The Chain Podcast

More than just a link in the chain, The Chain podcast shines a light on powerful, complex systems of technology, business and people that make up what we call the supply chain. Created and produced by ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management), The Chain is a riveting podcast that discusses the toughest supply chain challenges and the people who get the job done no matter the disruptions. Join host Abe Eshkenazi as he invites supply chain innovators and influencers to share their stories about that invisible link that binds our worlds together. If you enjoyed ASCM’s The reBound podcast, you’ll want to tune in to every episode and listen to the untold stories from the people who run our supply chains.

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Episodes

Thursday Jan 11, 2024

If your supply chain seems more complicated than ever, you’re not alone, according to Arun Kochar, a partner with the consulting firm Kearney. As Kochar sees it, we’ve entered a new era of dynamic supply chain management, one in which organizations are more dependent than ever on their suppliers as well as service providers such as contract manufacturers, 3PLs, cloud-based software providers and outsourced partners for planning and procurement. Think of it as Supply-chain-as-a-Service.   
On this episode of The Rebound, hosts Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review, explore with Kochar what makes dynamic supply chains different, along with the four key components to the Supply-chain-as-a-Service model.

Thursday Dec 28, 2023

Geopolitics. AI. Risk and resilience. Those were just three of the trends that shaped supply chain management in 2023 and are sure to have an impact in 2024.
 
On the last episode of The Rebound for 2023, hosts Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review discuss the current state of supply chain management, and where the profession is heading in 2024. It is, without question, one of the most exciting times to work in the supply chain.
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts.
And, click here if  you missed our last episode, where GE Appliance’s Alison Seward discussed the 3D transformation at one of the country’s largest manufacturers of appliances.  

Thursday Nov 30, 2023

On this episode of The reBound, Alison Seward, the executive director of manufacturing quality, walks us through how a 3D digital model of operations is at the heart of GE’s transformation; and delivering industry-leading results. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host.
Just about every organization worth its salt is in the middle of a digital transformation, about to start one or making plans to digitalize its supply chain. GE Appliances, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of appliances, is no different. Since adopting a new, consumer-driven business model in 2017, GE Appliances has been on a journey to develop a digital ecosystem that will take its operations, the quality of its products and the skills of its workforce to a new level of performance.  
And, click here to learn more about ASCM’s Certified in Transformation for Supply Chain certification, designed to equip current and future leaders with the skills to manage an end-to-end transformation.

Thursday Nov 09, 2023

Listen in as Supplier.io’s Aylin Basom discusses the state of supplier diversity, sustainability and ESG initiatives in today’s supply chain.  
On this episode of The reBound, Aylin Basom, CEO of Supplier.io, discusses her firm’s latest research into supplier diversity and sustainability initiatives, and why the best companies continue to invest in these programs. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host. 
In recent years, supplier diversity and sustainability have risen to the top of the To Do list for supply chain managers. And, according to research from Supplier.io, there’s a good reason: Supplier diversity, for instance, is delivering value by building more reliable supplier bases, creating access to innovation and by preparing organizations to meet the needs of a more diverse customer base.  

Thursday Oct 26, 2023

Listen in as Arup’s Catarina Carvalho discusses the rise of mega cities and the reasons supply chain managers need to rethink their strategies for serving urban customers.  
On this episode of The Rebound, Catarina Carvalho, Americas East Cities Logistics and Ops leader for the global consulting firm Arup discusses how population growth and the expansion of mega cities is transforming logistics in urban areas. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host. 
Drive around any major city anywhere in the world and it’s impossible not to notice the pileup of double parked trucks and parcel delivery vehicles snarling traffic. If you don’t happen to live in a mega city, it’s easy to shrug it off as traffic coming with the territory. But there are implications for supply chain managers: The Wall Street Journal estimates that urban congestion costs the trucking industry $74.5 billion and leads to about 1.2 billion hours of delay annually. Add the dramatic increase in parcel deliveries associated with e-commerce fulfillment, and it’s no surprise that cities, especially in Europe, are limiting when trucks can come into the city and what types of vehicles can be used for deliveries. Those limits could be coming to your neighborhood next.   
On this episode of The Rebound, Arup’s Catarina Carvalho discusses the challenges of urban logistics, the potential impacts of new regulations and strategies supply chain managers should consider when doing business in a major city. It’s time to pay attention to urban logistics.  
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts. 

Thursday Oct 12, 2023

Listen in as ALOM’s Brandon Marugg discusses the rise of AI and its potential in the supply chain.  
On this episode of The Rebound, Brandon Marugg, the chief operating officer at ALOM, a manager of global supply chains, explains why and where his firm is investing in AI to take the supply chain to the next level, along with the reasons we need to be be cautious with this powerful new technology. ASCM  CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host. 
 
It's hard to imagine a technology that has garnered as much press as Artificial Intelligence. And, it seems as if we’re of two minds about AI: It’s either lauded as the most important technological development of the last 100 years, one that will revolutionize our lives, or a precursor to the end of humanity as we know it. It is all a little scary. But, maybe it doesn’t have to be, at least for supply chain managers.  
 
On this episode of The Rebound, ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock talk with ALOM’s Brandon Marugg about the present and future potential applications for AI, along with the some of the reasons we may all need to proceed with caution.  
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts. 

