Kelly Barner

How a Former Karaoke Machine Manufacturer Shook the Freight Market
LinkedIn
February 19, 2026

AI has the potential to transform any number of industries and business operations, but what about markets?

Many investors are “selling first and asking questions later” as the Financial Times wrote last week, when SemiCab, owned by former karaoke machine manufacturer Algorhythm Holdings, Inc., released a whitepaper that destroyed $17.4 Billion in freight market value in 24 hours.

This story isn’t about the oddity of a former karaoke machine company turning freight markets inside out. It isn’t even about whether the SemiCab solution works. It is about what happens when the hint of radical efficiency gains collides with fragile margin structures - and whether investors are willing to believe before they see.

Scrapping the Ocean Fleet
LinkedIn
February 12, 2026

The "shadow fleet" consists of 900-2,000 rundown tankers moving sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela and operating in complete disregard of international maritime law.

The U.S., U.K., and EU have recently stepped up military action against these vessels, boarding them, seizing the cargo and crew, and taking the ship out of service while justice plays out.

What then? Owners can't legally sell the ship because of sanctions, and it is wildly expensive to hold and maintain them.

One company, GMS Leadership, believes they have an answer: let them purchase and scrap the ships for a profit. All they need now is permission.

When Enforcement Becomes a Freight Capacity Lever
LinkedIn
February 05, 2026

Is Federal interest in CDL enforcement driven by paperwork, policies, or politics?

You might say it depends on your perspective... I would say none of the above.

The freight market has too much capacity which is driving down rates and making profitability a challenge. Changing standards for non-domiciled CDLs would have a huge impact - perhaps more than the system can handle.

After years of tolerated labor arbitrage colliding with safety, politics, and market reality, we find ourselves in a situation with no obvious or painless way out.

In this week's Art of Supply, I share data, perspectives from carriers, and information about how the court system has stepped in to act as a brake against overly blunt corrective solutions.

The Proposed Coast-to-Coast Railroad Causing a National Debate
LinkedIn
January 29, 2026

The proposed merger between Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern is either amazing or terrible, depending on your perspective.

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern want to consolidate their operations, but also share the burden of heavy infrastructure costs and increase coast-to-coast rail efficiency.

Meanwhile, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is focused on negotiating leverage and worker safety, and BNSF Railway is concerned about what this merger would do to nationwide rail competition.

In the middle? The Surface Transportation Board, doing their best to manage the process and application requirements objectively.

One thing they can all agree on is that this merger will have a massive impact on rail freight if it is allowed to proceed.

Maersk Dips a Toe in the Suez Canal
LinkedIn
January 22, 2026

In December and January, A.P. Moller - Maersk sent vessels through the Suez Canal. It went well enough that the company is planning to restart Suez Canal usage beginning January 26th.

But testing is not trusting, and each carrier will have to make its own decision about the Red Sea route.

Maersk’s tests are not a signal that the risk is gone. They’re a warning that economic pressure is once again starting to outweigh caution... and yet even progress comes at a price.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look into the recent tests, the geopolitical interconnectivity, and the market impact of reopening the Suez Canal.

$400,000 Lobster Logistics Loss
LinkedIn
January 15, 2026

How 1 warehouse, 1 spoofed email, and 2 logistics-related thefts led to $400K in stolen seafood in just 10 days.

In December, 2 thefts took place involving the same warehouse in Taunton, Massachusetts. On the 2nd, $150K in crabmeat went missing. Just 10 days later $250K in lobster fell victim to "fictitious pickup."

We know a lot about these crimes, and how unfortunately common they are, because Dylan Rexing, CEO of freight broker Rexing Companies has spoken out about the theft and how damaging it is to all businesses involved.

Get the who, what, when, where, and how are we going to stop it?? by listening to this week's episode of Art of Supply.

2025 Year-End Supply Chain and Supply Market Research Resource Trends Review
Cottrill Research
December 16, 2025

2025 was a year of disruptions in procurement and supply chain. Many of those disruptions stemmed from Federal policies and enforcement priorities and already look like they will have the potential to spark systemic change that lasts long into the future.

This, of course, has required supply chain professionals to navigate some very delicate conversations, ones that brought them closer to discussing politics in the workplace than ever before. Although the trends highlighted below are largely technical in nature, it seems appropriate to acknowledge the advancements in ‘soft skills’ that were required this year: like carefully wording statements and listening with great care.

Safety Takes a Back Seat in Entry Level Driver Training
LinkedIn
November 20, 2025

What if the cure is worse than the disease?

Concerns about a driver shortage, and the impact that would have on the economy, have motivated changes to CDL administration and requirements.

At the same time, road safety has come into question, as high profile fatal accidents raise awareness of the 40% increase in commercial truck-related deaths over the last 10 years.

Regulations can be passed to alleviate safety concerns or the driver shortage, but no objective can be achieved without enforcement.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look into the changes that have been justified in the name of increasing the number CDL operators and the implications that has for public safety.

OceanGate and the Supply Base Behind the TITAN
LinkedIn
November 13, 2025

On June 18, 2023, the OceanGate TITAN, a submersible on its way to the Titanic wreck site, imploded. All five passengers were killed, including OceanGate CEO, Stockton Rush.

Although OceanGate never planned to construct their own submersible, when they found that no one could build what they needed, they created a unique supply base to take on the massive challenge of deep sea tourism.

This sad story offers us a new way to think about supply base dependent innovation and the risk it can introduce if not managed carefully. Innovation has to be counterbalanced with ethics - and, ideally, transparency.

In this week’s Art of Supply, I look at the OceanGate TITAN disaster through supply management eyes to better understand the collapse of oversight, communication, and shared accountability that led to the loss of five lives.

Creative Destruction: Calculating The Cost of Progress and Innovation
LinkedIn
October 30, 2025

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics recognized Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt for their work on Creative Destruction. They created a model that helps explain how innovation benefits the economy and society while accepting that failure is part of the process.

As you might expect, with a name like Creative Destruction, we’re not talking about incremental change. This is about taking leaps forward - leaps that will leave some people and organizations behind.

The faster the rate of Creative Destruction, the faster the rate of innovation and progress will be - but also… the destruction becomes more destructive.

Politics, Policy, and the Price of Semiconductor Progress
LinkedIn
May 29, 2025

The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act provides $52.7 Billion for the Federal government to grant to semiconductor companies willing to manufacture chips in the United States.

Between private investment requirements and Federal regulations, all the government and semiconductor industry have to do is work together.

What could possibly go wrong?

In this week's Art of Supply, I look at how the intent of the CHIPS Act has played out in practice and consider changes the Trump Administration is making to the program.

Hard Math: Cattle Costs v. Quarter Pounder Prices
LinkedIn
April 24, 2025

Connected markets usually move in complimentary ways. There may be delays or muted changes, but the price of cattle and the price of beef should be directionally aligned. So why aren't they?

McDonald's is suing the 'big 4' meat producers for “restraint of commerce,” or violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by slowing plant production to raise the price of beef.

In this week's Art of Supply, we'll look at:
- Why the largest beef buyer in the world doesn't have enough leverage to fix a non-competitive market
- How the structure of a supply chain can complicate the effort to prove collusion has taken place
- The dramatic testimony of a whistleblower that alleges the 'big 4' met regularly to control the beef market - one that they unquestionably dominate

Supply Chain 2015 – 2025
Cottrill Research
December 10, 2024

A lot has changed since Jeanette and I published Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals: Research, Process, and Resources in 2015. That is why Jeanette faithfully publishes an annual update focused on sharing the latest information sources and supply intelligence trends.

With this being the 10-year anniversary of our book’s release, it is a good opportunity to look at what else has changed in supply chain. What were we focused on in 2015 and how different is it from what we prioritize today?

After a review of top news stories and end-of-year topic round ups, I’ve identified four areas where we can point to both progress and the need for continued attention within the supply chain. They are technology, port strikes, regulations, and sustainability.

Supply Market Information & Research 2023
Cottrill Research
December 03, 2023

This year’s annual post once again provides insights and reports on select trends and offerings that materialized in 2023. Kelly’s section focuses on the importance of maintaining quality standards for all content, regardless if it is from a podcast, blog, or is AI generated. Jeanette’s section follows with listings of resource-related trends that include AI (generative AI focus), space-based data, data unification, and commodity traceability. Associated examples are provided.

– Kelly Barner and Jeanette Jones (authors of Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals: Research, Process, and Resources)

Coke's Supply Chain Is the Real Thing
LinkedIn
November 02, 2023

Coca-Cola could have said no. When the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation asked the company to help improve healthcare supply chains across Africa, they could have said no. But they didn't. In this Dial P for Procurement, discover how Coca-Cola applied their supply chain expertise to improve inventory management, route optimization, and cold chain logistics in Africa - saving lives in the process.

Why Bed Bath & Beyond’s supply chain wasn’t on Target
CIPS Supply Management Magazine
October 30, 2023

How did one retail giant triumph over massive inventory issues, while another equally familiar high-street name collapsed? Kelly Barner examines their very different approaches to inventory management

Can LEGO go green?
LinkedIn
October 26, 2023

All is fair in love, war, and supply chain - and yet I feel bad for LEGO. They have invested heavily and pushed to move to bioplastics, but they have yet to identify the right material. Despite these efforts, LEGO was still the victim of a brutal social media campaign led by Greenpeace. This week's Dial P for Procurement is eye-opening; if LEGO can’t find a way to be sustainable without compromising on product quality and customer experience, what hope is there for anyone else? The fight for sustainability is worthwhile, but it will require a lot more hard work and investment than most media coverage and advocacy suggest.

The LEGO Sustainability Saga
Art of Procurement
October 26, 2023

All is fair in love, war, and supply chain - and yet I feel bad for LEGO.

They have invested heavily and pushed to move to bioplastics, but they have yet to identify the right material.

Despite these efforts, LEGO was still the victim of a brutal social media campaign led by Greenpeace.

This week's Dial P for Procurement is eye-opening; if LEGO can’t find a way to be sustainable without compromising on product quality and customer experience, what hope is there for anyone else?

J. M. Smucker Can Have Their Cake and Eat It Too
LinkedIn
October 13, 2023

Snackers rejoice! Not only has the The J.M. Smucker Co. acquisition of Hostess Brands created stability for treats like Twinkies, but it also gives us an opportunity to learn about their supply chain synergies. In this week's Dial P for Procurement, I'll explore why "synergy" is far more than a consulting buzzword for these two packaged food giants.

Ideas = Innovation
LinkedIn
October 05, 2023

No one likes to talk about modern slavery, child labor, funding challenges faced by diverse-owned startups, or environmentally damaging materials and processes.

All of these things are trying to creep into our supply chains. Many are already there.

We have to call them out, shine a light on them, and refuse to look away.

That is going to take courage.

If we are afraid of being canceled or shamed because of how we address these challenges, we will never solve them. Period. In this week's Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner makes the connection between the importance of Banned Books Week and the work of procurement and supply chain.

Monopoly: Not Illegal to Have, Just Illegal to Keep
LinkedIn
September 28, 2023

U.S. et al. v. Google - currently playing out in a Washington D.C. courtroom - will decide whether Google Search's dominant market position is based on being the best or on unfair competitive practices. Who better to reference for more information than Michael Porter and his Five Forces. In this week's Dial P for Procurement newsletter and podcast, I look at what's been shared at trial and then apply the Five Forces to shed light on the underlying competitive dynamics.

The Opportunity and Challenge of Services Procurement
LinkedIn
September 25, 2023

Services procurement isn't easy... but it is fascinating to manage. Participate in our research here: https://lnkd.in/eBZGvwrp In this special edition of the Dial P for Procurement newsletter, I share some of my lessons learned from years in centralized and location-based services procurement and share this week's Art of Procurement podcast that Philip Ideson and I recorded on the topic.

Hershey's Sweet Supply Chain Success
LinkedIn
September 21, 2023

Remember Y2K? How about 2020? In both cases, society responded by self-medicating with chocolate and salty snacks. The Hershey Company has faced their fair share of challenges over the years, but they have demonstrated resilience - and a willingness to learn from their mistakes and invest in their supply chain capabilities. In this week's Dial P for Procurement, I look at the journey this company and their supply chain have been on over the last 25 years and ask the all important question... will there be enough Reese's peanut butter cups this Halloween??

Resilience, Circularity, and Positive Work Environments
Buyers Meeting Point
September 18, 2023

Did you know… the Buyers Meeting Point events calendar is color coded by event type? Red events are virtual and purple events are in person. Take a quick look at October’s schedule and it will quickly become clear that the procurement and supply chain conference scene is HOT this fall!

The Cold, Hard Facts About Cold Chain Logistics
Art of Procurement
September 14, 2023

In 2020, everyone and their mother was riveted by what supply chains can do. That only increased when people discovered today’s cold chain capabilities and saw them roll into action to make the COVID vaccine widely available.

The cold chain has largely slipped from the headlines, but we shouldn’t take it for granted.

The race is on to meet demand for refrigerated fleet equipment and warehouse space, to reduce the risk at transition points, and to ensure constant conditions through a seamless chain of custody.

Old Ideas, Enduring Truths: Adam Smith at 250
Linkedin
January 08, 2026

Things were pretty different back then - geographically, socially, and economically. Most of the world was governed by monarchies and colonial empires. Supply chains were predominantly local or regional, economies were largely agricultural, and no one was losing sleep over the fast advancement of AI…

Five Supply Chain Predictions (With Zero Guarantees)
LinkedIn
December 18, 2025

What we think will happen in 2026 is as much of a reflection on how we see 2025 as it is an ability to forecast the future...

I love reading annual predictions for the year to come - not because I expect them to be right, but because it is the most interesting way to get new perspectives on supply chain trends and challenges.

In this week's Art of Supply, I share my picks for the most interesting predictions, including thoughts from Prologis, Forrester - specifically VP and Principal Analyst Sucharita Kodali, Gartner... and me!

Gig Drivers, Union Tensions, and the UPS Business Model
LinkedIn
December 04, 2025

UPS isn’t just fighting for profitability. They are fighting to design a business model that will survive the next decade of consumer expectations.

They were built to manage high-value B2B freight with a premium labor force and unmatched brand consistency, but now UPS is caught between the economics of their past and the realities of their present.

How they use labor, how and when they automate, and how they price will shape their future and also affect expectations for parcel delivery across the entire U.S. market.

Whether UPS can evolve fast enough will determine whether they can remain an industry leader or become another cautionary example of what happens when cost structure and customer expectations drift too far apart.

Safety Takes a Back Seat in Entry Level Driver Training
Linkedin
November 20, 2025

According to American Trucking Associations, nearly 73 percent of all U.S. freight (by weight) is transported via truck. Those goods have a value of over $906 Billion annually, and represent approximately 20 percent of the GDP associated with the goods sector.

Deploying Strategic Curiosity in Heavy Logistics
LinkedIn
November 06, 2025

"The secret to problem solving is knowing what problem you're solving."

In this week's Art of Supply interview, I speak with Sean Devine, Founder & CEO of XBE, and Sean Correll, General Manager of Heavy Logistics at XBE.

Their customers run vertically integrated, asset intensive operations - moving heavy equipment long distances to job sites where it will hopefully earn its keep.

How these companies think about location, timing, opportunities, and the mix of owned v. hired equipment is a huge question, one that Sean Devine recommends learning to live with (and love?) instead of trying to solve for and move on.

Intermodal at the Intersection of Industry, Government, and Trade
LinkedIn
October 23, 2025

When it comes to structural supply chain operation, the private sector and the government have to coordinate.

So do the operators of each mode of transportation. Ocean, drayage, rail, and over-the-road have to work together - that is where intermodal comes in.

With tariffs and trade issues continuing to disrupt forward-looking plans, understanding the relative merits of each shipping option is essential.

In this week's Art of Supply, I welcome Anne Reinke, CEO and President of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). Her combined experience as a rail industry lobbyist, member of U.S. Department of Transportation leadership, and 3PL association leader uniquely qualify her to discuss this moment in supply chain and transportation.

Dependence and Diversification: Inside the Soybean Standoff
LinkedIn
October 16, 2025

Today's soybean market is an example of supply, demand, and covering your backside.

By 2012, China had recognized that they were overly dependent on the U.S. for soybeans. They took active steps to develop new markets.

Whether the U.S. recognized they were overly dependent on China’s demand or not, they didn’t take the same active steps. That has left not just farmers, but fertilizer producers, farming equipment manufacturers, and transportation providers all hanging in the lurch.

In this week's Art of Supply, I explore the soybean supply chain and its intersection with geopolitics as an example of supply base and demand diversification.

Kodiak’s $2.5B Bet: The Business Model Behind Driverless Trucking
LinkedIn
October 09, 2025

In 2024, Kodiak became the first company to announce the delivery of a driverless semi-truck to a paying customer, but I think everyone has the same question: will it work?

That question applies to their technology, their business model, and the very real world conditions - including regulation - that the company and their trucks will have to navigate.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look at what makes Kodiak different than the competition and what they will need to do to hit their target of having thousands of Kodiak driven trucks on the road in 2027.

Could 3D printing be the future of reshoring?
LinkedIn
October 02, 2025

Reshoring has a chicken and egg problem... manufacturers want to produce domestically but can't find capacity, and suppliers need demand before they can invest and grow.

Could 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, be the answer?

In this week's Art of Supply podcast and newsletter, I look into 3D printing supply chains, where these parts are currently being used, and whether they could support the reshoring movement.

How a Trade Mission Fueled a Trucking Firestorm
LinkedIn
September 25, 2025

Why did the Internet explode over rumors that Werner Enterprises was hiring truck drivers from Kenya to work in the United States?

After digging into the details, this story looks like a misunderstanding - where 2+2 quickly became 5.

At the same time, I can see why it happened. People are more likely to look at pictures than read, so it was easy to infer something that there were no publicly-available facts to support.

In fact... it may all have come down to one beautifully branded conference room in Omaha, Nebraska.

Target Backs Off ‘Stores as Hubs’ Fulfillment
LinkedIn
September 18, 2025

Omnichannel retail is hard to get right - just ask Target. Their digital sales are growing as overall sales fall... something's got to give.

Last month, they announced a decision to pull back their 'stores as hubs' program, an approach to ecommerce fulfillment launched with great fanfare (and a $7 Billion investment) starting in 2017.

