuring Gale, Director of Global Influencer Marketing at the leading brand.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Envase Technologies, a game-changing TMS provider that is on a mission to guide the freight industry into a more sustainable and profitable future.

Envase bring together everything you need to gain visibility and control over your operations, expose inefficiency, and de-clutter your system, including industry-leading TMS options to fit your needs, business intelligence, rate management tools, an integrated mobile driver app, and a complete marketplace.

Today Larry Cuddy, CEO of Envase Technologies, joins me to chat all about the company; the power of strategic mergers and acquisitions; putting a focus on optimization, as well as visibility; and the importance of industry-wide collaboration.

[06.32] An overview of Envase Technologies – what they do and how they help their customers.

“Envase is a digital drayage intermodal platform... and we’re helping optimize terminals.”

[07.25] Larry’s founder journey, and why he decided to tackle a fragmented market by establishing Envase and taking a proactive approach to mergers and acquisitions.

“We all got along as competitors, and now we’re all on the same team!”

[09.00] Why Larry is passionate about ‘getting his hands dirty’ in business, and the importance of collaboration.

“It gets back to culture… so we lead by example. I would never ask anybody to do anything that I haven’t attempted.”

[10.33] Larry announces some breaking news, and explains the impact it will have on the industry, and Envase customers.

“It’s so exciting, because nothing has been attempted like this!”

[12.16] The landscape of the current market, and Larry’s reflections on the key challenges and trends.

“There’s a real big spotlight on visibility and transparency… but ultimately where everyone wants to get to is optimization, and that’s the thing that everybody overlooks.”

[14.47] Larry’s advice for organizations starting their digital transformation journey; how they can identify the available options; and the conversations Envase have with their own clients to discover the best solutions for them.

[17.53] The challenges facing Envase’s customers, and how Envase can help.

“We still fight the fight every day about collaboration… people want to be protective of their data, they don’t want to share, they don’t want to be friends – so we take a very different approach.”

[19.27] From collaboration to data, the future for the industry.

“We’ve got air, we’ve got ocean, we’ve got LTL, we’ve got truckload. We’ve got all these different modes, but nobody shares the same DNA in order to say ‘hey, this is how we do this better!’”

[21.23] The future for Envase Technologies.

“We’re never happy with the status quo!”

Head over to Envase Technologies’ website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Envase and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, or you can connect with Larry on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, and want to hear more from Envase Technologies, check out episode 311 featuring Allen Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at Envase. Allen told me all about the company and what they do; the importance of digitizing drayage; how simplicity empowers growth; and why the freight industry is vital to the future of the nation.

This episode was filmed at Manifest 2023. If you want to hear another fantastic episode filmed at the event, why not check out episode 322, Innovative Asset Tracking Made Easy, with Blackberry Radar.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Makersite, an award-winning, sustainability-driven software-as-a-service provider helping manufacturing enterprises solve complex challenges around their products and supply chains.

Makersite develops next-generation product data management tools for the global manufacturing industry, providing AI, data and apps for sustainable product and supply chain decisions at scale. Founded in 2018, the platform is the only cloud-based platform combining data aggregation and live applications for agile product life cycle management.

Today Neil D'Souza, Founder and CEO at Makersite, joins me to chat all about the brand and what they do; using automation to help achieve Net Zero; the importance of shortening innovation cycles; and transforming visibility into resilience.

[06.35] Neil’s background, his early interest in sustainability, and why he founded Makersite.

 “I got into the space early.. and it wasn’t so much about carbon… it was more about looking at how much we waste from what we create or extract from the environment, and how we can change it.”

[09.52] How things have changed since Makersite was founded in 2018, why they’re still helping clients to do the same thing, but with vastly different decision-making criteria, and why everyone is looking for the next big thing to drive innovation forward.

“Wherever you look across the globe, there is a race like never before.”

[13.07] An overview of Makersite – what they do and how they help their customers.

“The problem fits squarely in the hands of people that make stuff. Very often, we direct attention to how we use it, but it really isn’t... We shouldn’t direct responsibility away.”

[16.10] The ideal client for Makersite.

[17.58] A case study showing how Makersite helped Microsoft figure out where to invest money to reduce impact, by quickly analyzing component data to allow them to optimize and drive effective change.

[22.06] Sustainability and the goal of Net Zero, the struggle with translating big ESG ambitions into practical action and how Makersite are helping businesses to ‘automate their way to net zero.’

“Net Zero is almost theoretical. Practically, there’s no way to get to net zero, unless you look at off-setting as one component… But you cannot just continue to operate as you do today, and just buy credits somewhere else, that doesn’t work.”

[29.26] How Makersite are empowering manufacturers to accelerate product design, and the importance of shortening innovation cycles to design better products faster.

“We want to get to Net Zero by 2050, and lots of countries and companies have pledged for this. That’s 30 years. But the average go-to-market for an innovation cycle for technology today is five to seven years. So if you’re a car designer you have five iterations, at most, to make your car net zero.”

[33.44] Supply chain risk, the importance of resilience and how Makersite are helping to transform visibility into resilience.

“Resilience is the reaction to disruption.”

[39.40] What integration and onboarding looks like with Makersite.

[41.35] The future for Makersite.

Head over to Makersite’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Makersite and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn or Twitter, or you can connect with Neil on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from more brands talking about sustainability and a Net Zero goal, check out episode 312, featuring Mark Ang, Co-founder and CEO at GoBolt, where he talked all about bringing sustainability to an industry notorious for its heavy impact on the environment, and his organization's goal to reach carbon-negative deliveries by the end of 2023.

Or why not check out my blog, Combating Climate Change with Supply Chain Solutions, for a quick read on going green.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by BlackBerry Radar, a logistics technology brand that delivers asset monitoring, engineered for intelligence, and designed to solve for your most common transportation challenges.

Launched in 2016, BlackBerry Radar is an intelligent, secure and user-friendly asset tracking and monitoring solution. It provides reliable industry-leading visibility into a range of fleet assets, including trailers, flatbeds, chassis and intermodal containers, utilizing device hardware, a secure communications network, and a dynamic cloud platform.

Today Shannon Hamilton, Vice President of Blackberry Radar Sales, joins me to chat all about the brand and what they do; pioneering the future of hyperconnectivity; making the complex simple; and leveraging real-time insights to deliver better, and faster, customer service.

[06.03] How the transportation industry’s challenges have evolved, the landscape of the industry in a post-pandemic environment, and the key focus areas for logistics businesses.

“Coming out of the pandemic we’ve seen a bit of a slowdown, so now it’s really about assessing and right-sizing your fleet, and making better financial decisions about where you’re investing in those assets.”

[07.36] An overview of Blackberry Radar – what they do and how they help their customers.

