Let's Talk Supply Chain

• 448: Bridging the Gap Between Operations and Technology, with Buckeye Mountain

  Greg Dunnell of Buckeye Mountain talks about his founder journey; how big challenges impact workers; & why Buckeye are stewards of technology for customers. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [05.17] An overview of Greg’s journey – how he found supply chain, innovated in technology whilst working for some of the industry’s biggest names, and ultimately co-founded Buckeye Mountain. “I grew up working on a farm, so transportation came naturally to me. And, when I graduated from college, I wasn’t what you’d call an honors student…! I went back to what I knew, and ended up driving a truck.” [12.43] An overview of Buckeye Mountain – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers. [15.47] The ideal client for Buckeye Mountain. “It’s really about our history and experience because we feel our role – our obligation – is to share those lessons learned. We’ve been down the pothole of technology for many years… And the secret to success is failure. We’ve been on that journey.” [18.25] From visibility to productivity, the biggest challenges currently faced by landside logistics facilities, and how they impact frontline workers. “Those people, when the tech goes down – imagine the frustration. ‘I’m not paid to be a technology troubleshooter, I’m paid to operate.’ That’s the big migration.” [23.45] How Buckeye are helping customers solve their toughest problems remotely and out in the field with their TechOps teams, who ‘think like operators, but act like tech experts.’ “It is about the technology, but it’s more about: ‘What is the giant problem you’re trying to solve?’” [27.28] Why Buckeye act as a steward of technology for their customers, and how TechOps are changing the game. [31.11] How and why Buckeye developed Rapid Deploy technology, and the importance of guaranteed connectivity. [34.28] A case study showing how Buckeye helped an isolated intermodal facility, with no power or network, to be operated as a modern facility with Rapid Deploy and solar technology. [37.30] What we can expect from the landside logistics facilities of tomorrow, and the future for Buckeye. “If we can pull things into an easy workplace environment, and still provide the benefits operationally, that’s a no brainer – but you need the infrastructure to do it.” RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to Buckeye Mountain’s website to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Buckeye and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Greg on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode, check out 424: Orchestrate and Optimize Your Terminal Operations, with Lynxis. Check out our other podcasts HERE.

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• 447: Women In Supply Chain, Nikki Driskill

  Nikki Driskill talks about her career journey; the changing face of customer service; people leadership; & why women should pursue a career in logistics.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [05.08] How Nikki found supply chain, and how the industry has changed over the course of her career. “I started so long ago that when you looked for a job, you looked in the newspaper!” [10.59] Why Nikki’s career ambitions changed when she fell in love with supply chain; how she discovered a passion for people leadership; and why strong women inspired her to want to build relationships and make a difference. “I was very young and my intent was: ‘I’m going to take this role, and then figure out what I want to do when I grow up’… Then I realized I loved it. There were so many bold women in leadership roles - and I wanted to be them.” [15.38] Nikki’s experience of repeated mergers and acquisitions, and how they gave her opportunities to explore the industry and learn new skills. “Each time that we were acquired, things got better in so many different ways… I feel like I’ve worked for four different companies.” [23.12] How customer service, and its role in relation to wider business success, has changed throughout Nikki’s career, with the impact of factors like technology and new generations of workers. “A verbal conversation is good for relationship-building, but we don’t have that so much anymore with tech… you have to work differently.” [32.46] The importance of industry awards, especially for women. “It matters so much for women… We need to be reminded to celebrate each other.” [34.32] Nikki’s experience as a woman moving through a male-dominated industry, climbing the ladder, and holding leadership positions. [39.59] Why Nikki wants to inspire others to pursue a career in logistics, and why it’s such a good career choice for women. [42.32] The future for Nikki. “I want to spend a lot more time mentoring, and making a difference… I want to share what I have – and I don’t plan on exiting the industry, that’s for sure!”   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   You can connect with Nikki over on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear from more women excelling in customer service and client experience, check out 437: Women In Supply Chain, Mercedes Pina or 415: Women In Supply Chain, Evin Sisemore.  

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• 446: Keep America Moving, with Werner

  Lance Dixon of Werner talks about transportation challenges & opportunities; cross-border potential; & how Werner helps to give companies a strategic edge.  IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [05.26] An introduction to Lance, and to Werner. “It’s an ever-changing, dynamic world. And what a change since 1992 when I started at Werner! Things are so different... There are more rules, regulations – probably good for society in general, but it’s a chore to keep up!” [08.23] The ideal client for Werner. “It’s someone that’s open to multi modes of shipping, whatever is most efficient… Someone that’s flexible and wants to partner, someone who doesn’t look at Werner as just a service provider. We want to work together to solve these transportation and supply chain issues.” [10.20] How both Werner and the industry have changed, and the huge business potential in Mexico. “The pandemic taught us a lot about how fragile long supply chains are, so there’s been a move to source closer to the end consumer.” [16.05] The key challenges facing Werner customers right now, and how Werner help tackle them. “There’s a northbound-southbound imbalance, with northbound volume outpacing the southbound – there’s a lot more coming into the U.S. than there is going out, and nearshoring is going to exacerbate that.” [19.05] The biggest opportunities for organizations in 2025, and the future for nearshoring. “Nearshoring is in the early stages – it’s going to take a decade to play itself out, but I’m excited to see where it’s going to go.” [22.58] The cross-border potential in Canada, the difference in logistics execution between Canada and Mexico, and the overall importance of the logistics and transportation industries. “It’s complex, it’s dynamic, it’s challenging – but that’s what keeps it interesting!” “I don’t think we always fully grasp how important logistics and transportation is to so many people… It can seem like a thankless job but what we do, all of us collectively, is so important to companies, to societies.” [28.36] The challenges and risks shippers might face when shipping to and from Mexico, how Werner are helping mitigate them, and Lance’s advice for organizations in the early stages of nearshoring. [34.38] Werner’s recent $8 million investment to improve operations and capabilities in Mexico, and the importance of providing flexibility, speed, and capacity to customers. [37.55] A case study detailing how Werner helped a client that needed to double their normal volume to keep transportation costs down and boost ROI. “Flexibility is going to be the key to success for many shippers coming out of Mexico, going forward, as nearshoring ramps up.” [40.44] The future for the industry, and for Werner. “We don’t practice any more, we’re experts at this game.” RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to Werner’s website to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Werner and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or X (Twitter), or you can connect with Lance on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more about cross-border transportation, check out 414: Section 321: Borderless Ecommerce At Your Fingertips,or 406: Unlock the Opportunities of Cross-Border Ecommerce, with CargoWise.