A change in direction can signal a mistake, but it also highlights the courage and awareness to get back on track, and with Michael Fiddelke moving from COO to CEO in February, they are (hopefully) positioned to do just that.

In this week's Art of Supply, I examine the 'stores as hubs' program, consider why omnichannel retail is so hard to get right, and look at what Target plans to do next.

The Hidden Costs and Dangers of CDL Fraud
LinkedIn
September 11, 2025

A class 8 truck is a powerful vehicle. In the right hands, it moves goods, helps communities, and drives the economy forward. In the wrong hands it poses a serious threat to people and property.

There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States. Making sure they get credit for being essential, hardworking members of the supply chain by ensuring only qualified individuals join their ranks is more than an administrative effort. It is a public safety concern.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look into how CDLs are administered and what can go wrong when that responsibility isn't taken seriously.

Carrots, Sticks, and the Future of the Apple iPhone
LinkedIn
September 04, 2025

Where there is a will, there is a way, although it helps to have deep pockets.

Before Apple can reshore iPhone production, they must unwind a carefully constructed global network of partnerships and production processes.

There will have to be strong forces in favor of change, and very serious downsides to failure. In other words, it is going to take carrots and sticks.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look at the pressure, problems, and potential upside associated with reshoring production of the iPhone.

Cargo Theft Averages One Truckload per Hour in the U.S.
LinkedIn
August 28, 2025

Cargo theft is a huge and growing problem. Approximately $35 Billion dollars is lost to these crimes annually. Some thieves operate the 'old fashioned way' while others are taking advantage of the latest technology.

Either way, cargo theft is getting out of hand.

In this week's Art of Supply, I share statistics that capture the scale of the problem, dig into some of the root causes, and look at how digital capabilities are coming into play on both sides of the battle.

China Built 1,000 Ships Last Year. The U.S. Built 8.
LinkedIn
August 21, 2025

I've heard it many times: "Having a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat." But what if you and your friend are not getting along?

The U.S. learned this lesson the hard way.

After decades of declining investment in military and commercial shipbuilding, the world is waking up to the fact that China dominates worldwide production of ships, ship-to-shore cranes, and shipping containers.

In this week's Art of Supply, I track how this problem festered, examine China's Military-Civil Fusion strategy, and reflect on the fact that Democrats and Republicans AGREE we need a solution - and fast.

The GSA Declares War on Gobbledegook
LinkedIn
August 14, 2025

The General Services Administration has asked Federal consulting providers to move from time and materials contracts to outcome-based ones.

But who is supposed to decide what those desired outcomes are?

The push for outcomes makes sense given the Billions being spent, but the GSA and consulting firms can't do it alone. They will need active involvement from Federal decision makers... the ones who awarded the contracts in the first place.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look into how the GSA is evaluating Federal consulting spend, how they hope to increase ROI, and the challenges they will have to overcome in the process.

When Your Supply Chain Becomes a Bowl of Spaghetti
LinkedIn
August 07, 2025

The question isn't whether supply chains will continue to evolve into ever-more-complex networks. They will - and already have.

But will supply chain leaders develop the strategic thinking and adaptive capabilities needed to turn that complexity from a constraint into a competitive advantage?

Some will. Others will keep trying to untangle the spaghetti one strand at a time, a messy process to be sure.

In this week's Art of Supply interview, I welcome back Tim Richardson, Founder and CEO of Iter Consulting, to discuss how geopolitical tensions and unprecedented volatility are forcing supply chain leaders to rethink everything from network design to talent development at a time when resilience has replaced cost as the biggest priority.

When the Last Inch Matters Most: Lessons in Hospitality and Leadership
LinkedIn
July 31, 2025

Corporate culture does not usually incentivize or reward the effort required to achieve excellence, and yet we talk about it all the time.

Nothing prevents us from striving for more, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.

In this week's Art of Supply, I share my thoughts on "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara, the fascinating story of Eleven Madison Park's tireless quest to become the best restaurant in the world.

I think you'll be amazed by the operational crossovers to procurement and supply chain, just like I was.

Rethinking Product Differentiation in a Commoditized World
LinkedIn
July 24, 2025

In today’s world of hypercompetitive supply chains, being a few days or weeks ahead can make a huge difference - whether you are a ‘little guy’ trying to break into a market or a ‘big guy’ trying to hold your ground.

In the end, strong brand + a qualified supply base + the willingness to make an educated change can be the most effective sourcing strategy of all.

In this week's Art of Supply interview, I speak with Anthony Sardain, Founder and CEO of Cavela, about how all of these dynamics are creating the perfect conditions for AI-enabled global sourcing.

Legacy in Motion: FedEx Founder Fred Smith (1944 - 2025)
LinkedIn
July 17, 2025

You don't create a new market by following conventional wisdom or being afraid of failure.

FedEx founder Fred Smith passed away at age 80 on June 21, 2025. The legacy he leaves behind is far more than 16.5 million packages a day or $90 Billion dollars in revenue.

His approach challenges us to look between the lines in search of true value and opportunity… especially if everyone else seems to be looking the other way.

Network Security in Transportation and Logistics: Simpler, Smarter, and More Secure
LinkedIn
July 10, 2025

It is possible to establish simple, safe, and cost effective network security in transportation and logistics?

Yes, says Ken Rutsky, CMO at Aryaka - if you are smart about it.

In this week's Art of Supply interview, Ken joins me to discuss the findings of a new research report on the State of Network Security in Transportation & Logistics.

You'll hear what companies are most concerned about, how they are addressing those challenges, and how the concept of a 'network's edge' continues to shift and evolve.

California: If We Can’t Ban the Truck, We’ll Bill the Warehouse
LinkedIn
July 03, 2025

Rather than regulating the vehicles that create emissions - because they've been knocked back by the Federal government - California is now regulating the locations vehicles visit - most often, warehouses.

The Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions Program (known as WAIRE) and the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR) take a new and creative approach to regulating emissions.

Depending on your point of view, they are either:
- Creating incentives for warehouses to put pressure on 3PLs to reduce their emissions, or
- Raising the operating costs for warehouses that don't reduce their customers' emissions.

In this week's Art of Supply, I look at how indirect source rules work - and whether they will work based on California's plans for implementation and enforcement.

Million-Dollar Services Procurement Loophole
LinkedIn
June 26, 2025

When we think about the disruptive effects of advancing technology, job loss is often the first thing that comes to mind. But what about stopping losses themselves, detectable losses associated with non-compliant or even criminal activity? In other words, what about theft?

On May 26, 2025, Israeli news source Calcalist broke the story that a crime had been committed at Intel. This alleged crime is so straightforward, so process based, and so repetitive that I would be willing to bet it could not be pulled off in an organization using AI for even the most basic spend oversight.

Intel Israel says that an IT hardware buyer and an IT component supplier conspired to steal nearly a million dollars from the company between October 2023 and November 2024. They did it in the most dastardly way possible… they exploited a loophole associated with poor services spend management.

Preventing Disputes by Embracing Conflict
LinkedIn
June 19, 2025

"Blessed are the peacemakers..." Kate Vitasek, Jim Groton, Ellen Waldman, and Allen Waxman remind us at the start of their new book.

But who are the peacemakers? Are they the people who address uncomfortable points early, avoiding disputes, or are they sitting quietly - hoping the problem will pass with time?

In this week's Art of Supply, I share a multimedia review of “Preventing the Dispute Before It Begins: Proven Mechanisms for Fostering Better Business Relationships.”

Lobbying for Increased Empathy in Global Trade
LinkedIn
June 12, 2025

Purely the domain of 'policy wonks' in the past, trade and lobbying are now a never-ending source of BREAKING NEWS! from Washington D.C.

But what does that mean a trade lobbyist's day is like right now?

To find out, I called up Samir N. Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index. He graciously provided a behind-the-scenes look at his average day, illustrated through stories of the companies and business owners navigating today's complex trade environment.

Read, listen, or watch for more on:
- Whether tariff exemptions are ever granted
- What lobbyists work to secure for their clients
- How to make an argument that resonates at the Federal level

Finance Unleashed
Palgrave Macmillan
October 27, 2017

Finance Unleashed is based on a series of interactive interviews with a diverse group of global influencers and executives, all of which will challenge readers to think laterally and find inspiration in the new role of finance. Cases and interviewees represent organizations such as UPS and DHL, and the London School of Economics, and approaches such as Lean Six Sigma, innovation, customer-centricity, the financial supply chain, and behavioral procurement. The authors’ goal is to serve as a catalyst for leaders who are positioned to make meaningful changes today.

Procurement at a Crossroads
J. Ross
January 01, 2016

This book examines the 10 major questions regarding procurement’s role in the enterprise and how procurement is at a crossroads that will shape the future of the profession. The goal of this book is not to provide step-by-step directions on a hypothetical ‘correct’ path, but to illuminate the relative benefits of each choice available to procurement professionals. These thought leaders and subject matter experts also consider what the next phase of procurement’s evolution will be like by sharing the observations of others and taking some creative (but enthusiastic) license of their own.

Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals
J. Ross
November 02, 2015

This book provides procurement professionals with the process, skills, and resources to develop a supply market intelligence program that will deliver value to the organization as a whole. The authors clearly explain each of the concepts introduced and then provide the background and steps required to make execution possible.

Your Leadership Legacy: Becoming the Leader You Were Meant to Be
Buyers Meeting Point
May 17, 2023

Leadership is not easy – and it is not about you. This book does an excellent job balancing big picture principles with detailed examples that prove them out. Vision and execution are equally important, and everyone has a role to play in solving a problem or making a solution work.

Making the Case for Sourcing Optimization
Keelvar
April 30, 2021

For all the buzz around AI, ML, RPA, blockchain, etc., procurement seems to have forgotten about the huge potential of another high impact technology - sourcing optimization. Read Kelly Barner's foreword in this new ebook from the team at Keelvar.

Dive deeper into Procurement Data Ecosystems
Sievo
March 15, 2021

Procurement can be faster, more agile and more strategic through data ecosystems. Are you ready to dive deeper into your valuable assets?

Join top Procurement author Kelly Barner as she explores how procurement leaders can take advantage of procurement data ecosystems in interviews with top experts from Basware, EcoVadis, riskmethods, Supplier.io and Sievo.

General Manager
Art of Procurement
March 01, 2017

The Art of Procurement team helps procurement professionals of all levels deliver change with confidence. We do this by applying our community supported delivery model to a number of offerings that support clients wherever they are on their procurement maturity journey.

Primary focus: Apply my knowledge of the procurement space and community to the development, execution and promotion of Art of Procurement offerings... including the #1 weekly procurement podcast with over 270,000 downloads across 132 countries since its inception.

Drive marketing and content development efforts through community engagement, social media, and direct communication.

Support product development across Art of Procurement services, learning and development solutions and podcast/events

Enable the business to grow while also investing in the procurement community as a whole

Palambridge
Palambridge
January 01, 2017

Co-Founder of Palambridge in 2017.

Buyers Meeting Point
Buyers Meeting Point
July 01, 2009

Buyers Meeting Point is an online knowledge and professional development resource for procurement and supply management professionals owned and managed by career procurement professional Kelly Barner. Buyers Meeting Point was founded in 2009 to provide the procurement industry with an events calendar, blog, content, and active social media network, all of which have remained trusted sources of information for practitioners and solution providers alike. In 2020, Buyers Meeting Point acquired MyPurchasingCenter, a website designed to provide procurement professionals with the information required to keep their companies competitive in a dynamic global marketplace, to expand their audience, social media reach, and content base.

LinkedIn Podcast Network
Art of Procurement
March 14, 2023

And today, we’re excited to be expanding our commitment to audio with a new program - the LinkedIn Podcast Academy. This 6-month incubator pilot will connect emerging business podcasts with exclusive programming, coaching, tools and LinkedIn co-branding to expand and better reach their audience. This inaugural group of professional voices cover a wide range of topics in the professional arena: From leadership and entrepreneurship to human resources and technology.

Ready to listen? Find all LinkedIn Podcast Academy shows wherever you listen to podcasts then find the conversations exclusively on LinkedIn. The beauty of the LinkedIn Podcast Academy is that listeners across LinkedIn’s global community of more than 900 million get a chance to engage with hosts directly through their LinkedIn Profiles.

Ten Logistics Influencers You Need to Follow in 2025
tech.co
May 30, 2025

Looking to get inspired and stay ahead of the logistics curve? Here are the influencers that can help you out.

Top 7 Inspiring Women B2B Influencers to Follow in 2021
Tom Augenthaler
March 08, 2021

If building influence online was easy, everyone would do it.

But, we know it's not.

Creating value in the form of content is challenging. There's the research, planning, writing, editing, and more. I give big high-fives to these women for growing their influence by consistently adding value and engaging with their audiences each and every day.

Top 5 Procurement Influencers
CPOstrategy Magazine
July 29, 2019

CPOstrategy Magazine has ranked Buyers Meeting Point Owner and Managing Director Kelly Barner the top influencer in procurement based on a listing published by ProcurementIQ.

The opening of the article, available in the July 2019 issue, reads as follows:

"With direct access to audiences across a global stage, social media has redefined the idea of influencers. Looking to tap into and explore this ever expanding resource, industry giants have their very own influencers steering and engaging the conversation. CPOstrategy looks at 5 leading procurement influencers as ranked by ProcurementIQ." - Dale Benton

The other influencers included in the ranking are Lora Cecere, Founder of Supply Chain Insights; Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management; Omid Ghamami, CEO and Chairman of the Board at the Center for Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Excellence; and Dawn Tiura, CEO and President of the Sourcing Industry Group (SIG).

Dream Big Global 2020
procurious
November 18, 2020

The Big Ideas Summit brings together the best and brightest thought leaders from across the globe, to share their insights on how you can plan for next year and beyond.

Strategic Insight

Kelly Barner - Owner & Managing Director - Buyers Meeting Point

Be prepared for surprises - And don’t be afraid to say you don’t know. People appreciate a qualified, honest –‘I think…I suspect….However I respect your question enough to want to give you the right answer, so I’m going to do a bit of research and then I’ll come back to you.’

Beefing with Trump, bashing Biden, Charlamagne Tha God storms American politics
USA Today
October 02, 2025

The PinLeader podcast with Dr. Shanda Gore
PinLeader Podcast
July 09, 2025

Are you someone who leads teams or manages suppliers? Host Dr. Shanda Gore explores the future of procurement leadership with Ms. Kelly Barner, Co-Founder and Head of Content and Operations for Art of Procurement. Hear how supplier collaboration, executive influence, and tech innovations are reshaping the field.

What Procurement Really Wants: 6 Ways Sales Leaders Can Win Strategic Deals
Higgle: The B2B Sales Club
June 24, 2025

Procurement isn't your enemy. They're your next big opportunity.

Most sales leaders misunderstand procurement. They think it's all about cutting costs. But the best procurement professionals are motivated by something else entirely.

Kelly Barner (Art of Procurement) joins me on this week's podcast to reveal what procurement really needs. We cover topics including:
- What truly motivates today’s sourcing/procurement pros
- How to build trust before the RFP drops
- Two traits that make proposals stand out
- When not to pitch a bigger scope

What do you do when procurement is brought in too late?
ConvergentIS
August 22, 2024

According to the Next Gen Rebels, this is what Procurement will look like in 2024
Procurement Insights
December 30, 2023

The best way to predict or anticipate the future of procurement is to talk to those professionals who want to influence the future versus being a spectator of it. These Next Gen Rebels are definitely not the spectator-kind, and here is what they had to say when Jon Hansen asked them the following three questions regarding 2024...

Dial P for Procurement / Kelly Barner / Podcaster and fellow CAP member
Sustainable Packaging Podcast
July 26, 2023

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-barner-6884443/


https://artofprocurement.com/


https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dial-p-for-procurement/id1610394959


Kelly Barner and I are both part of the first 100 LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program and now part of the LinkedIn Podcast Academy!

Learning from Leading Experts: Kelly Barner
Positive Purchasing
June 14, 2023

In this interview, Kelly Barner speaks with Positive Purchasing CEO Jonathan O'Brien about supplier diversity - what progress has been made and what challenges remain.

Opportunities for procurement in uncertain times
Economist
May 24, 2023

How is the role of #procurement changing as a function to redefine, refine and progress? Listen to our latest podcast from “The Procurement Imperative”.

The Procurement Show Meets Kelly Barner
The Procurement Show
February 07, 2023

Jonathan and Paul are joined by are joined by Kelly Barner, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point, a Partner and Head of Content with Art of Procurement and host of Dial P for Procurement and Sourcing Hero. They take a general look at what's going on in the world of procurement and give us plenty to think about in 2023.

The ProcureTech Podcast: The View on Tech from Both Sides
ProcureTech Podcast
October 17, 2022

We’re continuing our mini series where we ask influencers and industry experts for their thoughts on everything that’s happening in the digital procurement world.

Our guest today is a real stalwart in this space, and has had her own website and blog since 2009.

She’s seen many changes in her career, both as a Procurement Consultant with a procurement tech company back in the day, and now as an independent blogger, podcaster, and CIO.

Kelly Barner, founder of Buyers Meeting Point and partner at Art of Procurement, a very warm welcome to the show!

Boeing Australia Uses Relational Contracting With Indigenous Businesses
Forbes
October 04, 2022

Boeing Australia’s partnership with the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC) was recognized by Australia’s Supply Nation as the 2022 Supplier Diversity Partnership of the Year.

What may be surprising is how they got there. The answer? Formal relational contracting.

eCommerce Master Plan Episode 400: Supply Chain Crisis – Solved
eCommerce Masterplan
August 22, 2022

Summary of our Guests 7 Supply Chain Crisis Action Points
Understand how the supply chain crisis is affecting your business. Ignore the hype, look at the data.
If you don’t have systems that make it easy for you to understand the data, then you need to put them in place.
The great thing about that software is that it’s going to save you time and money – lots of time and money through how it can automate activities, AND bring you data for better decision making.
Make sure you’ve got the right suppliers in place to give you the flexibility to adapt. AND make friends with your suppliers!
Get proactive with customer service – including returns process. Marketing can help here, but so can those software systems to put the right data in front of your customer service teams.
Be clear on what inventory you are selling and where. Failing to be proactive with this can cost you a lot.
Keep Optimising!

