Lift Up The World

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” --- Aesop, famed Greek fabulist & storyteller, who lived (estimated) 620 BC to 564 BC

Good Sunday afternoon all and welcome to this edition, No. 100, of "With That Said" (WTS), an almost-weekly newsletter powered by your friends here at Supply Chain Now . Today, as we celebrate a milestone achievement with our 100th edition of WTS, we first want to thank every single one of our 25,846 subscribers on LinkedIn, as well as our almost 30,000 subscribers that receive the "replay" version via our Supply Chain Now email updates. Our global community is our North Star in all that we do here. So on behalf of our entire team, THANK YOU.

The world will be celebrating Diwali in a few days, as it begins Thursday, October 31st at 6:22 am Eastern Time. Earlier this week Scott Luton received a beautiful article about Diwali, written by dr Santosh Shetty , where he writes: "Deepavali (also referred as Diwali), is one of the most cherished festivals in India and among Indian communities worldwide. Known as the “Festival of Lights,” it represents much more than lighting lamps; it symbolises the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. Rooted in ancient history and spirituality, Deepavali reflects the core principles of Sanātana Dharma and has been celebrated with joy and meaning for centuries." Read in full here.

To all of our friends around the world that celebrate: May your Diwali be free from darkness and abundant with light. Have a happy and safe Diwali.

So today, for our 100th edition of WTS, let's stay true to our mission of helping make a positive difference in this world and amplifying those that are doing big things in industry. Let's celebrate some of those leaders from across the SCN ecosystem that work hard to help light triumph over darkness:

--- Allison Giddens never stops "giving forward", as we like to call it around here. Whether it is leading her own non-profit that helps kids have the resources they need to play organization sports ( The Dave Krache Foundation ) or helping LiveSafe Resources gather what they need to help those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We're still convinced that Allison has a few clones at play, because all of her philanthropic work comes in addition to her role as President of Operations for Win-Tech, Inc. , an AS9100-certified aerospace machine shop.

--- Tim Nelson FRSA tirelessly & passionately serves as CEO with Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance , a non-profit dedicated to ending modern slavery & changing lives. Hope for Justice runs anti-trafficking projects all over the world, working directly with victims and survivors. It's community initiatives help to prevent modern slavery happening in the first place. DYK: according to some data analysts, there are 27.6 million people living in modern-day slavery and 6.3 million victims of sex trafficking. We must work together to end these travesties. Learn more here .

--- Kathy Fulton is making a big difference to so many in need, as she leads the powerful non-profit American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). What does the organization do? In their words: "We’re an industry-wide organization that exists to provide supply chain assistance to humanitarian organizations whenever disasters hit, all with the help of numerous members of the logistics community who have agreed to make essential donations of transportation, warehousing, material equipment or expertise. That way help and hope can arrive sooner. And recovery can begin more quickly.?Just as important, we’re here to help disaster relief organizations and other non-profits make every logistics dollar count. After all, studies show that up to 80 percent of their crisis spending goes to logistics. And of that, as much as 40 percent may be wasted simply because these organizations don’t have the right supply chain equipment, knowledge or services at their disposal." Learn more about ALAN here .

--- Scott likes to share the story of when he first met Enrique Alvarez : "Within 30 seconds of meeting Enrique & shaking his hand for the first time, he shared with me his mission of changing the world. I wasn't sure if he was kidding or not. But now, having seen him lead with action & conviction & outcomes some 7 or 8 years later, I can tell you without a single doubt in my mind: Enrique is absolutely on a mission to change the world." Enrique & Vector Global Logistics contribute to and help lead a wide variety of charitable missions. 33 organizations in fact! And they've even created their own: "Leveraging Logistics & Supply Chain for Ukraine ".

