The Future of Supply Chain podcast is a show hosted by Richard Howells, Sin To, and Oyku Ilgar. The trio discusses hot topics, best practices, and the latest innovations to deliver a risk-resilient and sustainable supply chain. The show features interviews with experts from the world of supply chain, sustainability, AI and automation, who will address the issues of today and tomorrow.
This is an ideal podcast for supply chain, R&D, manufacturing, logistics, and operations executives to learn and share ideas and best practices with their peers.
Episode 87: The Importance AI and Supply Chain in the Semiconductor Industry with PDF Solutions' Jonathan Holt & SAP's Helena Chong
Nov 27, 2024
Show notes
Joined by PDF Solutions’ Jonathan Holt and SAP’s Helena Chong, together we dive into the complexities of the semiconductor industry and supply chain, highlighting pressing challenges in the field. From chip shortages and global regulations, there is an emphasized need for a connected and predictive ecosystem to improve operational efficiency and disruptions in real-time.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Jonathan Holt, PDF Solutions
Responsible for the application of big data and advanced analytics to solve manufacturing issues in Semiconductor Fabs, Foundries, and OSATs using PDF Solutions’ advanced software and hardware platforms.
Spanning a career of over 40 years, Jonathan Holt has worked in various engineering and technical leadership positions in semiconductor manufacturing and development – the last 18 years with PDF Solutions.
Guest: Helena Chong, SAP
Helena is a Director with the High Tech Industry, specializing in the semiconductor segment. She leads the go-to-market strategies for SAP’s semiconductor offering, aligning SAP’s advanced technologies with the industry’s unique challenges. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and partners, Helena identifies and develops industry-specific solutions and use cases.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 86: Celebrating World Children’s Day with Special Guests
Nov 20, 2024
Show notes
Happy World Children’s Day!
As we celebrate the youths of the world, we’re joined by very special guests – Cooper, Grace, Hailey, Miles, and Violet – to discuss their perspective on supply chains really are and what it means to them. Ranging in ages from 6 -17, you’re in store for a variety of answers, some even out of this world.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 85: Enabling Robotics in the Warehouse with Roboteon's Dan Gilmore
Nov 13, 2024
Show notes
In today’s complex global supply chains, warehouses are anything but simple. This week, our Roboteon’s Dan Gilmore joins us to discuss how to turn this complexity into an advantage, using robotics to address key challenges like labor shortages, operational complexity, and e-commerce growth. In our conversation, Dan emphasizes the need for strategic automation implementation, involving workers in the process, and adopting flexible technologies, whilst discussing the importance of proper training, updating KPIs, and considering the entire warehouse ecosystem when automating.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Dan Gilmore, Roboteon
Dan Gilmore is Chief Marketing Officer at robotics software platform provider, Roboteon. He has been a frequent writer and speaker on warehouse technologies for many years, including being the founder of Supply Chain Digest. Earlier is his career, he was head of the supply chain practice at analyst firm Meta Group, later acquired by Gartner. He has also had roles at NCR, Pitney Bowes, Forte’ Industries, and RedPrairie, now JDA.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 84: Deciphering Consumer Trends this Upcoming Holiday Season with project44's Carson Krieg and SAP's Doug DeLuca
Nov 06, 2024
Show notes
Project 44’s Carson Krieg, with additional insights from our own Doug DeLuca, joins the series to dive into their recent State of Consumer Holiday Shopping 2024 Report, providing data and research shopping practices, spending, shipping preferences, sustainability, and more.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Carson Krieg, project44
Carson Krieg is Director of Global Alliances at project44. In this role, he manages project44’s global relationships including technology partners like Google and SAP as well as Systems Integrator partners like PwC and Deloitte. Carson joined project44 through its acquisition of Convey, a Delivery Experience Management (DEM) platform, which he co-founded in 2014. Previously, Carson was a consultant at Metafora (formerly CarrierDirect), a software development firm for the supply chain industry, and started his career at GlobalTranz, a leading 3PL in North America. Carson is a co-inventor of two patented technologies related to dynamic carrier selection and management.
Guest: Doug DeLuca, SAP
Doug leads marketing for SAP’s logistics visibility and process tracking solutions, including SAP Business Network Global Track and Trace and SAP Business Network Intelligent Insights add-on, working with customers and partners to bring efficiency and resilience through logistics visibility to supply chains in all industries.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 83: Supply Chain Security, Scope, and Definitions with SAP’s Jay Thoden van Velzen
Oct 30, 2024
Show notes
In today’s complex global supply chains, ensuring security across physical, cyber, and software dimensions is critical. This week, our own Jay Thoden van Velzen joins us to discuss the increasing risks of cyber-attacks as supply chains become more digital and interconnected. As we not only dive into the importance of third-party risk management and proactive measures to safeguard against vulnerabilities in software, Jay mentions that for organizations to navigate these challenges, they must prioritize comprehensive security strategies to protect their operations and data integrity.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Jay Thoden van Velzen, SAP
Jay Thoden van Velzen is Strategic Advisor to the CSO at SAP and a member of the SAP Global Security Leadership Team, specifically focused on cloud security strategy during ongoing cloud transformation.
He was at the forefront of SAP’s cloud security transformation through multiple annual initiatives supported by the Executive Board, helped grow the Multicloud Security organization, and brought teams together across the company to drive effective security improvements and organizational accountability. During this time, SAP saw rapid Multicloud migration and growth from 2,500 cloud accounts to 15,000, during the global COVID pandemic and geopolitical changes.