Learning to Hang in There: Walking an Unexpected Professional Path with Kelly Barner
Supply Chain Now
May 11, 2022

Despite its popularity as a profession now, no one grows up intending to work in procurement (no one!) And yet, many people that follow windy roads into the field fall in love once they are there. With supply chains in the spotlight over the last couple of years, procurement professionals have had the opportunity to drive a new range of value through initiatives like supplier diversity and sustainability. Enrique and Maureen chat with Kelly Barner, Owner of Buyers Meeting Point and the host of Dial P for Procurement on Supply Chain Now.

Accelerating the Conversation About #SupplierDiversity w/ Kelly Barner
Art of Procurement
April 25, 2022

In late 2021, LinkedIn selected Art of Procurement Head of Content and Brand Partnerships Kelly Barner to be one of 100 creators – and the only procurement professional – to go through their first ever Creator Accelerator Program. For ten weeks starting in January 2022, Kelly had to post four pieces of new content per week related to her project, which was focused on supplier diversity.

Although the program wasn’t easy to complete, it was a great opportunity for Kelly to learn more about a critical topic, to receive personalized coaching about how to make the most of LinkedIn, and to show a broad audience how valuable and interesting procurement is.

The Strategic Importance of SLM – From Tadpole to Frog
Trust Your Supplier
August 11, 2021

In this, our inaugural episode, Kelly Barner and I discuss supplier life cycle management and how our high school biology lesson of the lifecycle of a frog can be helpful. Listen in as we talk about important phases of supplier life cycle management, what are the key attributes to make a successful SLM, and how to address key challenges.

An Interview on Learnings From Podcasting on Supply Chain and Procurement with Kelly Barner
HICX
July 12, 2021

For this episode of Supplier Experience Live from HICX we are joined by Kelly Barner, Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point, to discuss her experience of working in the supply chain podcast and procurement podcast space over the years, the changes and advancements in the industry in the last few decades and what we can expect to see in the future.

SAP #SAPPHIRENOW Procurement and Supply Chain After Party
LinkedIn
June 08, 2021

Join our LIVE "After Party" for the SAP SAPPHIRE NOW Procurement and Supply Chain Tracks to hear key takeaways from industry experts and thought leaders Ian Moyse, Kelly Barner, Dr. Marcell Vollmer, Scott Luton, and Rachael White.

TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast: The Bounce Back Begins
Supply Chain Now
May 18, 2021

The pandemic uncovered some critical supply chain vulnerabilities around the world. As the vaccine gains traction and life begins to look a little more “normal” there is a sense of anticipation. However, it seems we are in short supply in a number of areas. The Bounce Back Begins is a great way to think this stage of the recovery as there will surely be ups and downs. Right now, shortages are popping up in a number of areas – some expected, some not. Here’s a list of a few items: Microchips, chicken, lumber, gas, steel, metals, plastic, chlorine, ketchup packets, etc.

Karin and team talk about how far we come on a few important themes around Digital Supply Chain and Procurement transformations:
o Can we recalibrate to reduce risk exposure?
o Are we seeing proof that leveraging advances in technology is accelerating response times?
o Are we gaining agility, resilience and better business continuity planning?
o Will we emerge from the pandemic stronger and with more resilient supply chains?

Communicating procurement's value for better relationships, results and business impact
Zivio
May 10, 2021

With Kelly Barner, Owner & Managing Director, Buyers Meeting Point

00:00:00 - Starting out in services procurement
00:15:50 - The relationship with information and the power of a good question
00:26:00 - Lessons from scaling diversity in the supply chain
00:39:15 - Honesty and pragmatism - the outside-in perspective
00:45:00 - Procurement's involvement in the C-suite - building a new legacy
00:57:40 - Evidence-based decision making in self-service buying models
01:07:20 - Data, automation and reporting as an enabler
01:16:15 - Predictions for the future of services procurement

Unmuted: 600 Down with Supply Chain Now
Supply Chain Now
March 24, 2021

Scott W. Luton and Greg White with Supply Chain host a special livestream on 3/24 at 12 noon ET as we celebrate 600 Supply Chain Now episodes! Join Scott, Greg, and many other Supply Chain Now hosts and team members as they recall and share their favorite moments, quotes, and people from the last 100 episodes. Will they name your favorites? Join Us!

A Celebration of International Women's Day 2021
DLA Ignite
March 08, 2021

Once again, we have had some breathtaking responses from contributors from around the world. This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. So let's all choose to challenge. How will you help forge a gender equal world? Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

Supply Chain Trends and the Future of SCM in 2021
SelectHub
February 03, 2021

We looked to the experts for their thoughts on the future of supply chain trends that we may see in the next few years. Between robots, the ever-growing cloud, a post-COVID-19 environment, security and more, we’ve gathered a lot of interesting topics to discuss. Here are the trends set to influence supply chains and their SCM software counterparts in the near future...

The Sourcing Hero podcast episode 14: Embracing a Big Picture Mindset featuring Kelly Barner
Una: The Sourcing Hero Podcast
January 25, 2021

People outside of procurement don’t always understand or even know what procurement does. Why? Kelly Barner believes it’s because procurement has lost the ability to connect with the rest of the business. How do you break away from that? How do you embrace creativity in your role? How do you widen your lens to see the big picture? Listen to this episode of The Sourcing Hero to hear Kelly’s enthusiastic viewpoint.

Don’t know who Kelly is? Kelly Barner is a Procurement & Supply Chain Writer and Influencer, and the Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point. But her bio doesn’t stop there. She’s also the General Manager at the Art of Procurement and the Show Host for an upcoming Supply Chain Now monthly livestream, “Dial P for Procurement.”

The Brave New World of Procurement: Kelly Barner Shares Insights From 2020 & What's New in '21
Supply Chain Now
January 05, 2021

Scott Luton sits down with the new host of Supply Chain Now's Dial P for Procurement, and Buyers Meeting Point's very own, Kelly Barner! Listen as they discuss lessons learned in 2020 and what's to come for procurement in 2021.

Procurement Priorities & Challenges: Kelly Barner with Buyers Meeting Point
Supply Chain Now Radio
October 25, 2020

If the lines between procurement and supply chain were 'fuzzy' before the pandemic, they have now been reduced to a mess of scribbles. Kelly Barner recently joined Scott Luton and Greg White for a Supply Chain Now podcast to provide the procurement POV on GPOs, reshoring, and what on earth we're all supposed to do about 2021 planning...

The art of last mile public health supply and demand
Project Last Mile
September 05, 2024

Project Last Mile was recently featured in two episodes of the Art of Supply Podcast (by Art of Procurement), which focuses on thought provoking content created to illuminate the complexity of global supply chains. Host, Kelly Barner, used Episode 124 to tell the story of how Project Last Mile came about, and then Episode 125 to interview Adrian Ristow, Executive Director of Project Last Mile, and David Canarutto, Private Sector Relationship Manager at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, about some of the lessons learned along the Project Last Mile journey.

Both episodes yielded great insights and are worth a listen.

The 5 Most Expensive Mistakes AP Can Make – And How To Avoid Them
Tradeshift
August 16, 2018

The number one goal of any AP team – ensure that the company gets the most out of every dollar spent. The number one goal for strategic AP teams – become a driving force for positive cash flow. So what happens when the AP team makes a really expensive mistake? How long would it take for you to realize you had made one, and how much would it cost the business?

Automation Deployment And Change Management Best Practices
Zycus
June 19, 2018

In the past, eInvoicing and eProcurement solutions were an adjunct component of large back-end ERP platforms. As a result, the functionality regarding their practical use in the real world was limited and even restricted. In other words, technological limitations created a misalignment between the way that the ERP systems worked and the way global buying decisions were made. To address this disconnect, change management strategies were introduced to force compliance with these technologies. These strategies included a concerted effort to eliminate maverick spend and rationalize supply bases.

Fast forward to today, and what Gartner has called the Postmodern ERP Era. With the emergence of on-demand or “by the drink” solutions that can be implemented within weeks if not days as opposed to months and years, compliance with these “user intuitive” systems is no longer an issue. This transformation raises the question; is change management as we know it from Finance and Procure-To-Pay standpoints still relevant in the digital era?

Brewing Uncertainty: The Coffee Supply Chain Shock
Art of Procurement
March 19, 2026

Coffee is one of those products people think of as routine, almost automatic. It is part of the morning, part of the commute, part of the office, part of the café economy. So when something changes in the coffee supply chain, people feel it.

In late 2025, coffee prices started rising thanks to a combination of forces: weather shocks in major producing countries, tariff policy changes that altered landed cost, shrinking exchange inventories, currency volatility, and the lag effect that happens when sourcing decisions do not hit the consumer shelf for months.

What makes coffee especially revealing is that this is not just a story about one bad harvest or policy move. It is a story about how a globally traded commodity reacts when short-term disruption and long-term structural risk overlap.

In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner covers how a combination of weather, tariffs, and staggered market reactions led to a spike in coffee prices in late 2025 and early 2026.

The Panama Canal Power Struggle
Art of Procurement
March 12, 2026

The ports of Balboa and Cristóbal bookend the Panama canal. They don’t control the canal, and they have been privately operated by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports Company for decades.

Those old contracts are now in the middle of a legal fight, a sovereignty debate, and a live test of how far national power competitions can reach into commercial infrastructure.

Panama’s Supreme Court recently ruled that the legal terms underlying CK Hutchison’s port concession were unconstitutional. The concessions have been canceled and Panama has selected two different operators to take over responsibility for the ports while new owners are determined.

If that wasn’t complicated enough, Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison intended to sell the ports to U.S.-headquartered BlackRock, a move that China was not too happy about.

The ports are now in the middle of a high stakes proxy war, with China and CK Hutchinson on one side, and BlackRock and the Trump Administration on the other.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the short and long term implications of uncertain Panama Canal port ownership.

How iRobot’s Supply Chain Became Its Last Resort
Art of Procurement
March 05, 2026

At its peak, iRobot generated nearly $1.6 Billion in annual revenue, and by 2022 Amazon believed the company was worth $1.7 Billion. Just a few years later, the company that pioneered consumer robotics would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company that ultimately took ownership of iRobot wasn’t Amazon or another Silicon Valley tech firm or even a U.S. competitor. It was the company’s own overseas contract manufacturer.

How does a company go from being a pioneering leader in robotics to being owned by the very supplier that once built its products?

The answer is a story about regulation, supply chains, debt, competition, and unintended consequences.

National Security Starts in the Supply Chain
Art of Procurement
February 26, 2026

“There are a lot of different ways to hold all of the conspirators who are involved in the effort to intentionally smuggle counterfeit goods into the U.S. and into U.S. systems accountable.”

Most modern supply chains are complex, sprawling beasts. Their global scale is highly strategic, but it also creates opportunities for criminal organizations to threaten companies, the Federal government, warfighters, and first responders.

The Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit (GSCIU) was created as the result of a 2022 Congressional request for Homeland Security Investigations to address concerns about the risk of counterfeit components finding their way into U.S. military supply chains. Since then, they have operated as a task force, analyzing interagency information to identify and combat threats to relevant supply chains.

Brian Andersen is a supervisory special agent at Homeland Security Investigations Global Trade Division, part of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, and the Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit, which he had the opportunity to help build from the ground up.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Brian and Kelly Barner discuss:
- The priorities of the Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit
- How they partner with other agencies and private businesses to root out risk within the supply chain and hold criminals accountable
- What procurement and supply chain professionals should be on the lookout for as warning signs that they have acquired or encountered counterfeit products

How a $3M Company Destroyed $17B in Freight Market Value
Art of Procurement
February 19, 2026

How could a company worth about $3 Million wipe out more than $17 Billion in transportation market value in a single day?

On February 12th, a press release from Algorhythm Holdings, a company that started its life as a karaoke machine manufacturer, announced that its AI-enabled freight platform SemiCab could reduce empty truck miles by more than 70 percent.

By midday, major logistics firms were down as much as 20 percent. C.H. Robinson, Landstar, J.B. Hunt, railroads, and airlines all felt the shockwave.

If SemiCab’s technology works as described, it could reduce waste, lower emissions, and save shippers billions. At the same time, it could compress margins, erode pricing power, and expose just how much excess capacity the freight market really has.

Sanctioned at Sea: Addressing the Shadow Fleet
Art of Procurement
February 12, 2026

Despite international sanctions, the “shadow fleet” is carrying crude from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. These vessels often sail under false flags, spoof their locations, turn off monitoring systems, transfer their cargo at sea, and sometimes operate without insurance.

These dangerous vessels are increasingly being boarded, seized, escorted into port, and tied up in court, but enforcement at sea is messy, expensive, and legally complex.

In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner explores what is being done to get shadow fleet tankers off the water and what happens to the ships, oil, and crew after they are seized.

Freight Capacity v. Paperwork & Politics
Art of Procurement
February 05, 2026

“Capacity reduction is clearly under way. Regulatory enforcement of qualifications and safety standards was arguably the most welcome development in 2025 for our industry.” - Adam Miller, CEO of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings

The trucking industry has been flooded with headlines about enforcement: English language proficiency checks, non-domiciled CDL restrictions, immigration raids, and court stays.

On the surface, this might look like a political story or an emotional response to a few high-profile fatal crashes, but it is not primarily about either paperwork or politics.

It’s about freight market capacity. Who is allowed to operate? Where are they willing to operate? Can they operate profitably while following the rules? And how quickly can excess freight capacity be removed without destabilizing the whole system?

One Railroad to Rule Them All? Inside the Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern Merger
Art of Procurement
January 29, 2026

Imagine a single railroad company that could move freight seamlessly from the ports of Los Angeles to the ports of New York without handoffs, interchange delays, or needing to switch carriers mid-journey.

That’s the promise behind the proposed merger between the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads. If the deal is approved, it will create the first single-line transcontinental railroad in U.S. history, spanning more than 50,000 miles across 43 states and nearly 100 ports.

Supporters say this could make rail a more serious competitor to long-haul trucking, lowering costs and improving supply chain efficiency. Critics say it risks concentrating too much power in too few hands in an industry where four railroads already control more than 90% of U.S. freight.

Earlier this month, regulators hit the reset button. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) rejected the merger application - not on its merits, but because the paperwork was incomplete.

Cautious Optimism in the Suez Canal
Art of Procurement
January 22, 2026

In late 2023, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints effectively broke.

After Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel, Houthi militants began targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Initially, their target was Israel-linked vessels, then they increasingly started targeting anything that passed through.

What followed was a near-collapse of confidence in the Suez Canal, a route that normally handles roughly 10–12% of global seaborne trade. Ocean carriers rerouted thousands of ships around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks, cost, fuel burn, and complexity to global supply chains.

Fast forward to late 2025 and early 2026, and something quietly significant happened: Maersk, the world’s second-largest container carrier, sent ships back through the Red Sea. It wasn’t a full return or a declaration of victory, but it was a meaningful test.

Tracking the Logistics of a $400K Lobster Heist
Art of Procurement
January 15, 2026

In early December of last year, two thefts took place in Taunton, Massachusetts, that involved two usually wonderful things: lobster and logistics.

The stolen property was valued at $400,000: approximately $250,000 worth of lobster and $150,000 in crabmeat. Both thefts took place at the same warehouse. The crimes were a massive hit to all of the businesses involved at one of the most critical times of the year.

Unfortunately, this kind of fraud-based theft is all too common. Even more unfortunately, the opportunity to steal this property was created by security lapses in the supply chain. Significant effort went into tricking the warehouse to hand over the seafood, but it worked.

Enlightenment Thinking in an Age of Disruption
Art of Procurement
January 08, 2026

The rate and scale of change taking place around us are so destabilizing that it would be easy to think that ‘old ideas’ no longer apply. Could economic principles that were articulated in the late 1700s possibly be relevant in a global, digital economy?

Patrick Kilbride, Policy Fellow at the Center for American Principles, and principal at Kilbride Public Affairs, says yes – and he recently re-read Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations to prove it to himself.

Patrick is a public policy expert with experience as a Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative. He has held a number of executive strategy- and policy-focused roles at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Today, he is a Policy Fellow at the Center for American Principles, a 501(c)(4) focused on personal liberties, free markets, and strong national security.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner speaks with Patrick about the wisdom Adam Smith and his contemporaries can still offer us today.

Incoming! 10 Supply Chain Predictions for 2026
Art of Procurement
December 18, 2025

‘Tis the season… for making supply chain predictions. Given how volatile 2025 was, anyone willing to share their opinions about the coming year deserves an award for courage.

In this episode of Art of Supply, the last of 2025, Kelly Barner shares her curated list of picks for the most compelling 2026 supply chain predictions, not ranked in any particular order, and with no guarantees for how likely they are to come true.

Is Supplier Collaboration GE Appliances’ Secret Weapon?
Art of Procurement
December 11, 2025

GE Appliances has been making news for years for the success of their reshoring program. It is a great story: a well-known consumer brand that is bringing production home, both to their own benefit and also to the benefit of customers and employees.

But even while GE Appliances has continued to make investments and earn positive headlines for continuing their commitment to reshoring efforts and partnering with suppliers, one of their competitors isn’t so sure.

Whirlpool recently alleged that GE Appliances, along with two other competitors, was evading tariffs by artificially lowering the declared value of the goods they import – without passing those ‘savings’ along to customers. But does the data show evidence of misdeeds?

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the balance of GE Appliances’s good headlines and recent allegations against them.

UPS Gambles on Gig Workers
Art of Procurement
December 04, 2025

UPS is currently stuck between dropping parcel rates, rising union leverage, and stiff competition from their peers. Unlike their peers, UPS is unionized (part of the Teamsters), adding additional complexity and bottom-line pressure.

Not one to give up after 120 years in business, UPS has been looking for creative ways to make ends meet without disappointing the public. They created a massive buyout opportunity for drivers and have been working with gig drivers to handle spikes in seasonal volume without paying expensive overtime. Both strategies are saving them money, but running afoul of the Teamsters in the process.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks at UPS’s challenges and the creative options they are trying in response.

Rubber Stamped CDL Regulations
Art of Procurement
November 20, 2025

Commercial Driver's Licenses have been in the news a lot lately, and not for good reasons. A number of fatal accidents have been caused by questionably licensed drivers. These high profile incidents have caused a number of states and the Federal government to start digging into who is getting these licenses and how.

