Orlando Doesn't Disappoint

"Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all." --- Peter Drucker

Good Monday morning all and welcome to this edition (No. 80) of "With That Said" (WTS), an almost-weekly newsletter powered by your friends here at Supply Chain Now.

Scott Luton was one of the thousands in attendance at the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium 2024 in Orlando this past week, where he interviewed & met with a wide variety of supply chain leaders (including Katie Fowler , founder of Unchained Value , pictured above).

Let's start this week's WTS with several interesting observations from those that attended the event:

--- "In a very interesting presentation covering some powerful technology trends, Gartner analyst Carly West spoke of “Machine Customers” – i.e., nonhuman economic actors that obtain goods or services in exchange for payment (think Amazon’s Alexa) which will drive 15 to 20% of revenues for companies by 2030. HP’s Instant Ink leveraging sensors in the printers is an example of such "Machine customer". With the potential for 15 billion connected devices by 2028, Machine customer as a trend will be something to watch for," says Madhav Durbha . Read several of his key takeaways in full here.

--- Check out this brief video from Alexa Cheater that captured some of the prevalent themes from the event discussions, including shifting to a drive state and building more "antifragile" organizations: click here

--- "My take on AI for #supplychain and #operations is it’s probably too soon to jump in unless you are an early adopter with a business model that demands you be on the cutting edge. About 50% of current Supply Chain and Operations use cases are expected to fail. Unfortunately no one knows which 50%, and the experiments are expensive. So, unless you have the stomach to bet a lot of money on coin flips, be patient. But on the other hand – and it’s a big but – if you aren’t already thinking and preparing for the arrival of AI in your space, you’re behind," says Andrew Downard . Read several of his key takeaways in full here.

--- DYK: For almost 5 years now, the SCN team has been hosting a monthly show where we feature Mike Griswold , VP Analyst with Gartner. Check out a recent episode, where Scott & Mike focus in on "Future-Proofing Supply Chains: Unveiling Top Technology Trends": click here. Also, be sure to join Gartner live on May 22nd as they unveil the Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024: learn more here

--- From Mary Kate S. & our friends at Guam Human Rights Initiative (GHRI) : "Celebrating Chamorro Heritage! May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and this month, we're honoring the vibrant culture and rich traditions of the Chamorro people from the beautiful island of Guam and the Mariana Islands. From ancient folklore to modern-day celebrations, Chamorro heritage is woven with resilience, warmth, and a deep connection to the land and sea." Read more here via GHRI and let's all celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

--- In Scott's most recent "Good News" message from last week, he touches on the upcoming SAPICS Annual Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. He also celebrates one of his favorite moments from attending the conference in 2023, including his interview with Azuka Okeke , where she said ""Having a strategy is fundamental, but implementing strategy is the key. So being able to walk with Nigeria to move from document to action with measurable impact - - that is one thing we've done. And I can sleep tomorrow and say WHEW! It's not all been talk. It's been action!". Read more here.

COME JOIN US: Our friends at EasyPost are hosting a wonderful virtual event on May 15th: "Unboxing Sustainability: Strategies for a Greener Logistics Future". In one segment, Scott interviews Kyle Garcia, CPIM , a supply chain leader with 阿迪达斯 . Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/mrxzz3zx

DOMESTIC FREIGHT MARKET: The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for Q1 2024 was released recently, offering up actionable insights and valuable data from across the freight market. Download a free copy: https://bit.ly/scn-us-bank

MONDAY MORNING: In this upcoming week's LIVE installment of "The Buzz", Scott welcomes Kevin L. Jackson, CISSP?,CCSP? back to to the show for a Digital Transformers special edition! Better yet: they'll welcome in a special guest, as Dave Wheeler , COO with 新百伦 , to talk supply chain, digital transformation & more: https://tinyurl.com/Buzz13May2024

LEAD BETTER: On Tuesday, Scott & Billy Ray Taylor host an intriguing LIVE webinar focused on "From Data to Delivery: Transforming Logistics for Maximum Efficiency". They'll be joined by Tiffanie Harting & Will Augustine with BlueGrace Logistics . Join us: https://tinyurl.com/4rj2s9xy

ECOMM EXCELLENCE: On Thursday, Scott & Kimberly Reuter host a LIVESTREAM where they'll feature Tony Thrasher & Wesley Arentson with SPS Commerce , who will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to thrive in the dynamic eCommerce landscape, setting the stage for unparalleled growth & success in your online ventures: https://tinyurl.com/m23u2fsa

YOUR INPUT NEEDED: Our friends over at the Reverse Logistics Association are seeking input to the Returns Index Survey. Are your returns going up in terms of volumes and/or costs? Please take a couple of minutes to take the latest quarterly returns survey. Participants will receive a copy of the results. Participate here: https://tinyurl.com/38d7ae88

ONE MORE THING: Supply Chain Now co-host Tandreia Bellamy recently celebrated her son Anthony's graduation from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) . And what better way to celebrate than taking a splendid "graduation flight", piloted by none other than Anthony. How cool is that? Check it out here: https://tinyurl.com/mt2869wy