Jay is an SAP veteran, joining through the BusinessObjects acquisition, and worked in Consulting, Development and Cloud Security Operations, and is now in his fourth Board Area. Through that experience, he is acutely aware, therefore, of the importance of SAP solutions for the business operations of our customers, and the resulting responsibility SAP carries to secure those workloads in the cloud.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 82: Embracing Chaos with an Anti-Fragile Supply Chain with SAP's Paul Saunders
Oct 23, 2024
Show notes
We’ve heard of resiliency being the spearhead for the supply chains of tomorrow, but what about integrating antifragility into your business? This week, our own Paul Saunders explores the concept of an antifragile supply chain, delving into the idea that businesses must accept chaos as a fundamental aspect of the modern world, moving beyond traditional resilience to thrive amid uncertainty. By leveraging predictive analytics and embracing change, companies can not only survive disruptions but also gain competitive advantages.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Paul Saunders, SAP
With over 25 years of experience as a CTO, CIO and industry analyst Paul has extensive knowledge of ERP. Prior to joining SAP, he was Vice President, Research for Gartner, providing advice to the world’s largest and most influential technology providers. He was also lead author for Gartner’s ERP strategic roadmap and the lead analyst covering SAP.
He has lived half of his life in the UK and half in the United States.
He is a frustrated, failed musician who spent several years working in NYC and Hollywood, CA in the music industry working with major label recording artists and film studios. He has a double platinum disk for his work with a megastar to prove he used to be cool once.
Paul lives in a very remote location in Scotland. Fortunately, he has good internet.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 81: Designing the Network of the Future with GAINS' Jeff Metersky
Oct 16, 2024
Show notes
This week, GAINS’ Jeff Metersky joins the series to dive into their innovative supply chain design product, whilst covering several crucial topics, including the current state of supply chains and the need for a radical shift in thinking to address modern challenges. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of integrating design and planning processes, moving beyond traditional concepts and terminologies, and adopting a cohesive approach to supply chain management. Together, we touch on the necessity of embracing new technologies and methodologies to tackle contemporary supply chain challenges.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Jeff Metersky, GAINS
Jeff is the Vice President of Strategic Solutions at GAINS. In his role, Jeff focuses on addressing the complexities of the modern business environment, which is often described using the acronym VUCA—Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. He is an advocate for the idea that uncertainty is a normal business condition and that businesses must adapt to this reality rather than expecting a return to a “normal” state. Jeff’s leadership and expertise are instrumental in guiding GAINS’s strategic approach to supply chain design, leveraging advanced simulation, AI/ML, and decision automation to ensure that GAINS’s solutions are effectively meeting the varied needs of our customers.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
GAINSystems supply chain design product stands out as a cloud-native solution purpose built on a hyperscale cloud platform, avoiding the limitations of legacy systems. It offers unique features such as direct database access for power users, enabling seamless data manipulation within the environment. The product also incorporates advanced visualization and analytics capabilities, allowing users to perform comprehensive scenario analysis without leaving the platform. With its emphasis on multi-user collaboration, support for multiple solver technologies, and a forward-thinking approach to managing variability and uncertainty in supply chains, GAINSystems is positioning itself at the forefront of supply chain design innovation.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 80: East Coast Port Strikes: What Businesses Can Do to Mitigate the Risk
Oct 09, 2024
Show notes
This week, hosts Richard and Nicole delve into the recent East Coast Port Strikes involving 45,000 dock workers, highlighting the need for businesses to adapt by enhancing visibility, diversifying suppliers, and implementing both short-term and long-term strategies to mitigate risks. Additionally, they emphasize the evolving relationship between automation and labor, predicting a future where both work in harmony for greater efficiency.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 79: AI, Robotics, and the Future of Logistics with SAP's Kam Ghossaini
Oct 02, 2024
Show notes
AI and robotics are transforming supply chain logistics, paving a new path for autonomous operations, improved visibility, and efficient decision-making. Our own, Kam Ghossaini joins again to dive into SAP’s three-tiered Business AI strategy in the world of supply chain, including embedded AI, bolt-on services, and custom AI development tools.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Guest: Kam Ghossaini, SAP
Kam has over 25 years of Supply Chain experience helping to drive continuous performance improvements in supply chain and logistics space. He started his career as a technology supply chain consultant, and has worked with several best of breed supply chain solution across Europe, the UK and the Middle East.
Kam joined SAP Dubai in 2013 and relocated to SAP North American in 2017, where he is the national lead for logistics as part of the Digital Supply Chain Center of Excellence. He focuses on helping our customers uncover their business and logistics challenges and guiding them in determining the operational and financial impact on their businesses.
He is passionate about delivering value to customers by providing innovative solutions that optimize, integrate, and automate their logistics processes and systems.
Kam holds an BS in Computer Science and an MBA in Management from the American University of Beirut. He lives with his family in the Chicago area where he enjoys playing and coaching soccer.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
Episode 78: The Holiday Season is Coming... Is Your Supply Chain Ready? With Hosts Richard Howells and Nicole Smythe
Sep 25, 2024
Show notes
It may only be September, but the holiday season is quickly approaching… is your supply chain ready? This week, hosts Richard and Nicole discuss new trends in consumer buying and growth, what socio-economic events will impact this buying season, and what companies can do to best prepare for the holiday rush.
Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.
Host: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
Host: Nicole Smythe, SAP
Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