Much of the current situation dates back to a regulatory change made in 2022 that allowed CDL training schools to ‘self certify’ that they are turning out qualified drivers. The idea was to make it easier to get more drivers on the road in response to a reported driver shortage, but we’ve gotten less safe roads instead.

According to reporting by FreightWaves, there are approximately 100,000 truck crashes annually resulting in roughly 5,000 fatalities - a 40% increase over the last decade.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner digs past the recent headlines about CDL administration.

OceanGate and the Supply Base Behind the TITAN
Art of Procurement
November 13, 2025

On June 18, 2023, the OceanGate TITAN, a submersible on its way to the Titanic wreck site, imploded, killing all five passengers, including OceanGate CEO, Stockton Rush.

There were a number of factors leading to this tragic event, including a horrible disregard of basic safety measures, a deliberate effort to work outside of regulatory and inspection protocols, and a toxic company culture.

While many of these issues were internal, OceanGate did not make the TITAN or its predecessors in-house. This means that they had suppliers, and those companies had a front row seat to what was unfolding.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the OceanGate operation from a supply chain point of view.

Asset Optimization Isn’t a Destination – It’s a Discipline
Art of Procurement
November 06, 2025

“No trucking company in the history of trucking companies has ever made money if their wheels aren't moving basically all the time.” - Sean Devine, Founder and CEO, XBE

When costs are high and competition is tight, how companies think about opportunities and challenges determines how successful they will be.

They must deal with the never-ending push and pull between procurement and sales, the role of operational planning, and demand that alternates between peaks and troughs, but the big question is always the same: Is your core business as profitable as it could be?

Sean Devine is the Founder and CEO of XBE, and Sean Correll is their General Manager of Heavy Logistics. XBE is an operations platform focused on heavy materials, logistics, and construction. Their customers build and maintain roads, manufacture with concrete and asphalt, and mine and transport aggregate – expensive, asset-intensive activities.

Starting with the need to maximize asset utilization, and then transitioning into how the most strategic business decisions are made, this conversation applies far beyond heavy logistics.

Inside the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics: Harnessing Creative Destruction
Art of Procurement
October 30, 2025

“Capitalism, then, is by nature a form or method of economic change and not only never is but never can be stationary.” - Austrian Economist Joseph Schumpeter (1950)

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics was recently awarded to Joel Mokyr, an economic historian at Northwestern University, Philippe Aghion, who is affiliated with universities in France and the U.K., and Peter Howitt, a professor of economics at Brown University.

Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt worked together for decades to develop and publish a model that makes it possible to better understand business growth - but not just any growth. The growth fueled by Creative Destruction.

Creative Destruction was first described by Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter in 1942 in response to ideas from Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. In fact, Marx thought, and Schumpeter agreed, that it would lead to the end of capitalism… they just didn’t agree on why.

Intermodal by Design: How Coordination Drives Efficiency
Art of Procurement
October 23, 2025

When it comes to moving freight long distances, you can go from ship to drayage to rail to over-the-road trucking… or you can go intermodal.

Intermodal freight transportation combines the advantages of sea, air, and land transport to facilitate a preplanned end-to-end journey. Understanding the relative cost, security, and emissions benefits of intermodal transportation is key for companies looking for the most efficient way to move their goods.

In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner is joined by Anne Reinke, the CEO and President of the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA). Anne has experience lobbying for the rail industry and working at the Department of Transportation, as well as with an organization representing 3PLs.

The Soybean Economy: What’s at Stake in the U.S.–China Trade Talks
Art of Procurement
October 16, 2025

Global trading of steel, lumber, and rare earth minerals makes our companies and industries and economies work. And yet, right up there with those examples is an agricultural commodity many people don’t like and won’t eat: soybeans.

Soybeans are a huge focus of the trade talks between the U.S. and China, and there is a lot at stake between now and the end of the year, especially for U.S. soybean farmers.

China has been actively diversifying their sources of soybeans away from the United States, and they have developed at least two viable alternatives: Brazil and Argentina. The U.S. has less actively (and only lately) started diversifying their customer base for exported soybeans, leaving farmers with a bumper crop and no one to sell it to.

Kodiak’s Road to IPO: AI, Defense Contracts, and the Future of Autonomous Trucking
Art of Procurement
October 09, 2025

On September 25, 2025, Kodiak, an autonomous truck software company founded in 2018,
went public with a $2.5 Billion valuation.

Unlike other companies that make the whole truck autonomous, Kodiak retrofits existing equipment with their sensors and software. Also, unlike other companies in their space… they have revenue, something that is a challenge in any emerging industry.

In 2024, Kodiak became the first company to announce the delivery of a driverless semi-truck to a paying customer, but I think everyone has the same question: will it work? That goes for both Kodiak’s solution and their business model.

Reimagining Reshoring With the Help of 3D Printing
Art of Procurement
October 02, 2025

In conversations about reshoring, people usually assume that it means building or retrofitting facilities for U.S. manufacturing, bringing in equipment, and hiring people to operate it.

But what if that isn’t what it is going to look like at all?

The costs and uncertainty associated with tariffs may be changing attitudes about global trade enough that 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, will get its long-speculated opportunity in the spotlight.

3D printing has advantages and disadvantages, and requires a completely different supply management mindset than importing parts. There are also early signs that AI and the rise of “digital inventories” could change the paradigm yet again, giving companies a whole new set of variables to optimize.

Rewiring Operating Models for an Unpredictable Future
Art of Procurement
September 29, 2025

Procurement doesn't always push savings as the primary objective, but it is usually part of the conversation. How is savings being discussed given today’s supply chain uncertainty?

Companies are trying to operate as cost effectively as possible despite the disruptions, which is a new kind of challenge. Are today’s business conditions changing how procurement looks at savings and supplier performance?

According to Darshan Deshmukh, President of ProcureAbility, how companies address risk (and savings) is closely connected to whether they are growing or not.

Listen to this episode of the Art of Procurement podcast to hear this exchange and more!

Truck Drivers, Trade Deals, and Denials: Sorting Fact from Fiction in Nebraska
Art of Procurement
September 25, 2025

In early September, rumors started to swirl that Werner Enterprises, a $3 Billion transportation and logistics company based in Omaha, Nebraska, was bringing people from Kenya to drive for them in the United States.

The rumors aren’t completely based on speculation. Delegations from Kenya and the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office have been going back and forth for over a year.

Werner and their CEO have publicly denied the rumors, and the Governor of Nebraska has clarified the limitations of the Secretary of State’s office, but only digging into the details can separate fact from fiction.

Target Steps Back from ‘Stores as Hubs’ Digital Fulfillment
Art of Procurement
September 18, 2025

In August, Target announced that they would be backing away from their ‘stores as hubs’ program. The program started in 2017 and used dedicated spaces in the backrooms of regular Target stores to fulfill the company’s digital orders.

The ‘stores as hubs’ program was rolled out with huge fanfare… and a massive $7 Billion investment… so why has Target changed their mind?

Their explanation for the change is that they need to focus more on the in-store shopping experience, but it could also be that true omnichannel retail fulfillment is harder to deliver against than they thought.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner considers the rollout and then rollback of Target’s ‘stores as hubs’ program.

LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program
LinkedIn
November 30, 2021

LinkedIn recently announced a $25 million investment in creators, and on November 30th they announced the first U.S. class of our Creator Accelerator Program. These creators are subject-matter experts on topics that span the world of work: from diversity, equity and inclusion to cryptocurrency, from sustainability to entrepreneurship, and more. They have a story to tell and the passion to build meaningful communities.

2024 Year in Review: Procurement Insiders And Executives on the Biggest Procurement Stories of 2024
Tonkean
December 10, 2024

The world changed in 2024. That’s true of most years, but 2024 feels especially noteworthy. A historic election in the US and wars in Europe and the Middle East, among other things, destabilized established ways of doing things both in procurement (with disruptions to supply chains, for example, plus the specter of tariffs) and beyond. According to Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner, co-founders of Art of Procurement, this has introduced new amounts of risk to the enterprise, but created certain opportunities, as well.

Aligning Intent And Investment To Build (The Right) Procurement Capabilities
Art of Procurement
February 25, 2019

In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (AOP Content Director and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) discuss their major take-aways from February’s news, industry topics and podcast interviews.

In February, Andrew Daley (Edbury Daley) described the importance of conquering risk aversion when we scope out and fill open positions. Jens Hentschel (FIVIS Partnership) reminded us of the danger of “toiling away” at a tactical level while missing the big picture. Finally, Matt Clark (Corcentric) described the positioning challenges being faced by accounts payable organizations as well as the company’s recent acquisitions: Source One Management Services and Determine.

Don’t miss out on upcoming opportunities to connect with us in person at ProcureCon and Ariba Live, or the latest on the AOP Live schedule – including the free download on Building a Procurement AI Game Plan based on February’s session with Sievo.

This month’s discussion topic was driven by the findings of The Hackett Group’s 2019 CPO Agenda Report: Building Next-Generation Capabilities. The existing gaps between what procurement believes is important from a skills development perspective and what the enterprise values (and why) may be a quick read, but it deserves a lot of thought.

SIL Podcast: High-Stakes Procurement w/ Kelly Barner
Art of Procurement: SIL Podcast
July 19, 2018

Kelly’s advice to procurement professionals is to stop asking for permission and do whatever it takes to meet business objectives by looking at the long-term, larger picture. When procurement is involved in creating those strategic relationships across the organization, it can drive innovation that leads to cost savings and long-term value.

Key Takeaways:
- Procurement professionals should look at challenges and stumbling blocks as opportunities to save money and increase value.
- To get results and show procurement’s value to the organization, procurement needs to stop asking for permission. If it ruffles some feathers, that’s okay.
- The best kind of procurement talent are those individuals who can handle friction, challenge the status quo and readjust their strategies with agility.

Negotiating for the Unknown: Buying Emerging Technologies
Art of Procurement Podcast Network
June 21, 2018

For enterprises and procurement organizations piloting or evaluating emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and RPA, there is very little to go on when preparing for a meeting with an AI vendor.

AOP Introducing... SimpliContract
Art of Procurement
October 01, 2024

SimpliContract supports companies at every stage: “For example, you can start with a repository, and then you can slowly move on to bringing in your first category of contract authority. Then the next category. Then all your indirect categories. Then you bring direct procurement into the system,” explained Guru. “We are end-to-end but modularized. We help at every stage of the contract. At every process, you can go deeper, but the process becomes wider.”

The impact of this approach can be significant for organizations of all sizes, not only saving time and resources but also providing valuable insights that can drive differentiated decision making.

Supply Chain Today and Tomorrow with Mike Griswold: Musical Tour of Modern Supply Chain
Supply Chain Now
February 22, 2023

Mike Griswold is the Vice President of Research at Gartner, specializing in retail with a particular focus on forecasting and replenishment. He is responsible for Gartner’s annual Top 25 Supply Chain ranking and joins Supply Chain Now on a monthly basis to discuss the latest in retail supply chains from an analyst’s perspective.

The inspiration for this session is music – the best bands, album titles, song lyrics – even the best concert-going experience. But with Mike Griswold in attendance, every musical favorite also has a tie in to the supply chain… and Mike is always right on key.

In this episode, Mike draws on his broad musical tastes to put 2023 into context for co-hosts Scott Luton and Kelly Barner:

• Crystal Ball by Styx: What if companies had been able to see the last three years in advance? How would it have changed their preparation and approach?

• Roll With the Changes from REO Speedwagon: Operating environments, customers, and how we go to market are all different – so our supply chains need to change as well

• Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Monty Python: We may be consumed with short term challenges, but there is always a tomorrow and another chance to get things right

Supplier Diversity Responsibility, Accountability & Advocacy featuring Ayesha Simons with Colgate-Palmolive
Supply Chain Now
February 01, 2023

There has been an explosion of new supplier diversity programs created over the last few years. While this is an exciting trend that brings new minds and energy to the movement, in some cases it may overshadow programs that have been in place for decades. These companies were committed to connecting with traditionally underrepresented communities long before it was a common practice.

Colgate-Palmolive is home to one of these longstanding supplier diversity programs. Now led by Director of Supplier Diversity Ayesha Simons, the program has been in place for over two decades. It is tasked with creating diverse community representation among the suppliers that the company does business with.

In this interview, Ayesha joins co-hosts Scott Luton and Kelly Barner to talk about the vision, business drivers, and continued evolution of Colgate-Palmolive’s supplier diversity program:

• How consumer sentiment and expectations provide supplier diversity programs with the incentive to continue challenging themselves

• The relationships that Ayesha and the rest of the Colgate-Palmolive team have to build inside and outside of the company for their supplier diversity vision to become reality

• Some of the challenges that remain for supplier diversity to continue growing – and expanding globally in some cases – despite other pressing corporate initiatives

The Supply Chain Buzz for December 5, 2022
Supply Chain Now
December 09, 2022

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

This week’s edition of The Buzz featured Kelly Barner, host of Dial P for Procurement, Greg White and Scott Luton, and was made possible by the team at 6 River Systems.

In this session, created in collaboration with a live Supply Chain Now audience, Kelly, Greg, and Scott discussed:

• The challenges associated with placing too much reliance on regulation in the fight against bad actors on the world stage

• Truck driver strikes that are once again causing disruption in South Korea, and how that government’s handling of them compares to the U.S. federal government’s response to the railway strike

• Disruptions in the lettuce supply chain that are interfering with (GASP!) the menu at Chick-fil-A

• The current trend of the U.S. manufacturing industry according to the Institute for Supply Management’s November 2022 Report on Business

Delivering on the Promise of Procurement with Industry Veteran Len DeCandia
Supply Chain Now
October 31, 2022

Len DeCandia has enjoyed an illustrious career as a supply chain executive and chief procurement officer at some of the world’s largest CPG enterprises, including Johnson & Johnson. So who better to reflect on the changing role of procurement with Scott and Kelly than Len? In this episode, tune in to hear Len share his thoughts on how the role of procurement has evolved, the supreme importance of managing risk, delivering on the promise of ESG, challenges moving forward and more.

Managing Pfizer’s Final Mile: Patients, featuring Jim Cafone from Pfizer
Supply Chain Now
August 29, 2022

Over the last two years, supply chain professionals have been thrown into the spotlight like never before. While all of that attention brings opportunity, it is also exhausting – and the challenges seem to be never ending, especially for leaders in the pharmaceutical industry.

Jim Cafone is the Vice President of Pfizer Global Supply Chain. He has responsibility for planning and delivery worldwide, including the company’s sales order management functions. Because Pfizer makes vaccines, solid dose tablets, and gene therapy treatments for rare diseases, they employ a broad range of technology platforms to support the people they think of as their last mile: patients.

In this interview, Jim talks openly about what it was like to manage Pfizer’s supply chain through the COVID-19 pandemic with co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton:

· How his team put a plan together to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine
· Some of the operational hurdles they faced and how they overcame them
· Examples of ongoing Pfizer innovation and his advice for new graduates entering the field of global supply chain

The Supply Chain Buzz for August 1st: Dial P for Procurement Edition
Supply Chain Now
August 05, 2022

By now, most supply chain professionals have adjusted to having our profession top the news headlines nearly every day. If only that were the only change taking place… With supply chain performance becoming a higher profile part of national security, it would seem that our work is becoming more intertwined with government policy and politics as well.

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

This week, Scott Luton, Greg White, and Kelly Barner spent a fast-paced hour covering some of the most compelling news stories of the week:

• The complexities in the oil supply chain that might be making it possible for countries like Russia and Iran to export crude oil in defiance of global sanctions

• The real-world implications of the recently passed $280 Billion CHIPS Act for the U.S> semiconductor industry

• Whether 3D printing has finally gotten to the point where it is a practical solution for meeting parts needs

• Is it time to panic about the availability of Hershey’s product this Halloween???

The Supply Chain Buzz for June 6th Featuring Mike Griswold with Gartner
Supply Chain Now
June 10, 2022

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

This week, Kelly Barner Host of Dial P for Procurement, and Greg White welcomed special guest Mike Griswold, Vice President of Research at Gartner. He spoke about the unique characteristics that emerged among this year’s Top 25 and ‘Masters’ Supply Chains.

Mike, Greg, and Kelly talked about:

• The incredibly tough competition among companies aspiring to the Top 25 and why investments in sustainability played an outsized role

• Why clothing retailers are struggling with a mismatch between the inventory they have on hand and the merchandise their customers are clamoring for

• The slow (but dramatic) march forward in Elon Musk’s efforts to take Twitter private

The Supply Chain Buzz for May 9th with Greg White and Kelly Barner
Supply Chain Now
May 13, 2022

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

With regular host Scott Luton on the road, Kelly Barner, host of Dial P for Procurement, stepped in to kick the week off right with Greg White. After trying to logic their way through the fan appeal of the USFL, they took four top news stories and discussed them individually before looking for connections between them.

In this session, created in collaboration with a live Supply Chain Now audience, Kelly and Greg covered:

- Why the anticipated sudden reopening of the port in Shanghai may be too much of a good thing for other port cities around the world
- How successful Tempur Sealy is likely to be in their quest to diversify sourcing so they can mitigate the risk of future China lockdowns
- Whether working in the metaverse will help Kraft Heinz solve its supply chain problems
- Does our amusement at the Ukrainian “hacktivist” DDoS attack on Russia’s vodka supply chain outweigh the concern about cybersecurity in general?

Preparing for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and Regulations Featuring Constantine Limberakis with riskmethods
Supply Chain Now
May 12, 2022

Governments and regulators across the globe are stepping up their oversight of corporate operations so they can drive more ethical and environmentally sustainable business practices. Each effort to uncover harmful and unethical business practices – such as environmental degradation, unfair or unsafe working conditions, and modern slavery – increases the challenge for procurement and supply chain professionals increases.

One such example, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, takes effect on June 21, 2022. It states that all goods made in Xinjiang, China will be presumed to involve slave labor unless the company can prove otherwise. Like other ESG laws, the Uyghur FLPA will require companies to increase visibility into first-tier suppliers as well as sub-tier suppliers. What do we need to do to prepare for this act and other ESG laws and regulations?