“Everybody knew Blackberry, back when it was their favorite handset, but most people don’t know what we’re doing today… We’ve been using all of our Intellectual Property, and including all of the design capabilities of building handset software, but now we’re building devices for the transportation industry.”

[09.21] A closer look at the Radar device itself, what it does, and how and where it can be installed.

“Marrying both the physical location with the inside of that piece of equipment is really enabling next-level efficiency.”

[12.12] From helping to reduce empty miles to improved maintenance efficiency, the benefits of installing BlackBerry Radar in your trailers.

[16.49] The most efficient ways to mitigate risk, the importance of good data, and how Blackberry Radar can help.

“Mitigating risk is really about having the information in a usable way, that can improve the way you make decisions. The quality of your decisions is really based on the data that you have – if you have good data, you make good decisions.”

[18.59] The challenges within intermodal and how Blackberry Radar can help with a range of issues from displacement and theft to next-level visibility.

[23.43] A closer look at what reporting, data and customization looks like with Blackberry Radar.

“Every business has different business rules and different logic that they’re working towards. So all of those events can be customized so you’re making use of that information in the best possible way.”

[25.42] The ideal client for Blackberry Radar.

[26.19] A case study showing how Blackberry Radar helped a key client to better utilize existing equipment instead of regularly invest in new assets, ultimately resulting in a vast reduction of capital investment, reduction in maintenance, creation of new revenue streams and enhanced customer experience.

[30.11] The future for BlackBerry Raday.

Head over to Blackberry Radar’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Blackberry Radar and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Shannon on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Shannon, check out her blog for our Women In Supply Chain series, where she shares more about her career journey, who inspires her and her experience as a woman in a historically male-dominated industry.

This episode was filmed onsite at Manifest. Look out for more incredible content from the show - coming soon!

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by multi-award-winning supply chain leader Darcy MacClaren.

Darcy MacClaren is a strategic global leader who has spent 30 years growing, differentiating, and improving businesses through technology transformation with a focus on supply chain. She has held various leadership roles at SAP over the last ten years and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Digital Supply Chain and Industry 4.0 for SAP North America. Darcy is passionate about collaboration, and committed to guiding organizations in their digital transformation journey through innovative technology and next-generation business processes.

Today Darcy will be talking to us about her career so far; the role of sponsors, as well as mentors; building a support network for women; and putting a focus on helping companies build resilient, agile, and sustainable supply chains. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

Women fuel the success of some of the world’s most successful businesses, yet barriers still exist. SAP is committed to supporting and elevating a new generation of women to profoundly lead and impact global supply chains and are proud to support the Women in Supply Chain Series and its efforts.

Supply chains need to evolve from low-cost and optimized to risk-resilient and sustainable and SAP can help.

SAP Digital Supply Chain solutions connect the entire process — design, planning, manufacturing, logistics, maintenance, and service; connecting your supply chains to the rest of your business and all your contextual data; supporting your efforts in alleviating risk in your supply chains.

SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software and for the last 50 years has been helping companies to run better. Find out more at sap.com/scm

[06.53] Darcy’s ambition as a young person, and how a role at Hewlett Packard in the early days of her career set Darcy on a path to success.

“Right from a young age, I knew I wanted to be successful, I knew I wanted to be powerful – but I didn’t know what that meant.”

[09.18] How Darcy found supply chain, why her strengths were such a good match, and why she really fell in love with the industry.

[13.02] Why Darcy found her voice early on in her career, and how she came to appreciate the magnitude of supply chain and the impact it had on people’s lives.

“I do a lot of mentoring for folks entering the field and I always let them know: 'you know more than you think you know. You just don’t have the confidence yet.'”

[16.59] Why Darcy joined SAP, her journey at the brand over the past 11 years and why she’s so passionate about it.

“When you work at a smaller niche company, many times you look around the room and you’re the most experienced person there. I wanted to learn from senior executives, the best in the world, and really grow myself as a leader.”

[20.33] Darcy’s current role as Senior VP of Digital Supply Chain and Manufacturing for North America, the increasing importance of digital transformation, and what she sees from her perspective at SAP.

“It’s a journey. But the good news is that digital transformation is finally starting… you don’t transform overnight but you have to have a plan, and you have to start now.”

[25.34] The importance of tackling sustainability in supply chain, alongside risk, agility and resilience.

“We all know it’s the right thing to do… but if you want the best people, they want to work for sustainable companies; if you want customers, they want to buy from sustainable companies – so it makes good business sense.”

[29.06] Darcy’s experience as a woman in a male-dominated industry across her 30-year career.

“It has changed, but not to the extent that I thought it would have, by the time my daughter came into the industry.”

[34.23] Why Darcy established the award-winning Women in Supply Chain Network, and the impact it’s having on the community.

“It’s great for the career path if you have aspirations to be in the C Suite – supply chain is a great background to have, because of the visibility you get across different industries.”

[36.43] The difference between mentors and sponsors, and Darcy’s advice for making the most of both of them.

[40.25] Darcy’s reflections on why women should dive into supply chain, and why they’re so well-suited to the industry.

“There was a study that actually said, statistically, women are better suited to supply chain – and it had to do with empathy.”

[43.12] Darcy’s advice for girls and women looking to follow in her footsteps.

You can connect with Darcy over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from another incredible woman from SAP, check out 283: Blended – The Rise of Asian Discrimination featuring Gale, Director of Global Influencer Marketing at the leading brand.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today we’re putting the spotlight on one of our incredible live shows, LogTech Live With Eric Johnson.

Eric is Senior Editor of Technology at the Journal Of Commerce and a long-time friend of the show, and he brings us his unrivaled industry insights – and Dad jokes! – on the first and third Friday of every month at 10am EST.

In this episode, Eric is joined by special guest Anthony Miller, SaaS, Tech, Logistics and Supply Chain Consultant, to talk about the hottest news from the biggest brands in logistics right now.

[08.22] From C.H. Robinson CEO Bob Biesterfeld’s shock exit to a new collaboration between an early-stage tech provider and freight forwarders, Eric explores the news of the week.

[15.01] An introduction to Eric’s guest, Anthony Miller, his experience at WiseTech, and his love for logistics.

“Logistics is so exciting and ever-changing… some people would say it's still stuck in the past, but I don’t see that. It’s a mixture of both – you have the great people and the processes, and then you have the tech, and they’re all just trying to come together.”

[19.56] How and why Anthony became a provocative logistics voice on LinkedIn.

“I want people to read something and think about it, go and do some research, talk to people and form your own opinions.”

[27.53] Anthony and Eric discuss CargoWise - its position in the market, why the organization has come under recent scrutiny, how businesses like GoFreight are breaking through to serve the SMB market, and the downside of aggressive acquisition strategies.