Thursday Sep 28, 2023

On this special episode of The reBound recorded live in Louisville, Abe Eshkenazi and Bob Trebilcock host a panel of experts to look at the sustainable supply chain. 
Listen in as Abe Eshkenazi and Bob Trebilcock talk to Nico De Golia, the global lead of cloud logistics sustainability at Microsoft, and Deborah Dull, Vice President, Global Supply Chain Sustainability Leader at Genpact about the present and future of sustainability and supply chain management. You won’t want to miss this episode of The reBound recorded live at ASCM CONNECT: North America 2023.  
 
A quick look at the headlines underscores the reasons that sustainability is inching higher on every corporation’s To Do list. And, given that operations is responsible for a significant percentage of any organization’s carbon footprint, supply chain management is where the rubber hits the road when it comes to executing a sustainability strategy and meeting stated goals.       
 
On this episode of The reBbound, ASCM's CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR’s Bob Trebilcock discussed the sustainable supply chain with Nico De Golia, the Director of Cloud Logistics Sustainability at Microsoft, and Deborah Dull, Vice President, Global Supply Chain Sustainability Leader at Genpact. They discuss the steps their taking for their supply chains, as well as practical strategies all supply chain managers should consider. You won’t want to miss this special episode of The reBound, recorded live in Louisville at ASCM CONNECT: North America 2023.  
 
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts.  

Tuesday Jul 25, 2023

Listen in as Yossi Sheffi discusses his new book, The Magic Conveyor Belt, and the state of supply chain management.
On this episode of The Rebound, MIT professor and author Yossi Sheffi talks about his latest book and what supply chain leaders learned from the pandemic that’s making supply chains better than ever. ASCM (www.ascm.org) CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host.
The last time MIT professor and author Yossi Sheffi was on The Rebound, it was to discuss his then new book on supply chain’s role in the development and distribution of the COVID vaccines. That was a time of incredible disruption, but even then, Sheffi, one of the industry’s real thought leaders, was arguing that supply chains didn’t fail: They performed heroically and exactly as designed.
On this episode of The Rebound, Sheffi is back to discuss his newest book, The Magic Conveyor Belt, as well as the lessons we all learned from the pandemic that are shaping the supply of tomorrow.
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Wednesday Jul 05, 2023

On this episode of The Rebound, we explore ASCM’s 2023 salary survey. The good news: Times are great for supply chain managers.
Join ASCM board members Amy Augustine and Lisa Veneziano as they discuss the results of ASCM’s 2023 salary survey, including the impact of diversity, inclusion and women in the supply chain. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host.
Here’s the good news: Supply chain professionals are seeing higher earnings and better benefits and are experiencing high levels of job satisfaction. Those are two of the important take aways from this this year’s ASCM salary survey. Perhaps more importantly, the pay gap between women supply chain professionals and their male counterparts is closing, while individuals from under-represented communities are also seeing some of their best salaries in years. It’s a good time to work in the supply chain.  
On this episode of The Rebound, co-hosts Abe Eshkenazi and Bob Trebilcock discuss the findings with Amy Augustine, senior director of the network supply chain at UScellular and Lisa Veneziano, who for 35 years was a supply chain leader at GM, including executive director, global supply chain, warehousing and logistics. Both are ASCM board members.
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts.
And click here to read the full salary survey.

Thursday Mar 30, 2023

Digitalizing the business is only step one in a digital transformation. The next step is upskilling the workforce for the digital supply chain. 
On this episode of The Rebound, Ashok Viswanathan, PhD, director of supply chain analytics at Best Buy and an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, outlines the four steps of his roadmap to future-ready your workforce. ASCM  CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR  Editor Bob Trebilcock host. 
Digital transformation is no longer a nice to have. It’s an imperative. The part that gets far less attention is the impact of digitalization on the workforce. Afterall, if the pandemic taught us anything it’s that people are still essential.  
According to Ashok Viswanathan, a supply chain executive at Best Buy and adjunct professor at Rutgers University, the trick to a sustainable digital transformation is upskilling the workforce in areas like digitalization, automation, artificial intelligence and analytics. For most, the question is: Where do I start, and how do I get there? Where’s the roadmap?  
On this episode of The Rebound, Viswanathan shares his four-point roadmap to upskilling the workforce to get the most from your organization’s digital transformation.    
Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts. 
You can also click here  and here to read more from Viswanathan on SCMR.com. 

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How we built The Chain

The idea for The Chain podcast began with ASCM’s initial journey into the supply chain podcast world. In 2020, we helped launch The reBound with cohost Bob Trebilcock of Supply and Demand Chain Executive. The reBound explored the issues facing supply chain professionals as they navigated the pandemic. Supply chain specialists joined Eshkenazi and Trebilcock to discuss topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion; making sense of blockchain; and more.

Since the last episode of The reBound aired in April of 2024, we’ve partnered with WAG Entertainment to bring the power of supply chains to the screen. Coming soon to select streaming services, ASCM presents the docuseries The Chain. The Chain features compelling stories about how everyday products and services are made, processed, shipped and stocked so we get what we need when we need it. 

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