In this livestream-based episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton welcome Constantine Limberakis, Senior Director of Global Product & Solutions Marketing at riskmethods, to discuss:

- Who the Uyghurs are and why they and the autonomous region of Xinjiang are they being singled out for international oversight
- What products and commodities are exported from this region, and how many industries and/or supply chains will be affected by the new law
- The questions that remain open about how this law will be enforced and what the penalties will be for those who do not comply

Looking at Risk Up Close, an Interview with Ukrainian Procurement Professional Maryna Trepova
Supply Chain Now
May 03, 2022

The whole world has experienced unprecedented disruption over the last couple of years, but none of it – not the supply shocks, not the port congestion, not the health concerns – comes close to the conditions experienced by the citizens of Ukraine. Some have left the country while family members remain to fight or attempt to carry on. Entrepreneurs find themselves in a precarious position, trying to preserve their businesses against an extraordinary backdrop.

Maryna Trepova is a career procurement professional, the CEO and Founder of IPSM. Earlier this year she left Kyiv with her son to escape the conflict. She is now running her procurement consulting business from Portugal, all the while working to stay in contact with family and friends still in Ukraine.

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Maryna joins Scott Luton and Kelly Barner to share her perspective on:
• The war in Ukraine, how it has affected her life, family, and work
• How she has learned to build trust with various stakeholder groups and use it as a foundation for creating procurement value
• The importance of having actual relationships with suppliers, not just performance metrics positioned as relationships buy the buy-side organization

Boots on the Ground in Shanghai, China feat. Jeffrey Goldstein, President of ONWARD Global
Supply Chain Now
April 14, 2022

The distance between the United States is far, and that statement remains true whether you are describing geography, culture, or business practices. But how much of what we have been led to believe about the country with the world’s second largest economy is true and how much is hype?

We decided to ask someone who is there, making a living bridging the gaps in supply chains and understanding between Chinese companies and their Western customers.

In this week’s Dial P for Procurement interview, Kelly Barner is joined by Jeffrey Goldstein, Founder & President of ONWARD Global. More important than his title though, is his location. Jeffrey has been based in Shanghai, China for the last 12 years. He works with international startups, brands, and retailers, serving as their on-the-ground representation in China, managing their sourcing, manufacturing, and ethical compliance.

In this interview, Kelly asks Jeffrey frank questions about:

How companies have partnered with firms based in China over the last couple of years despite the strict travel restrictions imposed as part of China’s ‘Zero COVID’ policy
Whether commonly held notions of what a ‘business relationship’ means in the West versus China are compatible
Procurement investments in digital transformation – have they improved interactions with Chinese suppliers?
The risks Western companies may be creating for themselves if they push Chinese suppliers too hard on price

The Prepared will Prevail: Investing in Collaborative Supply Chain Resilience
Supply Chain Now
December 06, 2021

Supply chain risk management is at the top of every corporate priority list right now. And while businesses have never had a time free from risk, the stakes are so high right now that the issue has become all-consuming. Since it is not an option to wait the risk out, wise organizations are investing in their own resilience and partnering with suppliers to strengthen their options.

Today’s business challenges are creating demand for a “new risk management,” one that turns visibility into actionability and connects enterprise responsibility with individual incentives for improved outcomes that stand the test of time.

In this episode, based on a Dial P for Procurement livestream, riskmethods’ Chief Product Officer & Managing Director of the Americas, Bill DeMartino, and Senior Director of Product & Solutions Marketing, Constantine Limberakis, discuss rebuilding confidence in the face of risk by establishing a single source of truth that people can trust and act upon:

– How companies can bolster the capabilities and confidence of their decision makers in the face of never-ending disruption

– Whether the uncertainty of the supply chain has taught procurement to truly partner with suppliers

– The difference between having visibility into the nth tier of the supply chain and achieving actionable transparency

Supplier Diversity Comes to the Forefront: The 2021 State of Supplier Diversity Report w Neeraj Shah
Supply Chain Now
November 01, 2021

Of all the initiatives to grab the headlines over the last two years, none has united the global business community like the call for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). For procurement and supply chain teams, supplier diversity presents an opportunity to make an immediate difference in traditionally underrepresented communities and to ensure that their commitment stands the test of time.

supplier.io recently completed their comprehensive annual study of supplier diversity programs across industries and from newly launched programs to those that have been in place for over a decade. Their 2021 State of Supplier Diversity Report not only captures the passion of the moment, but it also reflects trends dating back to 2017.

One of the most compelling findings of the 2021 report is that the number of new supplier diversity programs has skyrocketed. In fact, there was a 60% increase in representation from programs less than three years old. These new programs bring with them fresh enthusiasm and a previously unseen level of executive support.

In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Neeraj Shah, CEO of supplier.io, answers live questions about the current state of supplier diversity and what will be needed to drive towards a results-oriented future:

– How companies can turn intent into action in a way that promotes competitive advantages and collaborative partnerships with a diverse array of suppliers.

– Why measurement and reporting are so critical to supplier diversity programs’ ability to deliver results and grow meaningfully year over year

– What the most mature programs are doing to continue expanding their impact, including going global, pushing into tier 2 of the supply chain, and investing in supplier development

Key Takeaways from the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2021 - EMEA
Supply Chain Now
October 11, 2021

Mike Griswold is the Vice President of Research at Gartner, specializing in retail with a particular focus on forecasting and replenishment. He is responsible for Gartner’s annual Top 25 Supply Chain ranking and joins Supply Chain Now on a monthly basis to discuss the latest in retail supply chains from an analyst’s perspective. Gartner held the 2021 Supply Chain Symposium/XPO focused on the EMEA region a few weeks ago, and many of the topics affect businesses and supply chains in every part of the globe. All of the macro trends that were discussed have a dual focus – doing well while doing good and making sure that the priorities of the customer (whether B2B or B2C) are understood and embraced by decision-makers. In this episode, Mike shares his key takeaways from the 2021 EMEA Supply Chain Symposium/XPO with co-hosts Scott Luton and Kelly Barner, host of Dial P for Procurement:
Sustainable profit and sustainable profitability
The importance of having a shared purpose
Creating and strengthening value-aligned ecosystems

P is Also for Payments and (Credit Card) Processing with Jim Luff and Kris Lance
Supply Chain Now
October 04, 2021

Dial P regulars know that when you ‘dial p’ you get procurement – usually. But sometimes, p is for payments and credit card processing. Keeping in mind that one company’s payments become another company’s cash flow is absolutely critical in today’s hyperconnected supply ecosystems. All procurement professionals need to know how multiple forms of invoicing and payment work – and how they can support all suppliers’ desire to get paid sooner.

In this month’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton are joined by Jim Luff, Marketing Manager at Chosen Payments, and Kris Lance, Senior Director at Una. They answered all of our questions about how payment processing works, including credit card payments, chargebacks, and contactless payments.

During a conversation recorded live with the full participation of the Supply Chain Now ‘skybox’ audience, Jim and Kris answer questions such as:

The basics of payment processing in the context of corporate procurement and supply chain.
What happens in practice when a company’s customers take too long to pay them for products and services that have not only already been invoiced, in some cases they have already been delivered
What chargebacks are, how they work, and what enterprise procurement professionals need to know about them

Thursday Futures – The Future of Digital Business with Kelly and Kevin, Featuring Joshua Miller with Fund Black Tech
Supply Chain Now
September 30, 2021

Study after study indicates that diversity plays a critical role in improving revenue while making companies more agile and innovative in the face of constant change. And yet the tech industry continues to lag behind when it comes to investing in Black and Brown tech entrepreneurs. So C&I Studios Founder and CEO Joshua Miller set out to answer a simple question: why aren’t we funding Black tech? He sat down with us to discuss the core issues driving his forthcoming documentary, “Fund Black Tech,” and to share his insights from interviewing emerging entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and execs around the world. Learn more about C&I Studios, the documentary film making process, how companies can move beyond lip service when it comes to diversity – and much more.

Delivering an Experience that Builds Strong Relationships
Supply Chain Now
August 30, 2021

Everyone wants their customers to have a good experience but being able to live up to that standard consistently and at scale is not easy. Ideally, someone will take responsibility for creating positive experiences no matter the exact requirements. In this Dial P for Procurement livestream, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton are joined by Crystal Villareal, Member Services Manager at Una, and Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director at Art of Procurement.

In addition to hearing directly from Crystal and Phil, we also got solid advice from the best experience managers in the business: our canine colleagues. We got professional advice from Louie, Una’s VP of Snuggles, Rosalie, AOP’s Director of Canine Experience, Jasper, AOP’s SVP of Barkalytics, and Ruby and Dexter, “The Muscle” at Supply Chain Now.

During a conversation recorded as a livestream with the Supply Chain Now audience, Crystal and Phil shared their best practices for:

How to convert your vision for customer experiences into a set of tasks and priorities that guide your daily work
How to build on individual positive experiences over time, gradually nurturing them into a bigger relationship
Spotting the signs that you have successfully forged a value-oriented relationship with a customer or community member

Move Faster, Save More, and Look Better Doing It! With Anthony Clervi and Kris Lance from Una
Supply Chain Now
July 30, 2021

“In bank accounts and relationships, you make deposits and withdrawals. When you have to deliver a tough message, you’re essentially making a withdrawal. Hopefully you’ve made enough deposits – by earning trust and through your performance – to cover that withdrawal. That is the goal.”
– Anthony Clervi, Principal at Una

“If you get a rebuttal, stay curious – don’t shut it down. Understand why there is pushback. Staying curious enough to understand the impact to others is going to go a really, really long way.”
– Kris Lance, Senior Director at Una

With more spend and suppliers to manage than ever, many procurement teams are re-evaluating the category expertise they maintain in house and which buying decisions are managed by procurement v. being turned over to the business. In this conversation, Anthony Clervi and Kris Lance from Una, a Group Purchasing Organization, bring their sales and marketing experience along with a perspective refined through years of entrepreneurship to tackle this challenge and others.

Among their best advice is how to overcome objections – something procurement’s colleagues in sales do all the time. While procurement often hears a “no” and considers a conversation over, Kris suggests looking at that as the start of the discussion and taking it as an opportunity to learn as much as possible. Doing so may even win over procurement’s toughest critics and turn that no into a maybe or a yes.

Where Supply Chain, Logistics, and the Fine Art World Collide
Supply Chain Now
July 20, 2021

Everyone is so busy pushing the envelope on #supplychain speed and efficiency that it may go unnoticed when well-meaning innovations are used for questionable or nefarious purposes.



Case in point: global art markets. Some works of art are so valuable that they are thought of as investments rather than cultural treasures. This has led to the desire to obscure information about private trades, questions about forgeries, and even debates about the true definition of ‘art.’ Join Kelly Barner, Scott Luton, and Gugulethu Hughes as they consider where supply chain, #logistics, and the fine art world collide in this new Supply Chain Now episode.

The North Face Dilemma – What is your supply chain made of?
Supply Chain Now
June 30, 2021

Truth is often stranger than fiction. Sometimes a true story comes along that is not only strange, it is also instructional – if we give it the opportunity.

Case in point: the friction between North Face and the oil and gas industry, who – much to North Face’s chagrin – provide the substances and materials that make up a significant portion of the products they sell. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and Kelly Barner take on this true story and do their best to provide fair representation of all perspectives.

Dial P for Procurement: The Intersection of International Culture and Talent in Procurement
Supply Chain Now
June 18, 2021

“You’re more likely to get a better outcome if you learn and understand the ways that different cultures communicate and how they interact with each other – including the values that drive the culture.”
– Jacinta Taliauli, Senior Procurement Advisor at Ministry for Pacific Peoples

“I love procurement people because they control the cash.”
– Kim Winter, Founder & CEO, Logistics Executive Group



Although industries and supply chains are increasingly global, the cultural norms that prevail in each region vary. As we begin to work within those regions, it often becomes apparent that there are cultural differences at the country and even city or regional level. Each person has to be aware of their own cultural background as well as how those tendences align with the people they work with.

Jacinta Taliauli is a Senior Procurement Advisor at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Her parents moved from Tonga, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean with a population of around 100,000 people, to New Zealand before she was born. Although they moved so she they could raise her in a country with more opportunities, they still raised her in “the Tongan way,” a set of cultural values that combine flawless politeness, deference to authority, and a commitment to hard work.

In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Jacinta tells special guest Kim Winter and co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton about:
• The importance of culture, understanding what we share and the nuances of difference between and within each geographical region
• How public procurement differs from private sector or commercial procurement
• Ways to attract talented young professionals to the field of procurement, and the benefits to be realized by having a culturally diverse workforce

Collaborating with Suppliers Through Challenging Times
Supply Chain Now
June 15, 2021

Collaborating with suppliers isn’t easy. There are plenty of opportunities to work together, whether procurement is helping suppliers or vice versa.

Join us for the Dial P for Procurement Livestream Tuesday, 6/15 at 12 noon ET.

Hosts Kelly Barner & Scott Luton welcome Lori B. Chennault with Georgia-Pacific LLC and Jeanette Nyden with J.Nyden & Co. Inc.

Approaching Procurement with a Growth Mindset - A Dial P for Procurement Interview
Supply Chain Now
May 24, 2021

There are many paths people follow to start a career in procurement, but not a single one of them is a straight line. Although this can present challenges from a skills consistency perspective, more often than not, it actually serves to expand what procurement is capable of by ensuring that the team has a broad range of perspectives and experiences.

Over the last decade or so, procurement has ceased to be the place that people are sent so that they can’t do too much damage to the company. Procurement leaders are actively recruiting the best and brightest people from other functions and roles to join their ranks. Sam Achampong, the Regional Head and General Manager of the MENA Region for CIPS, is a perfect example. After playing a project management role in a cross-functional personnel rationalization effort, he was invited to join procurement. He accepted, and the rest is history.

In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Sam tells special guest Kim Winter and co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton:
- Why he found Dubai to be uniquely refreshing when he first arrived there, and how he tries to apply that same perspective to procurement
- The valuable position and influence that come with being an official ‘Chartered institute’ and the additional expectations it creates, especially in a region with so many participating countries
- Why it is absolutely critical for procurement to be aligned with the overall business strategy and the various types of value that allows them to create for the organization

Telling a Human Story About Digital Procurement Transformation
Supply Chain Now
May 19, 2021

When we talk about digital transformation, we are usually focused on the digital component. And why not? The most recent advances in technology are powerful and exciting. But we often overlook the human element in transformation. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, we are going to focus on the human ability to change, how to build human resilience, and the role of leadership in today's uncharted waters. Joins hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton as they welcome guests Marcell Vollmer with the Boston Consulting Group and Jacob Gorm Larsen with the Maersk Group to the livestream on 5/18 at 12 noon ET.

Recommended Procurement Webinars Nov 9-13: Valuable Supplier Relationships, Seismic Change, S2P Digital Transformation
Buyers Meeting Point
November 09, 2020

The shift from COVID response to recovery is clear to me in the events recommended below as well as the other events I’ve just added to the events calendar. Here’s an example, rather than supply chain disruption, companies seem to be focused on cash flow. It doesn’t mean that things are getting any easier, just changing to a more structural focus.

Recommended Procurement Webinars Nov 2-6: Mid-market Digital Transformation, Industries in 2021, and Supply
Buyers Meeting Point
November 02, 2020

If you are planning your procurement webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend checking out Procurious Big Ideas 2020 on November 18th. The pandemic has ‘leveled the playing field’ in a manner of speaking, turning all participants into digital delegates this year. I’ve provided some insight for the event, which also features #1 New York Times Selling Author Dr. Jonnie Penn ("What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?") and Nik Gowing, Co-author of “Thinking the Unthinkable.”

Recommended Procurement Webinars Oct 19-23: Third Party Risk, Lasting Supplier Diversity, Resilience v. Immunity
Buyers Meeting Point
October 19, 2020

This is the time of year when it becomes all too easy to count down the days and weeks left on the calendar. By my count, we have about 8 solid weeks remaining – when you allow for Thanksgiving and the natural phase out towards Christmas. 8 weeks… that’s either good news or bad news depending on your perspective.

If you are planning your procurement webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend “Digitally-enabled people for insight, resilience, and innovation” from Tradeshift and Spendency on November 10th.

Recommended Webinars September 14-18: Post-Crisis Procurement, Customer-Driven Digitalization, Food Supply
Buyers Meeting Point
September 14, 2020

I’m continuing to add new events to the calendar, both webinars and virtual conferences. While a virtual conference might not typically be your ‘thing,’ keep in mind that most of them are free to attend – meaning that 2020 is actually presenting us with opportunities to ‘attend’ events and hear from speakers that we wouldn’t have access to in a ‘normal’ year!

Recommended Webinars September 7-11: AI for Contract Analytics and Chasing Tail Spend
Buyers Meeting Point
September 07, 2020

Now that it is September, the fall conference season is upon us. Even though few will have the opportunity to gather in person, we can still make the most of these virtual chances to connect and learn. There are two upcoming virtual conferences I want to call particular attention to:

Mastermind LIVE: Art of Procurement’s Digital Procurement Event with a Difference
NESCON: The New England Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition
If you are planning your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend “International trade and compliance – what’s new in 2020?” From basware and EBG Network on September 16th at 2pm ET.

Recommended Procurement Webinars June 15-19: Best Practices for Uncertain Times, Increased Resilience, Flattening the Cost Curve
Buyers Meeting Point
June 15, 2020

Another week, another 10 events added to the calendar – all of which are taking place between now and the first week of July. There are 8 webinars this week and 11 next, and several events already listed for the week of July 4th. That may indicate that the pause in business that typically surrounds the July 4th holiday in the U.S. will be shorter than in more typical years.

Recommended Webinars June 8-12: Outlook 2000, Resilient Companies, and Aligned Procurement
Buyers Meeting Point
June 08, 2020

Last Tuesday I announced that Buyers Meeting Point has acquired MyPurchasingCenter, a website and online community much like BMP. This step increases our reach, audience, and – most importantly – our content base. Some of the best known writers in procurement and supply chain were authors for MPC, including Jon Hansen, Bill Michels, Dr. Tom DePaoli, Rich Weissman, and Elaine Porteous. Look for more on that front starting this week!