[41.20] Anthony’s thoughts on the future for CH Robinson and Flexport.

“Our industry is about consolidation. And as soon as you show some weakness, that’s it – sharks are circling.”

[47.51] Eric ends with his favorite question: ‘what’s your favorite band and why?’

Discover more breaking news over on Journal of Commerce, and connect with Anthony on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed the show, there are plenty more episodes of LogTech Live to explore. And if you want to hear even more from the super-knowledgeable Eric Johnson, you can also catch him on episode 238 and episode 300.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Nipendo, a forward-thinking software brand that is on a mission to improve how buyers and suppliers work together to combat Source-to-Pay inefficiencies and costs.

The Nipendo platform is an intelligent intermediator between buyers and suppliers, using technologies like Robotic Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to streamline interactions and benefit all trading partners. The Nipendo platform is used by cross-vertical medium-sized and large companies across the globe, helping them reduce costs and improve procurement and supply chain efficiencies, as well as supporting their competitive strength.

Today Paul Noel, Chief Revenue Officer at Nipendo, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; their recent acquisition by Amex; changing the game in a flooded SaaS market; helping brands to embrace digital transformation processes; and the importance of bringing buyers and suppliers together in mutually beneficial partnerships.

[06.38] How and why Nipendo was founded, and what attracted Paul to the brand.

“It was that approach – much more additive than disruptive – that really intrigued me as the new age of spend management.”

[10.34] An overview of Nipendo – what they do and how they help their customers.

[12.55] Buyers: their key challenges, how the Nipendo platform works for them, and the benefits it delivers.

[15.02] Suppliers: their unique set of obstacles, and what the Nipendo platform looks like from a seller's perspective.

“As buyers get their act together more, it forces more requirements on the suppliers… the big saving for suppliers is having one place where they can work with multiple customers.”

[17.45] The impact of facilitating buyers and suppliers to work more successfully together, at a business and industry level.

“People stop doing tedious things!... The pandemic gave everyone a shot in the arm - people started thinking ‘what am I doing that’s value add, what am I doing that can be automated?’”

[21.15] Paul’s thoughts on digitization and what he thinks organizations have been doing wrong, and right.

[23.56] What integration and onboarding look like with Nipendo.

“The availability of your IT can be a block, but when you’ve figured that out, the rest of is pretty easy. We’re going to do the heavy lifting, because we’ll make sure that message is going to flow through whatever pipe you open up, it’s just a matter of opening that pipe.”

[27.44] The ideal client for Nipendo.

[29.46] Several case studies showing how Nipendo helped key clients improve efficiency, collaboration and communication, ultimately supporting overall business growth, optimization and cost reduction.

[34.06] The future for Nipendo.

“2023 you’ll see our name out there for a more holistic approach that a mid-market company can use, so they can leverage technology to walk and talk like a big guy, without having to be a big guy."

Head over to Nipendo’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Nipendo and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, or you can connect with Paul on LinkedIn.

If you're in the mood for a good read, check out our Women In Supply Chain blog interview with good friend of the show Sarah Scudder - she talks all about how, in the early days of her career, learning that procurement and marketing weren’t collaborating led to her breakthrough moment.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

It’s episode 29 of Blended: I’m joined by a new panel of incredible guests and, today, we’re talking about fostering an inclusive workplace.

Creating an inclusive workplace doesn’t just benefit your employees, it can pay off in dividends for your business. Companies with a strong culture of inclusion—one that encourages innovation and collaboration among staff—are increasingly seen as more attractive to potential employees, clients, and investors. From revising hiring practices to restructuring internal policies, embracing diversity can be an invaluable asset to any organization.

Today, we’ll discuss how you can foster a positive atmosphere at work where everyone feels accepted and respected no matter their gender identity or cultural background.

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:

[00.58] Introductions to our Blended panelists.

[04.10] The group shares their definitions of what being an inclusive workplace means, and which groups we may be talking about.

“It means figuring out how we can create a level playing field so that everyone has an opportunity to thrive in their respective roles.” Desiree

[11.26] The panel discusses the challenges of creating an inclusive workplace.

“To get it into our DNA you have to get past that tokenism, right? Its the intentionality.” Anonmyous

“Your actions need to speak louder than just the words.” Sarah

[25.30] The group discusses the role that bias plays in inclusive workplaces, how to get over it, how to make it a part of communication, and how to normalize it.

“We have to build up in our cultures and our workplaces that you shouldn't be afraid to make that mistake. Be mindful of it, but don't be afraid.” Johnathan

“We're all human beings so bias is going to creep up at some point, you just have to be able to recognize it and check it.” Desiree

[1.06] The panel sums up their thoughts from today’s discussion.

“Be who you are, love it, be fabulous. Be the world you want to live in and the rest will usually take care of itself.” Brian

Encouraging an inclusive work environment is essential for an organization’s success, as it can help foster communication between teams, promote respect among different cultures and perspectives and lead to better emotional well-being for employees. We hope this article has helped to demystify the term “inclusive workplace” and offered practical steps for cultivating one. Everyone has a role to play in fostering inclusivity at work; from tackling our own biases to helping create an open dialogue about diversity, we can all work together to make sure everyone feels safe and accepted. If you found this post informative and would like to stay connected with us, please follow us on social media where we offer regular tips and tricks related to creating an inclusive workplace. Together we can take steps toward creating a workplace culture where everyone feels respected and valued.

You can connect with Desiree, Johnathan, and Brian over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more from our guests, check out:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Aera Technology, a forward-thinking company that is on a mission to drive beyond digital transformation and make businesses smarter, dynamic, digital, and wildly successful.

Aera Technology is the Decision Intelligence Company that makes business agility happen. Their innovative cloud platform integrates with your existing systems to digitize, augment, and automate decision-making in real-time. In the era of digital acceleration, Aera helps enterprises around the world transform how they respond to the ever-changing environment.

Today Fred Laluyaux, CEO at Aera Technology, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; using AI to reimagine how organizations operate; the rise of citizen data scientists; and harnessing the power of Decision Intelligence.

[06.40] Fred’s background and exciting career journey as a tech entrepreneur.

“I’ve spent the last 25 years of my life building technology that helps large organizations manage their performance... (and) modeling complex problems – I feel like I’ve been trying to solve a giant puzzle for the last 25 years!”

[09.17] From cycle speed to increasing complexity, the key changes and challenges faced by today’s supply chains.

“All this new technology is allowing us to move the envelope. But the complexity of the problems that we have to resolve is also increasing exponentially. So you have this race between a goal post that’s moving very fast, and technology that’s trying to catch up... The problem goes beyond supply chain. ”

[13.10] An overview of Aera – what they do, how they help their customers and their vision for customers, and for the industry.