'TIS THE SEASON: The familiar buzz of peak season is in the air. Success in the coming months hinges on your peak season readiness. Our friends at SPS Commerce identified 6 essential tactics to help you thrive during this critical period: https://bit.ly/3UboCrt

And here are a few other items for your perusal:

--- Our friend Lee Klaskow has been killing it lately with his podcast "Talking Transports" (available wherever you get your podcasts). But he also produces a weekly, emailed snapshot of industry and economic data & perspective entitled: Logistics Lee's Lowdown. From this past week's Lowdown, Lee shares: "Its been a busy week with 3Q earnings in full swing. Results have been company specific and not as homogeneous as one may have thought. Norfolk Southern, Knight-Swift and UPS were some of the companies that surprised on the upside. The biggest upside surprise came from Maersk, which pre-announced results showing 3Q revenue 6.8% above consensus and adjusted Ebit surpassing estimates by 58%. Management updated its full-year guidance, with adjusted Ebit now projected at $5.2-$5.7 billion from $3-$5 billion seen previously, marking the fifth time that Maersk increased its 2024 outlook. The midpoint implied an 8% upside to 4Q consensus at the time. Cost controls coupled with strong volumes and higher rates fueled by the Red Sea crisis drove the results at Maersk." Check out Lee's latest here (and feel better Lee!) .

--- SCN co-host Kimberly Reuter wrote about a few thoughts about the critical TRUST factor this past week (over a delicious tequila sunrise), which included: "So what is at the heart of all this TRUST? Product. Returns. Shipping. Hhhhmmmm, two out of these three are supply chain functions. I would argue three out of three, but I gotta let the merch guys win sometimes. Over 60% (or 100%, depending on your view) of the customer's trust is driven by the?supply chain. Not marketing. Not merch. Not finance. And definitely not the C-suite. Supply Chain! Consistent, customer-focused supply chain. For those of you that want to argue merch and product rule the world….I leave you with this: If you don’t have it, you can’t sell it." Read in full here .

--- SCN co-host Marty Parker shared a few thoughts this week on the topic of ERP, which included: "As companies scale, complexity increases – whether you’re managing inventory, pricing, or financials, it becomes harder to keep everything on track. That’s where ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems come in.ERP systems like SAP , NetSuite , and Odoo streamline everything from cost management and billing to inventory control. By coordinating business processes, these systems allow businesses to make confident decisions. There’s a fascinating new ERP with Doss that I met through a Supply Chain Now podcast with Scott Luton and Wiley Jones that I believe will be a big game changer in this space. I’ll share more on that in an upcoming post!" Read in full here .

--- Our friend Amir Ghannad wrote a thought-provoking article recently on the topic of "From Ideals to Idolatry: Unconditional Followers Create Unaccountable Leaders", where he includes this nugget: "I once had the misfortune of following a "divide and conquer" type of “leader” in an organization. It was clear that this individual had conditioned the people such that little would happen without his personal blessing. People's success or failure depended only on their loyalty to him, not their willingness to collaborate or uphold the values and principles of the broader organization. As a result, the organization was heavily siloed, and although people recognized the injustice of operating based on the “leader's” whims, the uncritical followers in his inner circle went along with it because of the favors that came with obedience. It’s important to note that his followers didn’t actually respect him or vice versa; both parties just tolerated each other as long as they were receiving some benefit from the arrangement. Many of those who publicly supported the toxic leader privately resented the fact that they had to do so, and I suspect they would have dropped him like a bag of manure as soon as the perks disappeared." Read in full here .

--- The talented Wan Ting Tay recently shared a few key takeaways, after listening to a recent SCN podcast with Scott, Evan Junker, MBA, PCM and Dr. Dinesh Dave` , where we discussed some of the latest trends in supply chain technology and sustainability. Wan Ting shared: "While companies are planning significant investments in AI and sustainable technologies, there’s a notable gap between current spending and what’s needed. Many recognize the urgency to invest more in sustainability, but building a business case can be challenging due to the difficulty in measuring tangible outcomes." Wan Ting closed with: "Lack of awareness in supply chain can cost missed opportunities. How are you addressing the challenges of integrating technology and sustainability in your supply chain?" Excellent summary of the podcast discussion. Read it in full here and check out the original discussion here .