Recommended Webinars June 1-5: Managing Supplier Risk and Embracing Automation
Buyers Meeting Point
June 01, 2020

As we turn the corner into June, the pace of even virtual events has slowed back to what I would expect to see in the summer months of a ‘normal’ year, which this decidedly is not. One sign of light at the end of the tunnel is this: I added a live event (yes, live – in person and with people in attendance) for November of 2020. Time will tell if that is going to hold and what it will look like, but it feels like a glimmer of hope all the same.

Recommended Webinars May 25-29: Collaborate to Win, Manufacturing Resilience, and Virtual Procurement
Buyers Meeting Point
May 24, 2020

If you are outside of the U.S., just a quick reminder that Monday is Memorial Day, a Federal holiday and the unofficial start to summer. Most people are still marking the day in some fashion, but I suspect that very few will be taking to the roads, so the week should be relatively business-as-usual starting on Tuesday.

Recommended Procurement Webinars May 18-22: Risk, Resiliency, and Agility
Buyers Meeting Point
May 18, 2020

Holy webinars Batman! I added 14 new virtual events to the calendar last week. Clearly companies are embracing this method of reaching their desired audience (in the absence of an alternative). I just hope they aren’t all sad COVID-19 fallout events. If anyone hears about a webinar focused on how the ‘murder hornets’ are expected to affect the supply chain, please let me know?

Recommended Procurement Webinars April 27-May 1: A Crucial Coalition, Unlocking Strategic Value, CPO Rising 2020
Buyers Meeting Point
April 27, 2020

In addition to the events listed below, we also get one other fantastic gift this week – we FINALLY get to turn the calendar from April to May. I can’t think that I’m the only person that is past ready to bid farewell to April 2020 forever.

Supply Chain 2025: Outlook and Trends
ISM Rochester
January 14, 2025

In this episode, Kelly Barner, Head of Content and Operations, Art of Procurement will be discussing "Supply Chain 2025: Outlook and Trends".

LinkedIn LIVE Audio Event: Understanding the Why of #SupplierDiversity
YouTube
January 28, 2022

In this #SupplierDiversityDiscussions LinkedIn LIVE Audio Event, we'll come together to discuss the results of this week's poll - all focused on better understanding the 'Why' of supplier diversity. Featuring Philip Ideson, Helen Mackenzie, and Canda Rozier. Recorded LIVE on January 28, 2022.

Sourcing in 2022: Juggling Disruptions, Sustainability & Modernization
Keelvar
January 06, 2022

Procurement executives should take notice: A recent survey of sourcing professionals presents some hot topics for contemplation as we move into 2022. We’ll share data from sourcing experts on their top challenges, future plans, technology usage, and greatest worries. This panel discussion will react to key reveals from the recent Keelvar survey and put the data in context with real-world experiences.

Topics covered during this 45-minute presentation and roundtable:
• What are the top challenges keeping sourcing experts “up at night”? (Spoiler alert: disruptions rank high)
• What resourcing pressures do teams feel?
• Where are we with sustainability in the sourcing function?
• What’s the state and opportunity for e-sourcing technology adoption?
• What are key predictions for sourcing in 2022?

All attendees will receive a copy of the accompanying Voices of Sourcing ebook detailing the survey findings.

Introducing Dial P for Procurement
Supply Chain Now
January 19, 2021

Scott W. Luton and Kelly Barner host the “Dial P for Procurement” livestream series at 12pm ET on every 3rd Tuesday of the month in 2021. Scott, Kelly & featured guests will discuss procurement leadership best practices & some of the biggest issues facing procurement practitioners across the world of global supply chain. The series is jointly presented by Buyers Meeting Point & Supply Chain Now. Today’s episode features Anna McGovern, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Food Bank for New York City and Kathy Fulton, Executive Director for American Logistics Aid Network.

Cost Containment - Even More Important in a Post Covid World
Twitter
October 23, 2020

Join us on November 5th as Kelly Barner & Rod Sherkin speak on Cost Containment - Even More Important in a Post Covid World! Such an important topic

Post COVID-19 Supply Chains: What is Needed to Adapt
Supply Chain Now
August 21, 2020

After COVID-19, most companies will be cash poor, margin hungry, and riveted on boosting supply chain resilience.

They say, “forewarned is forearmed,” but what specific actions should we take? Join Rod Sherkin, President of ProPurchaser, and Kelly Barner, Owner of Buyers Meeting Point, as they team up to share their insights on the challenges our profession will face and the solutions we can implement to thrive in a post COVID-19 world.

Kelly kicks off this discussion by explaining how some of today’s “best practices” may no longer be best, e.g.: building just-in-time supply chains, supplier rationalization, and pursuing low prices.

Rod continues the presentation with practical advice to prepare you for what's coming - how to keep the focus on cost containment while building resilience into your supply chain.

2020 CIPS/HAYS North America Procurement Salary Guide and Insights Webinar
CIPS/Hays
August 04, 2020

The CIPS/Hays Procurement Salary Guide and Insights 2020 is currently available for North America. On July 8, 2020 we will be hosting a live webinar providing an in depth understanding of the North America survey findings, including skills in demand for the future.

This years' report provides a fascinating insight into the challenging social, political and economic environment in which organizations are operating in; combined with the digital revolution resulting in the increasingly complex demands being placed on procurement and supply chain management. As a result, business leaders are turning to procurement for solutions to reduce risk and find new opportunities. It has never been more important to have fully qualified professionals in the team with the right skills to deliver.

The Road to a Successful Compliance Technology Purchase
MyComplianceOffice
July 16, 2020

Purchasing software or choosing a vendor can be a multi-faceted effort. Firms are expected to maximise profits and reduce costs and the fast-paced regulatory environment is preventing them from achieving this.

Consequently, the role of Compliance and Procurement within financial services is set to be more tactical than ever as organizations look to gain value through their choice of compliance technology.

Firms are facing higher levels of regulatory scrutiny and are counting on vendors to help them mitigate risks. At large firms, procurement teams are an essential player in helping to manage risk factors and ensure support to the compliance team when choosing a compliance solution.

In this webinar, Kelly Barner, Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point looks at what compliance officers need to know about working with procurement when implementing new software and the importance of each player in the buying cycle.

Procurement and supply chain: Today's most crucial coalition
Fairmarkit
April 30, 2020

The interconnectedness between supply chain and procurement is critical, especially during these unprecedented times. Listen to procurement experts, Jill Robbins Senior Director, Global Indirect Procurement at Elanco, Kelly Barner, Owner & Managing Director at Buyers Meeting Point, and Erin McFarlane, Head of Strategy at Fairmarkit, as they discuss how to creatively work with suppliers to bring innovation across your supply chain.

Category Management: Overcoming Barriers to Sources of Value and Innovation in Your Supply Base
Buyers Meeting Point
December 01, 2020

Category management is one of the many processes – like spend analysis, supplier performance management, and strategic sourcing – that form the center of procurement’s domain.

One thing that all of these processes have in common is a reliance on technology for consistency, scalability, and success. What is not the same, however, is the precise connection between the process and supporting technology. Process-driven practices like spend analysis and strategic sourcing have an almost 1:1 relationship with technology, while the exact role that technology plays in executing a category management program is not as clear.

I recently authored a whitepaper in cooperation with the JAGGAER team, titled Category Management: Overcoming Barriers to Sources of Value and Innovation in Your Supply Base. In this paper, we make the argument that category management is often both misunderstood and under automated. While these obstacles have led to a great deal of frustration, and even an inability of category management to gain traction and deliver ROI in some organizations, technology can play a key role in increasing adherence to the key principles of category management and generating tangible results.

The Procurement AI Gameplan Workbook
Art of Procurement
March 11, 2019

There are an increasing number of examples of how AI and machine learning add value in procurement. They include spend classification, capturing supplier information from public sources, and parsing the key terms from lengthy, complex contract documents. Automation can be implemented as a pilot project or an enterprise-wide effort, and it can improve legacy processes as well as parts of the business that have been deliberately re-worked to leverage the unique advantages of AI.

Boosting Supplier Performance with 360° Information
SynreTrade
July 16, 2018

What a company wants from each supplier varies widely by industry and spend category, with one exception: transparency. Procurement (and the internal stakeholders they support) are always on the lookout for opportunities to increase supply chain visibility.

In this paper we will consider the impact that building an actionable 360° picture of supplier performance has on the long term success of third party relationships by combining:
- Supplier onboarding
- Profile enrichment
- Performance scorecarding

In 2025, supply chain professionals will embrace the fact that they cannot expect to do their jobs without interference from geopolitics. Trade policy, international regulations, and moving goods to, from, and through active war zones will all have to be considered as part of strategy development as well as cost and risk calculations. Leaders will need to add to the breadth and depth of their knowledge base while developing nerves of steel in order to succeed. Supply chain has never been a field for those preferring safety, but it is about to reach a new level of corporate adventure and intrigue.

2024 is the year that supply chain professionals will find a language that they are comfortable using to manage the most sensitive issues companies face. Human rights, diversity, environmental impact, and global politics, are challenging, but all of them intersect with most supply chains. Rather than shying away from these topics (and the operational issues that accompany them), supply chain professionals will settle into a set of specific terms and expressions that allow them to address these thorny issues without sounding polarizing or unprofessional.

I predict that companies – and maybe even consumers – will finally differentiate between problems WITH the supply chain and problems IN the supply chain. Is a challenge happening because of a tier 3, tier 4, or tier X supplier’s performance or is a disruption being caused by an inability to move products and materials from point A to point B? If we can’t be precise in our discussions about the supply chain, how can we hope to be strategic about increasing its resilience?

I predict that in 2021, the two 'hemispheres' of procurement - cost savings and value creation - will finally coexist in harmony. Rather than being the result of procurement's internal elevation or expansion, it will be as a result of the extreme pressure being put on companies to remain profitable while staying competitive in the shadow of the pandemic. Procurement is entering into this time of pressure as carbon, and will emerge as diamonds.

The phrase “digital transformation” will be replaced by multiple, more specific initiatives as the failure to deliver concrete results eats away at corporate interest and willingness to invest.

Rationale: The promise of digital transformation has been accepted without proper scrutiny. This has made it difficult to set objectives and measure ROI. Rather than being everything to everyone, digital transformation now means nothing at all.

Action: Executives in the middle of a transformational effort should focus on specifics: what technology, what results, what timeline? Companies just starting a digital journey should learn from others and demand clarity and specificity before moving forward.

The AI Whitepaper That Shook $17.4 Billion Out of the Freight Industry
Thinkers360
March 16, 2026

In February of 2026, a company that got its start as a manufacturer of karaoke machines managed to destroy $17.4 Billion in freight market value in under 24 hours.

Their solution, SemiCab, is an AI-enabled technology that promises to reduce wasted freight miles. They released a whitepaper explaining the model and the potential benefits - and turned the freight market upside down.

They may only be a $3 Million company, and they may not have any U.S. based customers, but that didn’t matter.

Listen here: https://artofprocurement.com/blog/supply-how-a-3m-company-destroyed-17b-in-freight-market-value

 

Dropping ‘Deadhead’ Miles

If SemiCab can really solve the waste associated with carriers running “deadhead” or unused miles, freight companies could find themselves operating at nearly 100% capacity without adding drivers or purchasing additional equipment. The problem is, it would also commoditize freight services and erase any pricing leverage the companies might hold.

Deadhead miles are not a new problem - or a small one. 

As CNBC reported, trucks are driving empty nearly one out of every three miles. That leads to the loss of over $1 Trillion in potential freight spending each year. (Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/trucking-and-logistics-stocks-tumble-on-release-of-ai-freight-scaling-tool.html)

When Forbes interviewed Algorhythm CEO Gary Atkinson about the model and its potential economic impact, he said, “In trucking, especially food, inefficiency is invisible because it’s diluted. You’re spreading the cost across millions of grocery items, so no one sees the waste directly. But consumers still pay for it.” (Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2026/01/31/how-an-airline-analogy-is-reframing-the-cost-of-food/)

How could a change that sounds like great news be such bad news for carriers?

 

Multi-Industry Disruption

Logistics is not the only industry that has been hit by an AI-fueled optimization shock in recent weeks. Software and commercial real estate have seen similar dynamics.

CNBC reported that software firms, “once valued for their sticky subscriptions and dependable renewals are now under scrutiny as AI threatens to automate workflows, squeeze pricing, and lower the barriers for new rivals to enter the market.” The Financial Times described a broad two-week period of elevated AI-related trading volatility, with investors “selling first and asking questions later.” (Sources: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/04/software-stocks-plunge-us-ai-disruption.html, https://www.ft.com/content/d52b97ba-8199-4877-b210-e7575cbdcaf2)

Established companies and their CEOs are giving up easily. Most of them are trying to stay positive (at least publicly) about the impact of AI on their business models, market share, and profitability.

CBRE is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. Their CEO, Bob Sulentic insists that his team can create value despite the disruption of AI: “We’ve become quite confident that that business really is driven by this strategic creative thinking that our brokers do. [...] And we think that’s going to continue to be the case, and we haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary.” (Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/office-real-estate-stocks-tumble-as-ai-disruption-casualties-in-the-stock-market-grow-by-the-day.html)

C.H. Robinson released a similar statement in the aftermath of the February 12th freight market selloff: “We believe AI will only continue to strengthen our performance and widen our competitive moat.” (Source: https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/meet-the-former-karaoke-company-that-sank-trucking-stocks-018ddde1?st=21WjbA)

No well-run company is ignoring the potential impact of AI, whether positive or negative. Scale, experience, relationships, and data still matter, but if markets are going to undergo these serious swings in response to relatively straightforward marketing content, we’re in for a very bumpy ride.

 

But will it work?

Reaching 100% capacity utilization would ultimately redistribute uncovered value across the freight ecosystem. If it uncovers that value all at once because the optimization is driving at the speed of AI, the effect can clearly be destabilizing without having shown any results.

As The Wall Street Journal noted in their coverage of this story, “SemiCab founder and CEO Ajesh Kapoor said the firm is facilitating thousands of loads a month in India. By comparison, C.H. Robinson manages more than 100,000 shipments a day.” (Source: https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/meet-the-former-karaoke-company-that-sank-trucking-stocks-018ddde1?st=21WjbA)

When you look at the disruption in that context, it seems like maybe people are putting too much faith in the ability of AI to drive results and maybe not asking enough questions about whether it will work at scale.

In my opinion, the SemiCab whitepaper went viral because someone figured out they were linked to a karaoke manufacturer. That is just quirky enough to seize everyone’s imagination. But does the SemiCab solution work? 

We will have to wait to get the answer to that question.

As Brendan Hopkins, investor relations for Algorhythm said, “No publicity is bad publicity.” He was certainly right under the circumstances. (Source: https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/meet-the-former-karaoke-company-that-sank-trucking-stocks-018ddde1?st=21WjbA)

Testing Suez: Economics Are Driving Carriers Back Into the Red Sea
Thinkers360
February 16, 2026

In late 2023, one of the most important arteries of global trade didn’t just become dangerous. It became functionally unusable.

After Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel, Houthi militants began targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea. What began as attacks on Israel-linked ships quickly expanded into something far less selective: virtually anything that moved. Confidence in the Suez Canal, which typically carries roughly 10 to 12 percent of global seaborne trade, eroded almost overnight.

Carriers diverted thousands of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding roughly 3,300 nautical miles and about 10 days to each Asia–Europe voyage. The longer route meant higher fuel burn, slower asset turns, and mounting costs across fragile supply chains, but it also offered safety. The industry adapted, but at a steep operational price.

Now, Maersk is cautiously testing a return to the Suez Canal and the world is watching.

On January 11–12, 2026, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Denver completed a two-day transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, following a similar passage by Maersk Sebarok in December 2025.

Maersk described the voyage as an “additional sailing,” emphasizing a gradual, “stepwise approach” to any broader return. Its statement stressed that safety measures were applied and that customers with cargo onboard were informed directly. (Whether those customers were informed before or after the passage was not part of the statement.)

The return is not being driven by sudden stability. It is being driven by economics.

Global ocean capacity currently exceeds demand. U.S. import volumes have softened, freight rates are under pressure, and carrier profits are tightening. The Suez route spans roughly 8,500 nautical miles and takes about 26 days, compared to approximately 11,800 miles and 36 days via southern Africa. Shorter voyages reduce fuel costs and improve vessel utilization — powerful incentives in a weak rate environment.

Geopolitical risk, however, has not disappeared. Iran continues to support the Houthis, even as domestic unrest complicates Tehran’s external posture. Since October 2023, Houthis have targeted more than 100 merchant ships. They sank four, seized one, and killed eight seafarers, according to gCaptain. Red Sea traffic remains roughly 60 percent below pre-crisis levels.

Even a broader reopening would carry side effects. BIMCO’s Niels Rasmussen has warned that returning to shorter routings could reduce overall ship demand by about 10 percent by releasing excess capacity back into the market. When Maersk announced it would restart Suez Canal usage on its MECL service beginning January 26, its share price fell roughly 5 percent. The market understands the risk of return and also of releasing additional ocean freight capacity.

Other carriers remain cautious. CMA CGM has conducted limited Suez transits when conditions allowed, while Hapag-Lloyd has said it is not currently planning a return. As Trans.INFO observed, isolated sailings do not equal a reopened corridor — the Red Sea is being tested, not trusted.

For supply chain leaders, that distinction is critical. Economic pressure may reopen the chokepoint, but the fragility that closed it remains.

Explore other episodes of Art of Supply here.

Tariffs, Data, and the Complexity of Compliance
Thinkers360
January 15, 2026

GE Appliances has earned largely positive headlines in recent years for its reshoring strategy. The company has invested heavily in renovating and expanding domestic manufacturing facilities while also working to rebuild partnerships with U.S.-based suppliers. Those efforts were already underway when Trump Administration tariffs took effect; while tariffs didn’t change GE Appliances’s direction, they did accelerate the pace of investment.

In the middle of this reshoring momentum, however, GE Appliances found itself under scrutiny. Whirlpool, a competitor in the home appliance space, raised concerns about how GE Appliances—and two other manufacturers—were managing the cost of tariffs. Whirlpool alleged that GE Appliances was underreporting the value of certain imported appliances, thereby reducing customs duties owed without passing savings on to consumers.