“The vision we had is simple… building a technology that would allow the thinking to be connected to the doing.”

[16.40] Decision Intelligence: what it means, why Gartner has recognized it as a top industry trend for this year, and how it works with Aera.

[25.45] A closer look at Aera’s four key product areas: Aera Understands, Aera Recommends, Aera Predicts and Aera Acts.

[35.00] Fred’s reflections on the balance between people and technology, the importance of collaboration and why Aera is embracing a new era of citizen data scientists.

“The operationalization of data science is really the next frontier.”

[38.04] The ideal client for Aera, a closer look at onboarding and integration, and the importance of finding the balance between time to go live and time to value.

“Its not a competition between the human operator and the system – it’s a collaboration.”

[44.03] A case study showing how Aera helped a key client increase their accuracy and response rate, leading to an increase in customer satisfaction, a decrease in order cancellations and, ultimately, higher profit.

“What excites me about this adventure is that we’re deploying a technology that’s new to enable companies to do things that were not happening before.”

Head over to Aera Technology’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Aera and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn or Twitter, or you can connect with Fred on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from another brand that is embracing the power of AI and machine learning, why not check out episode 290, Tomorrow’s Insights Delivered Today: Enabling Operational Automation, featuring Caleb Nelson of Sifted.

And if you were intrigued by Gartner's top trend, Decision Intelligence, and are keen to discover some of the other trends you need to know about for 2023, make sure to dive into Logtech Live With Eric Johnson. Eric is Senior Editor of Technology at the Journal Of Commerce, so if something's going down in supply chain, he's the first to know!

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by TraceGains, the world’s only networked ingredients marketplace.

Founded in 2008, TraceGains connects people and information so teams can work smarter. As a global technology company, they provide networked innovation, quality, and compliance solutions to consumer brands that want to reduce supply chain risk, innovate faster, speed up business processes, and take control of data.

Today Gary Nowacki, Founder and CEO at TraceGains, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; achieving visibility and productivity through collaboration; overcoming today’s supply chain challenges; and bringing people and ingredient data together in new ways to achieve business agility.

[06.31] Gary’s background and how, and why, it led him to founding TraceGains.

“When we founded TraceGains, I think we used the same trick that I would recommend for anybody founding a tech or software company: find a real pain, and then make sure it’s not being serviced well.”

[08.37] A closer look at some of the biggest challenges in the food industry right now, why those challenges are forcing companies to re-evaluate their supply chains, and how TraceGains are helping their customers to conquer disruption.

“The food industry, like almost all industries, really focused on cost… Now, everything is sky rocketed through inflation and new drivers have come along…”

[13.36] An overview of TraceGains – what they do and how they help their customers.

“This is an incredibly fragmented supply chain… it was using a hub and spoke methodology… and that’s a really bad way to do things! … So we stole a page from the playbook of social media companies, and said: “Forget the hub and spoke. Let’s just get all these companies to connect.”

[15.34] A deeper dive into TraceGains Gather, a marketplace that invites customers to “experience sourcing nirvana.”

[19.56] A closer look at TraceGains' configurable solutions for product development, which support customers in creating new formulas and finished goods.

[24.02] TraceGains’ compliance solutions, and the benefit of having a range of complimentary solutions all under one roof.

[26.28] Why ingredient agility equals brand agility, and why mastering ingredient data is key to evolving your supply chain.

[28.01] Collaboration, the importance of bringing buyers and sellers together with co-manufacturing, and an example of what can go wrong when good collaboration is lacking.

“We have a new capability so buyers and sellers can collaborate, not just with the brand owners and ingredient sellers, but also with the co-manufacturers so all three can come together in a workspace – it’s almost like Pinterest… because in this problematic issue of supply chain disruptions, we need collaboration more than ever!”

[32.08] What onboarding and integration looks like with TraceGains.

“There’s a lot less integration that needs to be done, because people are just interacting and collaborating in the cloud.”

[34.06] The ideal client for TraceGains.

[36.29] A case study showing how TraceGains helped a leading bakery make fast and responsive manufacturing decisions and ensure product continuity, by providing vital data insights on variable ingredients.

[39.30] The future for TraceGains.

“These problems exist in every country around the globe… so growing internationally is the next logical step.”

Head over to TraceGain’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with TraceGains and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, or you can connect with Gary on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to find out more about the food and beverage supply chain, why not check out episode 245, featuring Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

Then check out episode 257, a special episode of our live show Action Items with Dyci Sfregola, in which Dyci interviews Atia Yarbrough, Director of Demand and Supply Planning at Mason Dixie Foods, to discover more about building successful S&OP processes, finding the right partners, and the importance of dual sourcing.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Ashley Yentz, a supply chain leader who is passionate about driving sustainability and creating solutions that improve lives.

Ashley discovered her love for supply chain during several successful internships at automotive megabrand, Toyota. And, after a stint as a logistics analyst at Hilti, Ashley’s career really took flight at LeanCor Supply Chain Group. She developed, implemented, and managed lean supply chains totalling around $300M in annual transportation spend and, in 2021, she brought all of her experience, knowledge and passion to her current role as VP of Supply Chain and Material Flow at Sleep Number, a leader in sleep and wellness technology.

Today Ashley will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for creating a more inclusive workforce; developing customer-focused solutions; and why her ultimate goal is to influence a priority shift toward climate change and social consciousness in the logistics and supply chain industry. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

This Women in Supply Chain feature was sponsored by Sifted.

As a business dedicated to empowering confidence within the shipping industry, we’re proud to support women in supply chain. Sifted is the leading logistics intelligence software, that combines insights with expertise to empower bigger, smarter shipping decisions. As growth and disruptions present ongoing challenges for supply chain leaders, thousands rely on Sifted to set their businesses up for success. Learn more about Sifted here.

[07.09] Ashley’s career journey, from being raised by creative entrepreneurs and gaining a degree in mathematics, to being introduced to supply chain by a mentor.

“I met one of my mentors, she was the Vice President of Customer Service at Toyota… and she was the one that looked at me, heard about my skillset in math and my passions and said ‘hey – I think you’d be really good in supply chain!’”

[11.28] What Ashley learned during her time working for Toyota.

“I understood the great care that we had to take to make sure a customer was satisfied. Lean is about ‘what is it that this customer really wants, and how do we make sure we’re providing them the best value.’”

[16.55] Ashley’s journey within Toyota, from strategic planning to inventory; how the recession led to a move to Hilti; and why a passion for Lean Systems eventually took her to LeanCor.

“I started doing a lot of research on ‘what do I want to do, where do I want to be, where do I want to spend my time?’"

[23.01] Ashley’s experience of being one of only two female senior leaders at LeanCor, and the importance of finding people that value what you have to say.