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• 445: Embrace the Data-Driven Evolution, with GAINS

  Amber Salley of GAINS talks about being data-driven - its four-stage evolution, misconceptions, the problem with LLMs & the benefits of letting the data lead.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [05.43] An introduction to Amber, her background, and her role at GAINS. “I’ve taken all that I learned in the past 25 years and brought it to GAINS, to help them think through: ‘Where should we take our product in the future, and what should we be focusing on to help our customers make the highest-quality decisions for their supply chain?’” [07.42] The evolution of data-driven thinking, as technology and mindsets have changed. “You come up with an instinct, a feel for a decision, and then you use the data you have to back it up. You have a lot of confirmation bias in your decision-making.” [10.50] The new paradigm in data-driven thinking. “The new paradigm focuses on discovering patterns and finding correlations over explaining causality… It’s not trying to get into the ‘why’ that is – it just IS.” [16.18] From confirmation bias to managing leadership pride and instinctual approaches, the common misconceptions and challenges around being data-driven. [21.12] A case study detailing how GAINS helped a key client to get on top of volatile lead time predictability and utilize full data-driven decision-making. [24.50] The challenges of emerging technologies like Language Learning Models. “Generative AI is ultimately a predictor, and it’s trained to predict around text. And it’s very good – it knows the rules of language, that are pretty rigid and have been around for a very long time… But, if we’re thinking about forecasting or creating inventory plans or production plans – there’s not an established pattern.” [27.54] The four stages of data-driven evolution and what they mean for teams. [32.44] The benefits of letting the data lead, for both teams and businesses. “For teams, it allows for faster actionable insights and a reduction in manual effort and bias, so they can start to focus on more value-add activities… And the business can achieve better inventory management, better supply chain design, and increase their overall resilience.” [35.20] Exactly how GAINS can help organizations to adopt a truly data-driven approach.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to GAINS’s website to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with GAINS and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, YouTube, or X (Twitter), or you can connect with Amber on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from GAINS, check out 390: Achieve Real Results And Innovate For The Future, with GAINS, 385: Make The Right Decisions For Your Supply Chain, with GAINS or 374: Achieve Supply Chain Optimization In Record Time, with GAINS.

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• 444: Women In Supply Chain, Gina Anderson

  Gina Anderson talks about her career journey; sitting on boards; mentorship; the power of reinvention; and why she's a self-confessed parcel fanatic.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [05.54] An introduction to Gina and her role at Reveel. [06.42] Gina’s career journey, and how she found supply chain. “Someone early on took a chance on me… Ron wanted to bring me into his freight forwarding business to do sales. So I said: “Well, what does that look like – and what does it pay?!” [08.24] Why Gina has entered her 7.0 era, and the power of reinvention. “If you stay stagnant, it’s going to be really hard to feel fulfilled.” [09.53] Why Gina took the leap from corporate America to entrepreneurship to found the Savii Group in 2010. “It was powered by purpose. I wanted to help companies drive efficiencies within their supply chain, but then also take part of the money I was helping them save and reinvest that into their people and social good… I couldn’t do the corporate grind at that time in my life. Having kids and being able to create something that was purposeful and impactful was a gamechanger for me.” [12.04] What Gina learned from entrepreneurship, and how to identify opportunities to pivot. “If you pay attention, you’ll know when it’s time to pivot, when it’s time to take a passion and reinvent. Having an entrepreneurial spirit isn’t easy, it’s not something that everyone has. But recognize it if you do have it. Because it could be something spectacular.” [13.47] Gina’s advice for successful networking. “There’s no secret sauce – it’s just being curious!” [16.02] From AI to a lack of transparency, the tech trends that supply chain teams need to pay attention to. [18.55] Gina’s perspective on the industry and where businesses are at with big trends like data, technology, and business intelligence. “It’s exciting – people are starting to get out of a fear-based mindset, and they’re willing to actually see and experience what’s out there.” [21.09] Why Gina is a self-proclaimed parcel fanatic. [22.18] Gina’s experience of sitting on boards, and her advice for others looking to get a seat at the table. [26.17] Gina’s experience of mentorship, and her perspective on its importance. “I’ve never had a mentor – but I love mentoring!” [28.59] Gina’s advice for young professionals looking to build a career like hers. [30.16] The future for Gina.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from other long-standing women in supply chain, check out 342: Women in supply chain™, Juliette Samson or 191: Women in supply chain™, Lora Cecere.

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