--- In a recent SCN blog article, we take a look at "Automation Advancements: Three Businesses Leveraging Automation for Optimization" and check in on the innovative work being done by FourKites, Inc. , Hai Robotics and Paccurate . Read more here . And special congrats to our friend James Malley & the Paccurate team on a recent, successful $8.1MM Series A round.

--- For 25 years, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index has been published quarterly to inform its readers on freight shipping and spend volumes on national and regional levels, as well as some of the critical trends shaping the data. The Freight Payment Index for Q2 2024 was released a month or so ago, offering up actionable insights and valuable data from across the freight market, like this nugget: "For the first time since the second quarter of 2022, three of the five regions reported increases in quarterly shipment volumes, which might indicate that the freight market may be nearing its bottom." Download a free copy: https://bit.ly/scn-us-bank

--- SPECIAL EVENT: We are proud to serve as a media partner for TFEST24, which is coming up soon: November 11th through the 13th, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Maria Villablanca & the Future Insights Network team have assembled an incredible, in-person event that should be on your radar. TFEST24 is your go-to event for: Senior supply chain leaders driving innovation across the entire ecosystem; Procurement, manufacturing, and logistics professionals seeking to optimize operations; And anyone passionate about shaping the future of a more resilient and efficient supply chain. We here our dear friend, the one & only Koray K?se will be attending & possibly speaking. Join in: use code "TFEST25" for 25% off of registration: click here.

--- Want to learn more about Supply Chain Now programming? Check it out: https://linktr.ee/Supplychainnow

MONDAY AT NOON: Join us for the latest live edition of "The Buzz", where we'll take a look at some of the leading news stories from across global business. On Monday, Scott will be joined by SCN co-host Karin Bursa & special guest Madhav Durbha . We'll be talking about planning, the manufacturing sector, as well as the current supply chain tech M&A market. Tune in: https://bit.ly/3YF8Vvu

TUESDAY AT NOON: Scott & Jake Barr host an informative livestream featuring industry experts Kristin Kay and Laura Beth Andres from Manhattan Associates . Join us to discover innovative strategies for optimizing both inbound and outbound transportation planning, including smart shipment consolidation and carrier selection. Learn how to streamline your logistics, reduce costs, and enhance service levels while navigating today’s complex transportation challenges. Register now: https://streamyard.com/watch/gKxzxKzCbqv6

WEDNESDAY AT NOON: Discover how Trek Bicycle , an innovative global leader in the bicycle industry, successfully expanded from B2B-only shipments and created a direct-to-consumer (DTC) initiative, propelling their business to new heights. Learn about the strategic carrier decisions, innovative technologies, and operational efficiencies that fueled their growth, and explore how Trek's partnership with ProShip, Inc. enabled them to streamline their supply chain, optimize shipping costs, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Scott & Kim Reuter will be joined by Tom Spoke with Trek & Justin Cramer with Proship. Register here: https://bit.ly/3AgGNFu

THURSDAY AT NOON: In today’s logistics landscape, maintaining complete visibility is critical for success, especially when coordinating complex shipments across multiple modes of transportation. Faced with these complexities in the trade show and alcohol logistics sector, BWS Logistics transitioned from its legacy tech stack to Turvo’s collaborative TMS platform. Join us on October 31st at 11 AM CT to learn how Turvo empowers BWS with real-time tracking, exception management, and visibility across its entire supply chain. BWS President Craig Allan & Samantha Foley from Turvo will join Scott & Jake Barr. Register now: https://bit.ly/40flP4u

JUST ONE MORE THING: In his weekly "Good News" thought that is delivered every Friday morning, Scott celebrated a special message that Mary Kate S. , co-founder of Guam Human Rights Initiative (GHRI) , recently shared with him: "The Chamorro word on the back is our word for harmony and bringing people together. Inafa'maolek is a core value that expresses the idea of restoring harmony or order to a situation that has been altered." Read in full: https://bit.ly/3YfeYFy and learn more about GHRI: https://www.guamhri.org/

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