“When we talk about career growth and development, seeking to understand is such a huge part of anyone’s job, and it will set you apart.”

[28.03] Why Ashley moved to Sleep Number, her advice on finding the right career fit, and why Sleep Number values wellness.

“You have to be surrounded by a community that you’re enjoying, that is getting the best out of you and you feel your best at, where you can bring your authentic self to work... you have to make sure it’s aligning to you and your life.”

[35.21] Ashley’s biggest career achievements to date.

[38.03] Ashley’s experience as a woman in the male-dominated fields of construction, supply chain and automotive, how she built courage over time and her advice for how women can thrive.

[42.59] Ashley’s favorite thing about supply chain.

“My favorite thing about supply chain is that you can learn so much – you’ll never get bored!”

[44.15] Ashley’s thoughts on the importance of sustainability in supply chain.

“I believe that profit and sustainability go hand in hand.”

You can connect with Ashley over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out 310: Women in Supply Chain, Grace Sharkey, featuring another woman in supply chain who has followed her heart when it comes to her career journey. Or, if you're keen to hear more about the importance of sustainability in supply chain, why not listen to what Mary McNelly has to say in episode 250.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Lean Solutions Group, a super-successful business service provider that’s using its impressive suite of solutions to make scaling simple.

Lean Solutions Group is a nearshore and offshore services provider with a highly scalable and flexible workforce of 7,000 employees with operations at seven satellite offices in Colombia, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Partnering with more than 500 U.S.-based companies, Lean Solutions Group’s expanded service offerings include staffing, technology, marketing, sales, and business process outsourcing services, all in one place.

Today Hunter Bell, Senior Account Executive at Lean Solutions, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; overcoming recruitment challenges; making scaling simple; the power of ‘global shoring’; and how to broaden your reach, without borders.

[07.05] Hunter's journey, how he came to join Lean Solutions and why logistics is in his blood.

“I’ve been familiar with the industry. My Dad was in transportation logistics for 25 years… so growing up, I was able to see what that industry is all about, and the amount of hours you’ve got to put in…”

[08.18] How Lean Solutions Group was founded, its evolution, and an overview of what they do now.

“We set up satellite offices for transportation logistics companies. We have everything turnkey down there ready to go, office space and a recruiting team… we teach them the industry and then build out an infrastructure.”

[10.28] How staffing has changed since the pandemic, the current labor challenges, and the opportunities provided by embracing satellite and remote teams.

“When COVID hit, everyone was forced to go remote, which opened people’s eyes to: companies don’t only have to source talent in their cites now… remote work does work!”

[12.53] A closer look at the process of working with Lean Solutions, from identifying a business’s key needs to working on process efficiencies.

[14.19] The challenges involved in remote working, and how Lean works to solve them.

“COVID exposed an issue with people’s ability to manage expectations and what you really want your staff doing… a lot of companies struggled to figure out what those expectations and KPI’s were.”

[16.17] How Lean can help organizations to mitigate the risks involved in remote staffing.

[18.23] Utilizing data to better understand productivity, and how Lean can support in understanding those data insights.

“What do you with the data? That’s what a lot of companies don’t know. They have all this data, they’re tracking it, but they don’t know how to leverage it.”

[19.57] The ideal client for Lean Solutions.

[20.32] What onboarding and integration looks like with Lean Solutions.

“We use a lot of automation, automating your processes is key.”

[21.37] A case study showing how Lean helped a brokerage with their back end so they could focus on achieving fast growth, ultimately supporting that company to grow from $30-40 million a year to close to $1 billion.

[23.19] The future for Lean Solutions.

“There are a lot of good people everywhere in this world – we’re just looking to find them and connect them with our customers!”

Head over to Lean Solution’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Lean and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, or you can connect with Hunter on LinkedIn.

This episode was filmed at Home Delivery world. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

It’s episode 27 of Blended: I’m joined by another talented panel of guests and, today, we’re talking about addiction. This is a topic that is still very taboo. But, as with most things in life, it’s not black and white. Not all addicts are the same, and not everyone is addicted to alcohol or drugs. Our rapidly evolving culture has seen the rise of addiction to things like shopping, social media and even work, but our attitudes to addiction are still very much based in the past. And, around a very certain type of addict – the one I’m sure we’re all used to seeing meet a terrible fate in film and TV.

And this kind of thing always worries me, because none of our conversations around DEI can move forward if we’re still holding on to stereotypes and judgments. Things are moving forward for women, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community – it’s time to do the same for all those struggling with, or supporting loved ones who are struggling with, addiction.

Today, our guests will be sharing their experiences of addiction; the power of nature in aiding recovery; loss and grief; tackling addiction in the workplace; and advice on how we can support those struggling, at work and in our communities.

[01.15] Introductions to our Blended panelists.

[03.41] The group reflect on what addiction really is, and share their personal experiences, of struggling with addiction themselves and of supporting others.

“It really isn’t down to one specific thing or specific challenge, it’s a result of a lot of things.”  Angie

“I grew up in a family of addicts… and through coping and dealing with trauma I, at a young age, got into drugs and drinking.” Ariel

[25.09] The panel discusses the power of nature in aiding recovery and share their different recovery journeys.

“Nature provides in every single way – it’s not just the biological, it’s the spiritual.” Ariel

[34.22] The group discusses what recovery looks like, tackling addiction in the workplace, and what companies can do to provide support and change mindsets when it comes to addiction.

“I would challenge some companies to start using the phrase ‘sober curious’.” Angie

“The HR industry has to figure this one out, because there are so many legalities of ‘how deeply do you get involved in an employee’s personal life?' ” Angie

[54.03] The panel reflects on the loss that often comes hand in hand with addiction, and how best to support people.

[1.07.02] The group sum up their thoughts from today’s discussion.

“When it comes to addiction, we can put ourselves on a pedestal. ‘Oh we don’t do that.’ There’s that stigma that comes with addiction. And once we take ourselves off that pedestal, we realize those people aren’t different to us, that we can help and support them and they have a place in this world.” Ariel

You can connect with Ariel on Instagram, or find out more about Angie's podcast Siblinghood of Recovery over on her website, or on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this podcast, why not check out 252: Blended – Hiding in Plain Sight: The Reality of Workplace Discrimination or 158: Blended – Story of my Life.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by GoBolt, a fast-growing tech-enabled, sustainably-focused logistics provider for local e-commerce shops as well as national brands.

GoBolt provides a technology-driven, customer-centric and sustainable approach to fulfillment, including reliable warehousing, pick and pack, shipping, and last-mile delivery. By operating as an extension of their customer's team, they are able to deliver best-in-class services every step of the way, ensuring faster, more cost-effective, and complete customer deliveries.