The Allegations

Whirlpool’s claims were based on publicly available customs data and its understanding of competitor manufacturing footprints. According to Whirlpool, starting in June there were sharp drops—ranging from 50 to 90 percent—in declared per-unit import values for certain appliances, including garbage disposals from China, gas ranges from Thailand, and front-load washers from South Korea.

As reported by the New York Post, consumer prices for those appliances did not fall alongside the reported import values. If accurate, such discrepancies would suggest customs violations and pose serious reputational risk for a legacy American manufacturer. Although Whirlpool did not file a formal complaint, it shared its analysis with federal officials, triggering further review.

Customs brokers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection ultimately concluded that the anomalies were more likely the result of data-entry errors than fraud. After steel tariffs took effect, changes in reporting processes led some brokers and importers to unintentionally overstate quantities, which in turn made per-unit values appear artificially low. Some data has since been revised, though Whirlpool maintains that sharp valuation drops remain.

GE Appliances’s Response

GE Appliances responded forcefully, emphasizing its commitment to customs compliance and disputing Whirlpool’s analysis. The company noted that Whirlpool accused it of importing a type of dryer it does not produce, calling the underlying data into question.

“We value competition and believe it is good for U.S. consumers,” GE Appliances said in one statement, “but this attack from Whirlpool looks like frustration over their own lagging performance.” In another, the company criticized Whirlpool for misusing customs data and attempting to “weaponize it for competitive advantage.”

Spotlight or Searchlight?

GE Appliances’s reshoring efforts remain significant. The company has invested billions in U.S. plants, strengthened domestic supplier ecosystems, partnered with universities, and leaned into automation to boost productivity. At the same time, Whirlpool’s allegations underscore an uncomfortable reality: bold strategic moves invite scrutiny.

Reshoring does not insulate companies from the pressures of global trade policy, enforcement risk, or competitive tactics. Whether this episode proves to be a distraction or a defining test, GE Appliances’s experience highlights how visibility cuts both ways. For procurement and supply chain leaders, it is a reminder that rebuilding domestic manufacturing at scale requires not just investment and vision, but resilience under the spotlight.

Built to Fail? The OceanGate Supply Chain Story
Thinkers360
December 17, 2025

On June 18, 2023, the OceanGate TITAN imploded on the way to the Titanic wreck site, killing all five passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. 

OceanGate never planned to design and construct their own submersible, but they found that no other company could build exactly what they needed. That left them with no other option but to create their own, and they started by buying and modifying existing craft.

The ANTIPODES, used from 2009-2013, was a purchased, steel hulled submersible that OceanGate quickly discovered was never going to be able to reach the Titanic. 

The CYCLOPS 1, another purchased steel hulled craft formerly known as the LULA’500, was more expensive, but it still wasn’t fit for the company’s purpose.

The CYCLOPS 2, which would eventually become known as the TITAN, was the first submersible that OceanGate took the lead on. It had 2 hulls, and each hull had a different supply base. Both hulls failed in the end.

Hull 1 was used from 2018 to 2019 when it had to be retired from service because it cracked. OceanGate worked with Spencer Composites, to build the submersible’s carbon-composite cylinder. They were the only company in the world that had already made a carbon fiber hull for a manned submersible.

When that hull failed, OceanGate began working on a second hull for the TITAN and built a new supply network of less experienced suppliers to do so. Hull 2 was in service from 2021 until the end in 2023. 

All innovation has to be counterbalanced with ethics - and, ideally, transparency.

Did OceanGate’s suppliers know that the manufacturing challenges they were struggling to overcome would ultimately lead to the fatal dive? In retrospect, OceanGate was clearly pushing past the warning signs, but did the suppliers do the same? 

The mere mention of ‘governance’ often makes people roll their eyes in boredom, but in this case, due diligence might have saved lives. Sometimes the most important thing a supplier can do, the most valuable contribution they can make, is to slow things down. Even if they do so for the sake of self-preservation, others can benefit.

Many members of the OceanGate leadership team walked away once they could no longer stand by the company’s choices. They were drawn to the team by the opportunity to do something new and push boundaries - but within certain limits, such as reverence for safety. 

Innovation is not just about who moves first. It is about who operates safely, sustainably, and with integrity.

OceanGate’s suppliers didn’t go down with the TITAN, but their work did. Five human beings were lost along with years’ worth of work and investment. The implosion of the submersible wasn’t just physical; it was a collapse of oversight, communication, and shared accountability.

No innovation is worth pursuing if the supply base can’t safely support it, or if decision makers have to look the other way in order to achieve their objectives.

Listen to the full episode of Art of Supply here: https://artofprocurement.com/blog/supply-oceangate-and-the-limits-of-supply-base-innovation

How Soybeans Became a Geopolitical Power Play
Thinkers360
November 17, 2025

Soybeans may be bland eating, but they spice things up in global trade conversations all the time.

As one of the most critical crops exported from the United States to China, they often become the flash point in trade talks, whether tariffs are on the table or not. China has wisely diversified their sources of soybeans over the last couple of decades to reduce their reliance upon the United States. This reduces the leverage of the U.S. - and U.S. soybean farmers - every time words fail and demand is withheld.

Brazilian soybean exports to China surged to 70 percent in 2012. They hit a peak of 82 percent in 2018, during the U.S.-China trade war. In 2013, Brazil passed the U.S. to become the world’s largest exporter of soybeans thanks to China’s demand. This year, China is buying even more soybeans from Brazil than they usually would, as part of their effort to resist buying from U.S. sources.

But Brazil isn’t the only soybean competition the U.S. faces on the world stage. Argentina is in the mix as well.

In October, Argentina announced that they would cut their export taxes on soybeans and other grains for a short, 3-day window. During that time, China made huge purchases from them. At first glance, all is fair in love and war - why shouldn’t Argentina seize the opportunity? 

Many U.S. businesses would like to reshore manufacturing production to the United States, or at least move it out of China.

Ironically, China used to be the world’s biggest producer of soybeans. Somehow, the United States managed to get that away from them - until 2013 when Brazil took the lead with China’s help.

According to a History of Soybean Production and Trade in China (1949-1980s), in 1933, China and Manchuria (an independent nation at the time) produced 87 percent of the world’s soybeans. Production plummeted in the late 1950s and 1960s as Chinese society was reorganized again and again. China first imported soybeans from the U.S. in 1977, and after that, they were a net importer of soybeans every year but one.

Ironically, 2025 has been a great production year for U.S. soybean farmers, so they have more than their usual crop to try and sell or store. What will happen to these producers long term?

Farmers and industry representatives, as well as members of the Trump Administration are traveling the world, trying to find demand to close the gap created by China’s decision to walk away. Ironically, China’s decision to buy predominantly from Brazil has driven up the cost of their soybean supply, so the U.S. may be able to present itself as a cost competitive alternative.

Others have floated the idea of biomass-diesel production, turning soybean byproducts into fuel, but it will take years for demand to rise to the point where it cancels out China’s demand, if it is possible at all.

This is ultimately a matter of supply, demand, and covering your backside. China recognized that they were overly dependent on the U.S. for soybeans, and took active steps to develop new markets for themselves to buy from. Whether the U.S. recognized they were overly dependent on China’s demand or not, they didn’t take the same active steps. That has left not just farmers, but fertilizer producers, farming equipment manufacturers, and transportation providers all hanging in the lurch.

Target Pulls Back on “Stores as Hubs” Strategy as Omnichannel Dreams Falter
Thinkers360
October 15, 2025

Between 2015 and 2017, major retailers rode the wave of what became known as omnichannel shopping. Consumers wanted freedom: the ability to shop in-store or online, to pick up at the curb, have items delivered, or receive regular parcel shipments.

For retailers, it was both an opportunity and a logistical puzzle. Integrating inventory, data, and delivery options seamlessly promised profits—but demanded precision. According to research published in the Harvard Business Review, omnichannel customers spent 4% more per in-store visit and 10% more online than single-channel shoppers. With each additional channel used, in-store spending rose even higher.

That data spurred ambitious experiments across the industry. Among them: Target’s “stores as hubs” initiative. Beginning in 2017, the retailer poured $7 billion into transforming the backrooms of its stores into fulfillment centers for online orders. The move was hailed as a cost-efficient alternative to warehouse shipping—Target estimated store-based fulfillment was 40% cheaper.

But after years of investment, the program is being wound down. Target has confirmed plans to scale back the initiative in 30 to 40 markets after testing a rollback in Chicago earlier this year.

Despite shipping 96% of online orders from stores, the numbers tell a sobering story. Target’s stock has fallen more than 60% since its late-2021 peak, and sales have stagnated for four years. Executives cite inflation and tariffs, but employees point to burnout from balancing in-store work with online order fulfillment.

Stores have struggled to keep shelves stocked, and customer service has suffered. Incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke told investors during the Q2 2025 earnings call that inventory reliability is improving and technology will play an even larger role ahead.

Industry analysts say Target’s retreat underscores a broader truth: omnichannel strategies only succeed when execution matches ambition. The next frontier—unified commerce—aims to bridge the gap. But for now, Target’s bid to be “all things to all shoppers” may have stretched the brand too thin.

China Outpaces U.S. in Shipbuilding: 1,000 to 8
Thinkers360
September 15, 2025

In April, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance. The EO is aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on foreign-built ships. Because this is a matter of national security, federal agencies must deliver a Maritime Action Plan by November 5, 2025.

The scale of the challenge is stark. According to the U.S. Navy’s own data, China has 232 times America’s shipbuilding capacity. In 2024, China built over 1,000 commercial vessels, while the U.S. produced just eight. China also manufactures 80% of ship-to-shore cranes and 96% of shipping containers used in the U.S., while domestic production of both sits at zero.

Shipbuilding is capital-intensive, and America’s labor shortages and slow procurement process will make recovery difficult. As the saying goes, “Having a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.” Reliance on others has left the U.S. vulnerable both militarily and commercially - it is no longer enough to have a friend with a boat.

China’s edge stems in part from their Military-Civil Fusion strategy. This approach integrates civilian and defense shipyards to accelerate and optimize the output of both markets. As the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) noted, “This expansion is largely facilitated by China’s extensive network of dual-use shipyards, which simultaneously produce both commercial vessels and advanced warships.”

China is able to share costs, spread technology, and sustain growth across both sectors. By contrast, the U.S. has struggled to attract private capital into military shipbuilding, though some see future potential in such public-private partnerships.

Meanwhile, Beijing is consolidating their capabilities. In August, two state-owned giants merged to form the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) in a $16 billion deal. They immediately controlled 17% of global market share. According to CSIS, “China’s largest state-owned shipbuilder built more commercial vessels by tonnage in 2024 than the entire U.S. shipbuilding industry has built since the end of World War II.”

Both parties in Washington agree the gap is a problem. Whether that consensus is enough to narrow it remains to be seen, but our supply chains have no time to lose.

Unreasonable Hospitality, Unforgettable Management Lessons
Thinkers360
August 18, 2025

One of my guilty pleasures is the TV show Bar Rescue. I think Jon Taffer is brilliant, even with all the shouting. The way he storms into a failing bar and turns it around feels like ‘operations theater.’ He brings a scientific approach to running a restaurant: food cost percentages, profit margins on mixed drinks versus bottled beer, benchmarking against local income levels. If you don’t know those numbers, you’re not truly managing your business.

And yet, even with Taffer’s systems and publicity, most “rescued” bars fail. That got me thinking: can a business truly be cost-effective, operationally sound, and customer-friendly, all at once?

That question came back to me when I picked up a copy of Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara. Guidara’s story is about Eleven Madison Park, a New York fine-dining restaurant that rose from being ranked 50th in the world to #1 in 2017. Their journey wasn’t just about the food; it was about vision, systems, guest experience, and leadership. 

 

Vision and Systems

In 2010, Guidara and his chef-partner, Daniel Humm, attended the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony. They came in dead last but they left with a vision: We will become number one. 

Unlike many fine-dining establishments that focus solely on the food, Eleven Madison Park focused equally on the dining room experience and the people and systems that supported it. They developed processes for everything, including hand signals between staff to avoid interrupting guests, precise timing for delivering checks without making customers feel rushed, and careful employee onboarding methods to ensure consistency.

That obsession with systems translates perfectly to operational roles. Process discipline isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about freeing up capacity to focus on the small touches that elevate the experience for stakeholders and customers.

 

The 95-5 Rule

One of Guidara’s early insights came before Eleven Madison Park, when he ran a gelato cart at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. He insisted on buying tiny, imported blue spoons that he described as “preposterously expensive” but perfect for the guest experience.

He justified the splurge with his 95-5 rule: manage 95 percent of costs with ruthless efficiency, and reserve 5 percent for purposeful extravagance. That 5 percent can have an outsized impact on the customer’s perception.

For procurement, this idea could win over budget-resistant stakeholders. Imagine telling marketing, “If we manage 95 percent of your spend tightly, we can give you 5 percent to spend almost foolishly—but with intent.” It reframes savings as a path to delight rather than deprivation.

 

What Unreasonable Hospitality Really Means

Early in the book, Guidara writes about a guest who kept leaving his table to feed a parking meter. A staff member quietly took over the task so the guest could enjoy his meal uninterrupted. That spirit of anticipating needs became deliberate. Guidara began training staff to look for moments to surprise and delight.

In business, unreasonable hospitality doesn’t have to be elaborate. It might be carving out time to brainstorm with a stakeholder or giving a supplier unexpected positive feedback. The key is creating systems that handle 95 percent of the routine work, leaving space for creative, human touches.

 

Excellence in the “Last Inch”

I see Guidara’s “last inch” in hospitality as being just like the “final mile” in a supply chain. After all the planning, sourcing, cooking, and plating, if a server sets the dish down carelessly, the moment is diminished. We have to slow down and get it right.

As he says, “Excellence is the culmination of thousands of details executed perfectly.” And that pursuit can be uncomfortable. Most people won’t have the persistence to sustain it. But for those who do, it can become a defining competitive advantage.

 

Resilience Through Adversity

The 2008 recession forced Eleven Madison Park to make hard choices.They switched to less expensive chef hats, offered affordable lunches, and cut costs without hurting the guest experience. Ironically, the lunches brought in younger diners who would later become loyal customers.

They also weathered bad reviews by absorbing the emotional hit and then redirecting their energy into improvement. This is a leadership skill in any industry: resist defensiveness, address real issues, and turn challenges into opportunities.

 

The Fragility of Success

Here’s the sobering part. After achieving their #1 goal, Guidara left the partnership. The pandemic hit, tipping was eliminated, the menu became strictly plant-based, and staff turnover spiked. The restaurant remains open, but it’s no longer performing at its peak.

The takeaway? Vision, systems, customer experience, and leadership have to work together continuously. Without the right leader at the right time, even the best operations can fade. That is true whether you are running a dive bar, a procurement team, or the world’s top restaurant.

Unreasonable Hospitality isn’t just a restaurant book. It’s a blueprint for elevating any operation. Manage the 95 percent with precision, invest the 5 percent with purpose, obsess over the last inch, and bring your whole team along for the journey. That’s how you go from good to great - and stay there.

Dial P for Procurement Features Leaders from the Humanitarian Supply Chain
Thinkers360
January 27, 2021

“…a donkey with a stick behind him and a carrot in front always goes forwards and not backwards.” - Tony Wendice, Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock) Procurement, supply chain, and mystery may not be the most natural combination, but they come together seamlessly in my new Supply Chain Now livestream: Dial P for Procurement. Broadcast on LinkedIn, Twitter, Twitch and more on the third Tuesday of each month, Dial P brings together a constantly changing cast of procurement executives, providers, and thought leaders. We’ll use the time to investigate the nuanced – and constantly evolving – boundary of the procurement/supply chain divide. In the first episode, broadcast on January 19th, Scott Luton and I welcomed Anna McGovern, Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Food Bank for New York City, and Kathy Fulton, Executive Director of the American Logistics Aid Network. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure how to approach these amazing ladies, both of whom are putting their professional skills to use for the betterment of others. They provided me and the audience with a welcome education on nonprofit supply chain management – a discipline that has an awful lot in common with corporate procurement and supply chain. For instance: Your customer is what matters most Most corporate procurement teams are pretty separated from their company’s consumers and target market. For that reason, we often refer to internal stakeholders as customers, a practice that has incentivized better technology, less friction in the buying process, and improved soft skills. What it hasn’t done is keep procurement’s focus in alignment with what the company as a whole is working to achieve. For that, we really need to keep our eye on the ball, focusing on enterprise-wide branding and market share initiatives and contributing to them in any way possible. Anna pointed out that if her team falls short, someone goes to bed without dinner: a humbling and inspiring reminder of how and why the customer must remain king. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast Since Kathy is almost entirely focused on responding to crises and disruptions, she has learned to remain calm in the midst of chaos. She advocates an important practice that all of us can learn from: slowing down to focus on building trusted relationships and partnerships long before they are needed. Then, when you need to call in a favor or ask a partner to step above the usual expectations, you know they will be ready and willing. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t tough conversations in those relationships. As long as there are common or aligned interests, everyone can keep pulling in the right direction. If you have to do it, do it with heart One of the most memorable moments in the livestream was when we were talking about what drives people to dedicate themselves to nonprofit organizations. Anna and Kathy agreed that commitment to a cause is one of the most motivating factors they have seen. Working with both passion and purpose can make even the most difficult work light. Before 2020, I might have felt obliged to point out that, being more familiar with corporate procurement and supply chain, I couldn’t possibly understand. Now that we’ve weathered almost a year of pandemic fallout, I’ve had the opportunity to see all kinds of procurement professionals step up and do amazing things: selfless dedication that we can all be proud of. The on-demand video of January’s Dial P for Procurement can be seen here, and the audio is also available as a podcast here. Mark your calendar for 12n ET on February 16th as we once again go live with Dial P.

