Let's Talk Supply Chain

Eric Johnson & Chris Mazza of Shippeo talk about visibility, how big challenges in 2024 impacted the market, & overcoming data quality challenges.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.06] A closer look at two key upcoming conferences: TPM 25 – listen out for a special discount! – and Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk and Project Cargo. [08.19] From an Uber Freight product launch to how technology is enabling companies to pursue smaller incidents of overbilling in freight payments, Eric dives into the big supply chain news of the week. “They announced a product… which you might think looks like a product from Convoy, a company that’s now out of business, released a few years ago. And you’d be right.” [14.12] An introduction to Chris Mazza, his career journey, and an overview of Shippeo. “All of a sudden this thing called the internet happened (!), and it began to change the things ocean carriers did internally and how they began to view their customers externally.” [17.51] From the Baltimore Bridge collapse to ongoing port strikes, the biggest challenges of 2024, and how they impacted the visibility market. “At TPM last year you had Robert Gates speaking. And when you have somebody who’s basically a geopolitical and defence specialist speaking at what is arguably a transportation and supply chain conference, you know you probably have a problem.” “People are realizing that the first requirement to resiliency in their supply chain is visibility. And, for the vast majority, they do that in an older, more outdated way. They may still be relying on systems or methodologies that were developed in the 90s or 2000s.” [22.07] A closer look at visibility in the ocean and over-the-road markets, the different levels of demand and maturity, and the increasing focus on boosting ocean visibility. “We’ve seen an enormous jump in the quality of the data, but at the same time, we’ve seen a huge degradation in the underlying service. The on-time performance, the scheduling integrity – it’s not good.” [31.54] A listener question: Should we consider contingency planning as part of the visibility function? [35.55] Carrier APIs – their role in accessing the best data and the challenge of navigating multiple layers of business relationships. “APIs don’t clean data. But what they do, ideally, is provide you with easier access. The question in the market is: Are you going to get the best access to the best data via API, EDI or some other methodology?” [40.04] How visibility can be used to prevent missing shipments. [44.13] What Shippeo customers want when it comes to accessing, understanding, analyzing, and reporting their data. [47.02] Chris’s favorite musician and why. [49.18] Eric’s Dad joke of the week!   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Explore more industry news over on Journal of Commerce, and connect with Eric on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed the show, there are lots more episodes of Logtech Live With Eric Johnson to explore. You can also hear Eric on episode 238, episode 300 and episode 420.

On The Margins: How procurement leaders can maintain supplier relationships, support teams, nurture trust and build resilience in volatile markets.     IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.24] An introduction to Michael van Keulen, and what he loves about travel and spending time with the supply chain community. “I love to connect, I take so much pride in what I get to do every day… Helping and playing a role in the community we’ve created keeps me energized.” [08.31] From the opportunities in technology to big macro challenges, the issues that are top of mind for the procurement community right now, and why collaboration remains crucial. “We’re excited about technology, there’s so much out there… Finding the right solution isn’t easy, but there’s a lot of attention now paid to technology in procurement.” [12.48] Coupa’s Mind Your Business campaign. [14.08] The importance of talking about how to thrive through cost-cutting and corporate changes. [15.09] An introduction to Rendi Miller from GitLab, and what she loves about procurement. “Like many people, I fell into procurement. And it’s served me so well because of the network of people I’ve met, friends that I’ve made. It’s a really unique group.” [18.10] How to approach change and navigate transition, and Rendi’s personal experience of managing big corporate transitions. “The one thing we can always count on is change. You need to be adaptable, and not be afraid of it… Have trust with your employees as a leader, and have a solid foundation built for your people, processes, and technology.” [21.48] Rendi’s advice to her younger self for navigating change. “Every time I’ve been through some sort of change, it’s really been for the better in the long run... You can’t be shortsighted.” [25.14] The challenges Rendi faced, and lessons she learned, from managing corporate transitions. [27.40] Rendi’s advice for procurement leaders to help maintain supplier relationships in the face of pressure. “The time when you need them to step in and help you with a reduction is not the time to start building a relationship! The time to build relationships is right from the beginning… Treat them as partners instead of just vendors that work for you.” [30.13] How leaders can support their teams emotionally during big changes. [34.18] What procurement leaders can do now to improve resilience for the future. [35.15] It’s trivia time! Three questions stand between an audience member and a brand new pickleball set. [40.02] Coupa Inspire returns in 2025 – don’t miss your chance to meet Sarah and Michael in Las Vegas.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   If you enjoyed the show, there are plenty more episodes of On The Margins to explore, or check out 213: Manage Your Supply Chain Planning Smarter and Safer with Coupa.