Today Mark Ang, Co-founder and CEO at GoBolt, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; bringing sustainability to an industry notorious for its heavy impact on the environment; its recent Series B funding success; why logistics is broken; and their goal to reach carbon-negative deliveries by the end of 2023.

[06.02] How GoBolt began as a different kind of business and evolved based on customer demands and market needs.

“Before we knew it, we were acting more like a logistics business than we thought… I don’t think people wake up and dream about starting a warehousing and logistics business!”

[09.26] An overview of GoBolt – what they do and how they help their customers.

“Essentially what we’re trying to create is a unified platform for every single logistics requirement for a scaling, or scaled, brand.”

[10.23] What GoBolt means when they say “we are the only thing between you and your customers” – and why that interface is so important.

“Our NPS [Net Promoter Score] is extremely high, up in the 80’s… typically in the last mile space, you see NPS's in the low teens.”

[12.24] A closer look at the technology that sits behind GoBolt, and what it does.

“What we really want to do is unshackle the customer from their day of delivery.”

[13.55] The areas across North America and Canada in which GoBolt operate, and what differentiates them from their competitors.

“What we’ve found, for enterprise brands and folks that are scaling quickly, is that the last thing they want to invest in is logistics – it's expensive and hard to get it right… but it’s the one thing that touches your customer every single time and reliability, or lack thereof, in your supply chain can make or break your brand.”

[15.56] How GoBolt supports reverse logistics, and facilitates different product outcomes, from donation to refurbishment for resale and recycling.

[17.55] What onboarding and integration look like with GoBolt.

[19.06] The ideal client for GoBolt.

“Part of our vision is to enable commerce by making logistics easy.”

[20.37] GoBolt’s commitment to sustainability, and why carbon offset isn’t the answer.

“There’s only 500 million hectares of re-forestable area in the world, and Shell for example has already committed to planting a tenth of that – so there’s not going to be that much land to go around! We actually need to do our part to become net zero as quickly as possible.”

[22.56] A case study showing how GoBolt helped a client to vastly increase customer satisfaction in last mile logistics, leading them to further leverage GoBolt’s skillsets across many other areas, from fulfillment to mid-mile.

[25.31] The future for GoBolt.

Head over to GoBolt’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with GoBolt and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or you can connect with Mark on LinkedIn.

This episode was filmed at Home Delivery world. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes:

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Envase Technologies, an innovative and fast-growing transportation software brand that is on a mission to deliver a single, streamlined system that digitizes the lifecycle of a container across the intermodal ecosystem.

Envase bring together everything you need to gain visibility and control over your operations, expose inefficiency, and de-clutter your system, including industry-leading TMS options to fit your needs, business intelligence, rate management tools, an integrated mobile driver app, and a complete marketplace.

Today Allen Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at Envase Technologies, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the importance of digitizing drayage; how simplicity empowers growth; and why the freight industry is vital to the future of the nation.

[07.24] How Envase Technologies was established, and the challenges that founder, Larry Cuddy, faced that led him to create his own solution.

“It all started with the challenges that the drivers face... the drivers in supply chain are left to pick up the pieces and deal with the inefficiencies.”

[09.45] Envase’s growth, from start-up to the largest drayage TMS provider in North America, and the role that a strategic acquisition strategy played in that growth.

“If you could integrate visibility, streamline processes, create a common mobile application that drivers could use – you could really improve the day to day process efficiencies.”

[11.56] An overview of Envase Technologies – what they do and how they help their customers.

[14.49] The key challenges faced by the industry right now, and why companies that don’t use a cloud-based drayage TMS face increasing issues.

“Everybody, from very small to very large, has the same two big challenges – visibility, and process efficiency.”

[19.25] A closer look at the Envase system for intermodal and drayage customers.

[24.37] A deeper dive into Envase’s over-the-road solutions, and how they’re helping carriers and brokers to compete in a difficult market and achieve success.

[27.44] The importance of building a wider ecosystem, why simplicity empowers growth, and how Envase is facilitating both of these things for their customers.

[31.43] What onboarding and integration looks like with Envase.

“We take a lot of time... to analyze and diagnose before we start prescribing.”

[34.08] The ideal client for Envase Technologies.

[35.44] A case study showing how Envase helped a client, that was struggling with cargo stuck in ports incurring costly charges, to overcome their challenges, ultimately reducing charges and increasing efficiency.

[39.12] The future for Envase Technologies.

Head over to Envase Technologies’ website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Envase and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, or you can connect with Allen on LinkedIn.

If you want to hear more about drayage, why not check out one of our incredible live shows: No Bullshipping with Hope White. Hope brings an upbeat and uncensored take on key industry issues impacting the ocean freight market, global supply chain, drayage and their suppliers, ocean freight rates, technology, warehousing, and so much more.

Or, if you fancy a bit of fun, listen to our Halloween spooktacular, where Sarah and a group of special guests share their favorite supply chain horror stories. Expect financial fails, freaky guests, technology nightmares and highway horror stories!

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Grace Sharkey – writer, podcaster and self-confessed freight tech nerd.

Grace started her career as an account rep at Fifth Wheel Freight, a 3PL consistently honored on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Over her time with FWF, Grace honed her skills in roles across sales, operations, business development and strategy, before deciding to pivot in 2021, when she joined FreightWaves. Utilizing all of her supply chain knowledge, Grace thrived as a writer and, earlier this year, also became the host of popular radio show, FreightWaves Drive Time on SiriusXM.

Today Grace will be talking to us about her career so far; her love of freight technology innovation; making the leap from brokerage to broadcasting; and why supply chain was built for women. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in supply chain, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.

This Women in Supply Chain feature was sponsored by Sifted.

As a business dedicated to empowering confidence within the shipping industry, we’re proud to support women in supply chain. Sifted is the leading logistics intelligence software, that combines insights with expertise to empower bigger, smarter shipping decisions. As growth and disruptions present ongoing challenges for supply chain leaders, thousands rely on Sifted to set their businesses up for success. Learn more about Sifted here.

[06.41] Grace’s career journey, from a degree in international relations and affairs to supply chain, and why the two are so well suited.

“I was fundraising… And a number of logistics companies would actually come and recruit out of that job because it was the same type of work – on the phone, and being able to be scrappy with what people throw at you.”

[12.01] How a fundraising role led Grace to a start-up 3PL, and why she fell in love with supply chain.

“When you start in a start-up within this industry, you get a whole different view of problems, how they can be solved and how you want to grow a business… it was a great way to learn the industry from a grassroot level.”

[14.32] Grace’s growth and success at Fifth Wheel Freight, and what she learned along the way.

“Operations was my favorite. I love the carriers, they’re absolutely great – they’re more helpful than people think they are, you just have to listen to them!”