Dear Procurement… I need to make a profit!
Thinkers360
July 23, 2020

I often receive questions about procurement from all directions and perspectives. I recently received one from an entrepreneur that I thought everyone might benefit from reading my answer to. The question related to the onerous requirements and processes that procurement teams put up which are expensive, time-consuming, and often push for early pay discounts regardless of the size of the vendor or the size or duration of the contract. In this case, procurement was hindering business between the parties, rather than facilitating it, and the entrepreneur was questioning whether to walk away. If you’re a small business owner, you’re certainly not alone in being fed up with “us” – meaning corporate procurement. That seems like a funny thing to say these days, as I’m not really in procurement anymore. I am on the small vendor side and I completely sympathize with your procurement overhead struggles. That said, I think I can connect the two sides of my experience – being in corporate procurement and running my own B2B business – to provide some actionable advice that you and others may be able to use to protect your bottom line while aggressively growing the top line. 1. When a customer’s processes or requirements drive up your costs, you have to increase your prices to cover them. Whenever possible, make sure they know what they are doing to make themselves expensive to serve. If they have a procurement team with any sense at all, that will raise red flags all over the place. If they don’t care, don’t walk away - RUN! 2. Only raise prices on the companies that drive up your costs; don’t try to distribute the increased overhead across clients or packages. That indirectly forces easy to serve companies to ‘subsidize’ the difficult ones and punishes the wrong companies for the wrong reasons. 3. Take the proposed length of the agreement into consideration, especially if you suspect the customer will be high maintenance. The harder they push for things like early pay discounts, etc., the longer you should push the agreement. It should make sense to them that if you are going to take on risk for them, you need some certainty (and liquidity!) to protect yourself in return. 4. Don’t agree to ‘volume discounts’ if they aren’t associated with efficiencies on your part. People often ask me, “How much will you lower your prices if I promise to hire you to do more writing for me?” I tell them that more work is just more work. It isn’t like building components where I realize an economy of scale by doing more writing. If the time/cost savings aren’t there, you can’t be expected to pass them along. 5. BUT… Be prepared to tell people how they can make themselves less expensive to serve. I have a whole list of ways I can save myself time, therefore lowering my customers’ costs. Sometimes that means the customer point of contact takes on a bit more work, but if it saves me time and lowers my costs, then they get lower prices. I have also ‘fired’ a few clients over the years, either because I couldn’t make any money serving them or because they were horrible and disrespectful to deal with. Small business owners have to protect our bottom line, and if that means losing a client, so be it. There is no reason to have a client that you lose money to service. On the flip side, if you find a good client, do anything you can (within reason) to keep them – and keep them happy! If your relationship works because of your point of contact rather than the company, protect yourself via a statement of work and offer up additional help or insight ‘under the table.’ That way, if they leave the company, you aren’t stuck finishing a ‘friends and family’ deal with someone you don’t like, and the point of contact may even bring you in to their new company. Good procurement teams want their suppliers to make money. Not too much money, but enough to make a profit, take care of their team, and reinvest for the future. If you’re feeling heartache before the contract is signed, there is no reason to think things will improve after the ink is dry. Good luck!

Procurement Must Manage Spend, Not “Spends”
Thinkers360
September 07, 2019

For procurement organizations that are driven by a clear cost efficiency mandate, spend is spend. No spend should be considered ‘other’, ‘different’, or ‘theirs’, whether the issue is oversight, technology, or value. At the same time, procurement’s strategies and management approaches have to reflect the overall direction and priorities of the enterprise. Declaring that ‘spend is spend’ doesn’t mean that we should treat it all the same. Procurement must work to unite all spend, regardless of how and where it has been addressed in the past. We must also use the full potential of our technology, using it to consolidate and analyze spend rather than just showing us where the cracks are and hoping we make the right choice in response to that information. Our technology platforms have no need for fragmentation, even in the face of so much data. They are designed to manage and analyze huge pools of spend and large numbers of transactions in a fraction of a second. Much of the fragmentation we’ve dealt with to date has been put in place by procurement (sometimes through technology) because we were more comfortable dealing with one cut or slice at a time. As a result, we sometimes made progress in confined areas of the business at the cost of larger, more impactful opportunities. Rather than relying upon technology to show us where fragmentation exists (such as in tail spend), and then ‘fixing’ one fragment at a time, we must look to technology as the solution to fragmentation itself. If we can use technology to consolidate and contextualize all of our data together rather than artificially segmenting it for own comfort, we can power intelligent decisions in real time, seizing greater opportunities and avoiding previously unforeseeable risks. Enterprise-level spend management is a big task; there is so much data created as a result of so many types of business activity. Companies gather data from sales and production, facilities and finance, customers and suppliers. Add to that the information footprint from social media, text messages and audio/video content, and the scale of what’s available quickly becomes more blinding than illuminating. Click here for information on how this strategy applies to different categories of spend: Procurement must manage spend, not spends

ATMs Provide a Cautionary Counterweight to Digital Transformation Optimism
Thinkers360
April 27, 2019

In the March/April Harvard Business Review there is a fantastic article on Operational Transparency by Ryan W. Buell. His research shows that when customers don’t have a clear understanding of the effort and expertise required to complete a task, they assign less value to it and customer satisfaction suffers. Buell illustrates his point with the adoption of ATMs. When first introduced in the late 1960s, ATMs were successful beyond banks’ wildest expectations. Customers loved the 24/7 access to funds and banks loved the decrease in staffing costs. But the news wasn’t all good. As Buell writes: “When customers use ATMs more and tellers less, their overall level of satisfaction with their bank goes down. It turns out that when consumers can’t see the work that’s being done to serve them, their perception is that less effort went into delivering the service, so they don’t appreciate or value it as much.” I believe this offers a critical consideration for procurement organizations pushing full steam ahead with digital transformation. Transformation almost always implies automation, with overall accuracy and improved buyer empowerment being the goals. But perceptions can be hard to control, regardless of the intent. Buell’s research serves as a counterweight to digital optimism, and reminds us that as automation lifts the weight of any given effort, we have to ensure the user understanding required to ensure the same level of value assignment and satisfaction. So how will procurement ensure that our value assignment (something that we might already say is in question) survives digital transformation? Option #1: Increase visibility and understanding through face to face effort and proactive involvement in stakeholder projects. Like the tellers that remain in banks, procurement has the opportunity to engage on a strategic basis to address complex needs and high risk supply chains. Option #2: Emphasize the collection, validation and COMMUNICATION of performance metrics. If procurement is able to increase measured performance, then we can show value. The catch is that if colleagues don’t trust the numbers, or even worse, don’t know about the metrics, they won’t do us any good. Digital transformation presents a huge opportunity for procurement to increase value, efficiency and performance, but we must be aware of perceived value loss. Any transformation planning effort must address this risk and outline steps to mitigate it.

To Maximize Employee Engagement, We Must First Define It
Thinkers360
March 25, 2019

In the March 23rd Wall Street Journal, Sam Walker had a fascinating piece about the connections between effective middle managers and the performance of the company as a whole: “One Fix for All That’s Wrong: Better Managers”. Walker cites Gallup research which found that good middle-level managers account for 70% of the difference between high and low productivity companies. “In other words,” Walker writes, “if it’s a superior team you’re after, hiring the right manager is 70% of the battle.” One reason for this difference is what Gallup defines as ‘employee engagement’, or how employees feel about their jobs and the work they do. Engagement is characterized as an emotional measure rather than as a set of actions. It has to do with fulfillment, and a sense that the company values each person and what they are capable of. While many companies track audience/customer/prospect engagement as measured by clicks, views, reads, listens, downloads, likes, shares, etc., Gallup takes a much softer point of view – but it may be far more meaningful. Engagement isn’t an action at all. It is a feeling. If there is one thing we know about social media, it is that what people do often has very little to do with how the content makes them feel. Too often they haven’t even read it. Anyone driven by metrics can easily fall into the trap of prioritizing activities that can be measured, whether they have any meaning or not. If Gallup’s study is right, and employees engage in response to (a.) good middle managers and (b.) corporate investment in professional development, then procurement organizations have a lot of ground to make up. We have to invest in our teams and feelings of satisfaction. This will require real leadership. If we don’t care about our work, we can’t generate good results. People are a competitive differentiator. When we view engagement as an intangible upside that companies desperately need to create customer and shareholder value, we have to position it as equally important to procurement as savings.

Professional Writing / Ghost Writing Services

Location: Virtual    Fees: Content Menu Avail. Upon Req.

Service Type: Service Offered

Kelly Barner is an experienced procurement practitioner, consultant and thought leader, and she creates content with the authenticity and authority required to appeal to procurement executives and decision makers. Content deliverable types include articles, blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, ebooks, website copy and more. The topic of each deliverable will be determined in cooperation with your team and will take your marketing objectives into consideration while remaining non-promotional.

Unlike impersonal content generation services, Kelly manages each project efficiently and provides you with constant visibility. You maintain total control and will feel confident about the quality of the final product. Writing and editing are completed in an accelerated fashion so you can put the resulting content assets to work for your business sooner!

When looking at the packaging category in traditional terms, it is usually considered indirect spend - and that may be limiting procurement’s opportunity for impact.

While packaging is not sold for profit, it has a direct impact on profitability through customer experience, reduced damages, and related costs, such as shipping and waste. The category also represents a significant opportunity to make progress towards sustainability targets by consuming less material, taking up less space during shipping and storage, and being more recyclable.

In this LIVE industry webinar, Matt Reddington, Vice President of Packaging and Logistics at Procure Analytics, will share everything you need to know to excel at packaging procurement in 2024.

Art of Procurement is on a mission to 10X the impact of procurement. We’re not looking for continuous, incremental improvements - procurement has been delivering those for years.

Instead, we’re looking to lead step change, introduce new perspectives, and embrace a completely transformed approach to measuring procurement’s impact.

None of us should expect this mission to be easy. It is going to take all of us combining our greatest strengths, deepest experiences, and competitive spirit to see it though.

Join us for Mastermind LIVE 2023, as we collectively imagine the art of the possible - and then do whatever it takes to make that a reality.

For the last few years, supplier diversity has been a standout, top tier initiative for executives across companies and industries. But priorities are always shifting, and this year the winds of change have started to blow.

With economic pressure continuing to mount and ESG becoming a dominating business theme, would supplier diversity be able to hold on and continue the success seen in 2020 - 2022?

The results are in: leading supplier diversity programs are not just standing their ground, they are actually gaining ground.

In this AOP Live session, we will be joined by Daniel Dorr, VP of Marketing at Supplier.io, and Gladys Dreiling is their Vice President of Data Operations and Delivery. Supplier.io’s sixth annual State of Supplier Diversity report is now available, and the findings offer insight into the current and potential future trajectory of the supplier diversity movement.

Procurement has experienced unprecedented change and disruption in the past several years. Procurement operating models and priorities continue to evolve as new trends take hold, including economic turmoil, ESG, supply disruptions, shifting workforce dynamics, new regulatory requirements, and technology innovations such as generative AI. Procurement must navigate these changes to help the broader organization adapt, innovate, and deliver.

To help their clients understand this changing environment and benchmark their strategies and investment priorities, KPMG recently conducted a survey of 400 global procurement leaders. The study captured insights on procurement’s current challenges, goals, and priorities as well as the path forward.

In this AOP Live session, we will be joined by Dipan Karumsi, Principal and Leader of Procurement and Outsourcing Advisory at KPMG, and Len Prokopets, Managing Director, Procurement and Outsourcing Advisory, who will discuss key market insights from the survey and offer guidance for forward-looking procurement leaders.

Dipan and Len will answer live questions about:

- Procurement challenges and priorities, and the key investments they are focusing on as a result
- What savings levels procurement organizations are targeting going forward
- How procurement budgets and headcount are likely to change
- Emerging technologies being adopted and implemented

Procurement teams in the mid-market IT companies work in a unique landscape that requires agility and resource optimization. With an emphasis on building scalable programs while remaining cost-effective and a need to swiftly adapt to technology trends, mid-market IT procurement demands strategic flexibility, close alignment with business goals, and an acute focus on maximizing value in often rapidly changing environments.

In this AOP webinar, Serge Treefone, Director of Procurement Solutions at Precoro, will join us to discuss 8 proven best practices that procurement teams in these companies can implement to establish themselves as a strong strategic partner capable of driving value, efficiency, and scalability for the business.

Join us live to learn more about:
- The best methods for securing stakeholder alignment, from expectation and goal-setting to understanding current and future needs
- Approaches for defining and measuring procurement success
- Analyzing total cost of ownership, including mitigating the risks associated with hidden costs or potential disruptions

Each year presents a new opportunity for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact - and yet, time waits for no one. Realizing ESG program objectives requires a constant commitment, powered by supply market data and an up-to-date understanding of regulatory changes.

Being prepared to facilitate informed discussions and qualifying supply chain partners that can advance companies towards their ESG targets is a long term strategic role, and one that procurement is often asked to fill.

In this AOP Live session, Jared Ridgley, Key Account Manager at IntegrityNext, will share his advice for positioning your ESG program for success this year and accelerating that impact next year including:

- Fully integrating ESG objectives into ongoing sourcing processes and decision making frameworks
- Emphasizing business outcomes in all discussions and planning sessions focused on environmental and social impact
- Ensuring regulatory readiness for global, regional, and local ESG regulations

Supplier diversity program managers are among the most passionate professionals in procurement. They convert social vision into actionable plans for connecting with suppliers from traditionally leveraged communities - often working as allies with traditional competitors in order to do so.

Given the social importance and consumer awareness of the supplier diversity movement, companies need access to actionable insights to benchmark their performance. This data allows them to uncover opportunities to grow their supplier diversity program and increase their economic impact.

Supplier.io recently analyzed $1.4 trillion in spend looking for benchmarks that can be used to identify top performers and aid the advance of all supplier diversity programs regardless of maturity, size, or industry.

In this AOP Live session, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner will be joined by Aylin Basom, CEO of Supplier.io, and Lois Eichacker, their Vice President of Customer Success. They will share the findings of the 2023 Supplier Diversity Benchmarking Report and discuss the importance of having an accurate, reliable, and consistent way to measure supplier diversity program results.

We’re on a mission to 10X the impact of procurement, and one of our principles is to drive business outcomes - but not all of procurement’s results and outcomes are digital.

Just as we no longer think about spend and savings as accurate measures of procurement’s performance, implementing and integrating solutions does not equate to delivering digital value. That can only be captured in the experiential and operational capabilities created as a result of our digital investments.

Digital Outcomes 2023 will bring together an enlightening mix of speakers to help you reach beyond the adoption of critical digital solutions to achieve impactful digital outcomes.

Registrants will receive exclusive access to all session replays for the first 30 days following the event.

We will focus on digitally-enabled procurement contributions such as:

Building deep and actionable supply chain visibility
Accelerating decision making and multi-scenario analysis
Eliminating friction from internal and external user experiences
Empowering the enterprise to navigate macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical threats

Digital Outcomes 2023 will be between 10 am - 1 pm US Eastern Time, with each session available to watch again as soon as the session is over.

In 2022, the State of Supplier Diversity Report from supplier.io saw the highest level of participation since the survey was first run in 2017. Over 200 companies of different sizes and industries shared their current status, best practices, operational challenges, and vision for the future of supplier diversity.

This year’s results undoubtedly offer reason to celebrate. Companies see the connection between supplier diversity and their overall culture as well as the employee experience. And yet, there is still work to be done – especially in the areas of scalable processes, measurement, and accountability.

On Thursday, November 17th, Aylin Basom, CEO of supplier.io., and Lois Eichacker, Vice President of Customer Success at supplier.io, will join Kelly Barner for a Dial P for Procurement livestream to share the most compelling findings from this year’s report and answer live audience questions about how they can ensure their supplier diversity efforts are impactful far into the future.

Individuals and businesses are experiencing inflation in a way that we in the US have not seen in a generation. I was a kid in the ‘70’s when my dad’s small construction company was rocked by inflation and high-interest rates. Please join me in asking Kelly Barner your pressing questions about managing inflation during these challenging times. This session is live and free. Register now to reserve your seat. There is no recording, so be sure to mark the time off in your calendar. ​

Procurement executives should take notice: A recent survey of sourcing professionals presents some hot topics for contemplation as we move into 2022. We’ll share data from sourcing experts on their top challenges, future plans, technology usage, and greatest worries. This panel discussion will react to key reveals from the recent Keelvar survey and put the data in context with real-world experiences.

Topics covered during this 45-minute presentation and roundtable:
• What are the top challenges keeping sourcing experts “up at night”? (Spoiler alert: disruptions rank high)
• What resourcing pressures do teams feel?
• Where are we with sustainability in the sourcing function?
• What’s the state and opportunity for e-sourcing technology adoption?
• What are key predictions for sourcing in 2022?

All attendees will receive a copy of the accompanying Voices of Sourcing ebook detailing the survey findings.

Procurement executives should take notice: A recent survey of sourcing professionals presents some hot topics for contemplation as we move into 2022. We’ll share data from sourcing experts on their top challenges, future plans, technology usage, and greatest worries. This panel discussion will react to key reveals from the recent Keelvar survey and put the data in context with real-world experiences.

Topics covered during this 45-minute presentation and roundtable:
• What are the top challenges keeping sourcing experts “up at night”? (Spoiler alert: disruptions rank high)
• What resourcing pressures do teams feel?
• Where are we with sustainability in the sourcing function?
• What’s the state and opportunity for e-sourcing technology adoption?
• What are key predictions for sourcing in 2022?

Join Neeraj Shah, CEO of supplier.io, as he shares the most compelling findings from this year’s report and answers live audience questions about how to turn intent into action in a way that promotes competitive advantages and collaborative partnerships with a diverse array of suppliers.

Session 1: Making the Case for Supplier Experience Management - July 22, 11am ET
Procurement has always had a supplier experience, but only recently has energy been invested in designing and improving it.
Doing so will require procurement to revisit many of the policies, processes, and programs that affect suppliers - starting by making the case internally that the supplier experience is on the critical path to objectives such as top line value creation, supply chain resiliency, and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives.

Session 2: Supplier Experience Management in Practice: Today and Tomorrow - July 29, 11am ET
For a SXM program to be truly successful, many groups in the enterprise need to be involved. One early area of cross-functional focus will have to be data - both the quality of current data and the process for collecting and improving data in the future. This naturally leads to the formalization of SXM priorities and objectives - essential elements for making the program sustainable.

Session 3: Understanding the ROI of World Class Supplier Experience Management - August 5, 11am ET
What does it mean to be ‘supplier centric’ and how much work will procurement have to do to achieve that label? In this session, we will explore the meaning of supplier experience management (SXM) and study how it connects to other initiatives and types of value procurement is already leading.