Tom Burke of CargoWise Landside talks about how drayage rating & quoting best practices can improve supply chain management, visibility, & logistics execution.    IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.59] An introduction to Tom and his career journey, how he founded DrayMaster, and its current place in the extensive CargoWise Landise portfolio. “You could say that I’ve had my hand in every cookie jar when it comes to this industry, and I’ve gained valuable insights from each experience.” [09.49] Trend one: The importance of collaboration in supply chain management, the improving integration and interoperability between stakeholders, and how a shared access to pricing is helping to drive improvement. “A supply chain without collaboration would be fragmented, inefficient, and unable to meet the demands of modern commerce… It’s the glue that holds the entire industry together.” [13.23] Trend two: What visibility and transparency mean to CargoWise Landside, the areas of supply chain where they’re most impactful, and how they support drayage rating and quoting best practices. “Forwarders are working across multiple time zones, they need instant access to accurate rates… Waiting for hours or days just doesn’t cut it any more. And for trucking companies, if you’re not providing rates electronically, your likely missing out on opportunities to quote and move freight.” “Together, they’re the foundation of today’s drayage and quoting practices.” [18.05] Trend three: The role of automation in shipping logistics and supply chain management – how it’s reducing manual effort, breaking down data siloes, and ensuring accuracy across data, from quote to invoice. “Ultimately, it’s all about efficiency and transformation. Automation is changing the way businesses operate, enabling them to run leaner and more efficiently with the precision that’s now needed.” [21.05] From rising customer expectations to issues with change management, the biggest challenges these three core trends present to drayage operators. [26.26] How drayage operators are managing through these trends and challenges, and why digitalization is no longer a nice-to-have. [28.47] ‘Good, better, best’ – the three step approach to best practices, why best practices are needed across the industry, and how they pull together the key trends of collaboration, transparency, and automation. [32.52] How DrayMaster can help truckers to reduce quote turnaround times by up to a huge 95%. [34.59] A case study detailing how DrayMaster helped a 3PL to achieve 44% lower rates, resulting in annual savings of over $1.5 million, and drastically reducing invoice discrepancies by over 50% and counting. [39.30] How DrayMaster helps truckers and 3PLs to work together, deliver collaboration, visibility and data, and how drayage rating and quoting best practices can improve supply chain management and logistics execution. “When truckers and 3PLs work together seamlessly, the ripple effect benefits everybody involved.” RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to CargoWise Landside’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with CargoWise and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, YouTube, X (Twitter) or Facebook, you can connect with Tom on LinkedIn. If you want to hear more from CargoWise, we have plenty more for you! Check out 412: Maximize Warehouse Efficiency and Profitability, with CargoWise, 406: Unlock the Opportunities of Cross-Border Ecommerce, with CargoWise, 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.  

Bill Catania of OneRail talks about their recent Series C funding; collaboration with IBM Sterling®; & the challenges for retailers and wholesalers in 2025. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.46] An introduction to Bill, and how OneRail are empowering customers to design and execute their own brand of delivery solutions.  “I love what we do – we’re solving a shopper marketing problem with supply chain and logistics... We’re helping our customers fulfil excellence at scale.” [09.57] OneRail’s successful Series B funding round in 2022, and the exciting changes they implemented with this initial investment to position themselves for growth. [12.37] How OneRail are building on that growth with $42 million of Series C funding and an overview of the OneRail vision that this further investment will help propel them towards. “Venture capital for logistics and supply chain tech start ups has reduced by 90%. We just raised a Series C – a very difficult round under good circumstances – at a time when 90% of funding is gone. And there’s only one way to recognize that – the team.” [18.32] OneRail’s new partnership with IBM Sterling® Order and Fulfillment Suite, and how it aligns with Bill’s vision for creating frictionless experiences. “We’re trying to remove friction. When we look at the pandemic, there were a lot of point solutions, solving little pieces of the problem. And now we’re seeing a lot of deprecation in some of those platforms, because they’re not solving enough of the bigger problems.” [21.17] The customer benefits of the OneRail and IBM Sterling® collaboration. “The only way to build trust is repeatable success, and then you build a behavior, and then you build loyalty.” [26.20] Why OneRail built its own fintech platform expansion for freight audit pay and claims, how it helps customers and its pioneering place as the first solution in the market for this category. [31.49] The biggest challenges facing retailers and wholesalers in 2025. “Data siloes are what holds up optimization, but optimization is where the value is.” [33.32] With those challenges in mind, where retailers and wholesalers need to focus, and what they need to prioritize, for the year ahead. “A decentralized, fully interoperable solution is absolutely the future.”   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to OneRail’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with OneRail and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook or X (Twitter) or you can connect with Bill on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed the show and want to hear more from OneRail, listen to 419: Discover OmniPoint Inventory Visibility and Tackle Shrinkage, with OneRail, 349: Deliver a Frictionless Last Mile, with OneRail, and 393: Get 100% Visibility Over Your Final Mile, with OneRail.