[18.51] Grace’s advice for people that might be eager to give supply chain a try, but are worried they don’t have the right education.

“If I was going to look at going back to school for something, I think I would stop myself first and say: 'what part of the supply chain do I want to be a part of?' - and find a way to shadow it.”

[24.15] Why Grace chose to pivot her career in 2021 and take the leap across to media to join FreightWaves, as a writer and host.

“I took a risk on something I didn’t know I would love so much.”

[30.39] As a writer and host, one question Grace wishes people would ask her.

[35.10] Why Grace founded The Shark Start, and why helping others is so important to her.

“If, as an industry, we said ‘how about we scrap these non-competes and we change them into partnerships?’ How quickly could we have our businesses grow, and have each of us winning?”

[40.13] Grace’s thoughts on why we are still not seeing enough women in supply chain leadership roles, and her advice for how we tackle the problem.

You can connect with Grace over on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not check out another woman in media, Marina Mayer. In episode 245, Marina talks all about her role as editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, as well as her views on mentorship and experiences as a working mother.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

It’s episode 26 of Blended: I’m joined by another fantastic panel of guests and, today, we’re talking about veterans. This is a discussion I like to have every year on Blended around this time. Veterans Day provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the role that veterans have played in our country. As we honor the brave people that have served, it’s important to also hear their stories.

Today, our guests will be sharing their life experiences, both professionally and personally; debating the well-known phrases ‘thank you for your service’ and ‘call of duty’; discussing transitioning from military to civilian life; and sharing advice on how we can both support veterans, and help businesses to become more veteran friendly.

[00.52] Introductions to our Blended panellists.

“It was an interesting period of time in the early 2000’s, where we looking at what culture used to look like, what used to be acceptable and what isn’t now. There was a lot of cross-functional abuse.” Sylena

[07.27] The group discuss why they chose to join the military, their experiences and how they found supply chain.

“Joining the military was something brand new to our family, I was the first generation to join the military, so I had no insight, no clue… everything that I knew of the military was from movies.” Jerry

“I joined the military to see the world!” Kris

[25.46] The panel explore the phrases 'going above and beyond the call of duty' and 'thank you for your service', and some of the mental impacts around them.

Create spaces to have conversations Hire veterans and change recruitment processes Provide advantages to veterans

“I like to leave it for the folks that paid the ultimate sacrifice.” Jerry

[42.54] The group discuss the transition from military service to civilian life and share thier advice to both businesses and veterans.

“I did supply chain in the marine corps so my transition out was a little bit easier.” Jerry

“Have confidence in yourself, you’ve been trained and you have skills.” Kris

“Hire veterans! Remove the barriers to your hiring processes, give them their own hiring path, take away the need for a degree and have conversations – they will bring things to your organization that no one else will.” Sylena

[1.05.25] The group sum-up their thoughts from today’s discussion with what surprises them about veterans.

“I’m always surprised by how immensely talented, capable and qualified folks are!” Sylena

You can connect with Sylena, Jerry and Kris over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to episode 231: Blended – Veterans and Civil life: Winning the Battle of Workplace Discrimination, where our guests shared their personal experiences of the military and transitioning to civilian life; inclusion and supplier diversity; employment struggles and entrepreneurship; and their advice and tips for both veterans, and businesses looking to support them.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by Ideal Warehouse Innovations, a product innovator that is asking all logistics, transportation and warehousing brands one big question – when it comes to your workplace, how safe is safe enough?

With more than 1100 warehouse and loading dock safety products in their arsenal, Ideal Warehouse’s products help saves lives, prevent injury and minimize damage and downtime. Founded in 1982, they’ve long been passionate about providing products and equipment to warehouse and manufacturing facilities that make them safer places to work, protecting people as well as enhancing productivity, profitability and timely delivery.

Today Dirk Seis, Director of Marketing at Ideal Warehouse, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; their “thousand-product safety story”; the importance of strategic prevention; and their passion for helping to ensure that the world’s supply chain never breaks a link.

[06.54] Dirk’s career journey, how the industry has changed, and what he loves so much about helping businesses tackle their safety challenges.

“Back then, it seemed to me that the industry was very siloed… and, over the years, what’s happened is that everybody’s understood that this is now a vital link in the supply chain. If the goods aren’t coming in the door, they’re not going out the door – loading docks are very important!”

[08.50] An overview of Ideal Warehouse – what they do, how they help their customers and Dirk’s key role.

[09.55] A closer look at Ideal Warehouse's forklift safety accessories and guarding line.

“One of the simple ways we help is to provide guarding systems to help delineate people from things that move, in other words, dangers.”

[11.27] A closer look at how Ideal Warehouse works collaboratively with their customers to develop innovative solutions to emerging challenges.

“I call them our mad scientists! We have an engineering group and an R&D group that basically takes a customer’s inquiry or unmet need, and says lets develop something that’s a little bit more unique and creative to help solve that problem.”

[14.31] Collaboration and planning: two key approaches to tackling common industry challenges.

“The most important move is planning… and involving all of the key players in the decision making process… when the whole group comes together and builds the solution together, chances are that solution is much better.”

[15.49] In an ever-evolving industry, why cleaner air is a key focus for many customers in a post-pandemic environment.

"The White House commissioned a study and they found that 30% less illness happens when the workplaces air has been cleaned.”

[18.29] What onboarding looks like with Ideal Warehouse.

[19.34] The ideal client for Ideal Warehouse, and some of the questions a potential client should ask themselves before reaching out.

“The people that appreciate our solutions the most are the ones that have a deep safety culture.”

[21.36] A case study showing how Ideal Warehouse developed a new solution to a dangerous dock trailer stand issue for an automotive client, helping to keep people out of harms way, as well as delivering time and cost savings.

“It’s our 'no boots on the ground' solution.”

[26.56] The future for Ideal Warehouse Innovations.

Head over to Ideal Warehouse Innovations’ website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Ideal Warehouse and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Dirk on LinkedIn.

This episode was filmed at Home Delivery world. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes 306: Create Long-Standing Opportunities and Reduce Costs, With DM Delivers; 304: Discover Success at the Intersection of Logistics and Technology, with Flexe, 299: Modernize Your Ecommerce Supply Chain, with Shipium, 297: Make Smarter Packing Decisions, with Paccurate, 296: Take Control of Managing Your Demand Chain, with SEKO, 294: Optimize Warehouse Productivity, with Locus Robotics or 289: Achieve Control, Capacity and Care, with Estes Forwarding Worldwide.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

It’s the fourth and final episode of our Driving Your Parcel Performance mini-series, in collaboration with Sifted!

Last week in episode three, I was joined by Elle Brown for an episode called “Check Engine Light!” We talked all about measuring your contract health; contract compliance; strengthening carrier relationships; and the growing trend in ensuring customer success.

And today in episode four, the final episode in the series, we’ll be jumping into Sifted’s virtual sandbox! I’m joined by Cameron Clark, Product and Logistics Engineer at Sifted, to talk all about contract modeling; its role in providing internal visibility, as well as external carrier management; and empowering businesses to negotiate with confidence in a very challenging environment.

[01.32] How Sifted’s virtual sandbox complements the other tools within the carrier management suite, to help support shippers in their contract negotiations, aid understanding and simplify the process.

[03.05] The relationship between shippers and carriers, and the challenges in the current environment from a negotiation standpoint.

“It’s an interesting dynamic out there right now… you’ve got to really understand where you’re coming from, what kind of shipping profile you have and be able to maximise that for what the carrier’s are doing… it’s no longer an us versus them, it’s really become a partnership.”

[05.02] How simulation and modeling can give customers a leg up when it comes to difficult contract negotiations in a carriers market.

“Modelling is the first step. It’s going to show you, in a simplified way: 'here’s where your spend is, here’s where you can make the biggest impact, here’s where you can make improvements' – and really give you that roadmap.”

[06.50] How data can help shippers to understand the carriers perspective, make themselves more desirable as a client, have more successful conversations and ultimately give them the confidence to make better decisions.

[10.40] As both a logistics and product engineer, how Cameron uses his passion and expertise to work with clients to help them engineer and execute strategies.

“I get to take all of that information and all of the requests I get and say ‘we need a software solution for this.’”

[12.13] The many negotiable parts within any one contract, and how Sifted can help shippers model changes.

“We have an entire engine built to say… ‘you have this discount today, but we really think you should be aiming for this discount’ and to help guide you through that process.”

[15.35] A closer look at how the virtual sandbox works.

“It’s geared towards doing everything in bitesize chunks, rather than being thrown 150 different variables all at once… you can see those dollar amounts change service by service until you’ve completed your entire contract."

[16.48] How Sifted’s virtual sandbox can support the challenges of dual sourcing, and how that functionality will expand, based on customer feedback.

[17.53] How the virtual sandbox can help with internal buy-in, stakeholder management and team development.

“One of the first bits of feedback we got when we started to show this tool was ‘this is the best thing I’ve ever seen to be able to teach my own teams how a contract works!’”

[21.16 ] The ideal client for Sifted’s virtual sandbox.

[22.00] How shippers have been using Sifted’s tools to better understand how contract negotiation works, and shine a light on carrier relationships.

[25.42] Cameron’s final thoughts for the future of the industry.

“The market today is more volatile than ever… and if you’re still working from Excel spreadsheets and sticky notes, there’s a better way! There are tools out there to make your life easier and help you get more effective results.”

Head over to Sifted’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Sifted and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, or you can connect with Cameron on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed the show, why not catch up with the rest of our Driving Your Parcel Performance series: episode 301, Contract Monitoring , episode 303, Better Performance and episode 305 Check Engine Light.

Don’t forget that you can also listen to our Tomorrow’s Insights Delivered Today mini-series in collaboration with Sifted. In episode 286, Ami Bensman took a closer look at the Sifted Score; in episode 288, Kevin Miller talked all about simulation and modelling; in episode 290, Caleb Nelson took us on a deep dive into Sifted’s Parcel Audit solution for shippers; and in episode 293, Adam Moulding introduced us to Sifted’s Contract Management Suite.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Today I’m joined by DM Delivers, a long-standing logistics service provider that is passionate about providing logistics services that deliver time and cost savings across your entire organization.

DM manages the inbound, outbound and drop shipment logistics needs for their clients. As well as leveraging DM’s services to reduce costs, clients of all sizes can also benefit from utilizing DM's cost-free services including claims management, freight bill auditing, general ledger coding, consolidated invoicing and vendor compliance. And, customers can manage it all with EasyFreight™, DM’s proprietary cloud-based Transportation Management System.

Today Nicholas Isasi, Executive Vice President at DM Delivers, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; acting as an extension of your business; finding the balance between reducing cost and enhancing service; and bringing visibility and control to your supply chain.

[06.44] Nicholas’s career journey and how he came to fall in love with supply chain.

“I think that, for most people, that are in supply chain and logistics, they don’t get into it on purpose! And my story is pretty much the same… I was going to school to become a recording engineer, all my classes got cancelled, I looked in the paper and got a job driving a forklift!”

[07.56] How, and why, DM Delivers was founded, and how it evolved over the years.

“We evolved and, as our catalogue guys became e-comm guys, we started having more forward logistics problems, and so we had to come up with a lot of reverse logistics type solutions.”

[08.31] An overview of DM Delivers – what they do, how they help their customers and their key focus areas.

“We consider ourselves a full service company, but the majority of our focus is on ecommerce deliveries and reverse logistics.”

[10.08] The challenges in reverse logistics, and why DM’s unique solutions are so important in helping companies tackle them.

“We soon discovered that there were a lot better things we could be doing for the environment, and socially… we’ve developed a hyper local solution… and we’re able to report back to our clients the true ESG’s.”

[12.01] Why DM Delivers is so intentional about sustainability.

“We saw a lot of good product, that could’ve been used to help people, being disposed of. And it didn’t sit right with any of us at DM. We kept looking at each other and thinking ‘there’s got to be a better way.’”

[15.32] A closer look at EasyFreight™, the proprietary technology that powers DM’s solutions.

[16.51] What onboarding and implementation looks like with DM Delivers.

“We’re able to accommodate whatever our clients want because, for us, it’s all about keeping it simple.”

[17.36] The ideal client for DM.

“We’re looking for somebody that has non-conveyable freight… something that UPS or FedEx will over max you for... Anything that’s big and bulky. You have a kayak? Were all about it!”

[18.42] A case study showing how DM helped a fitness equipment client to manage their returns, allowing them to reduce time in home and re-commmerce items locally, resulting in big transportation cost savings and ESG goals being met.

[20.11] The future for DM.

“We’ll continue to find new ways to make returns and reverse logistics easy – and to just do more good in the world.”

Head over to  DM Delivers’ website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with DM and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Nichloas on LinkedIn.

This episode was filmed at Home Delivery world. If you enjoyed it, and want to explore some of the other great content filmed at the event, why not check out episodes 304: Discover Success at the Intersection of Logistics and Technology, with Flexe, 299: Modernize Your Ecommerce Supply Chain, with Shipium, 297: Make Smarter Packing Decisions, with Paccurate, 296: Take Control of Managing Your Demand Chain, with SEKO, 294: Optimize Warehouse Productivity, with Locus Robotics or 289: Achieve Control, Capacity and Care, with Estes Forwarding Worldwide.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.