The Future of Supply Chain

Today, we speak with Rafael Avila, who discusses how AI-powered logistics improves visibility, reduces emissions, and helps companies balance cost, service, and sustainability in transportation planning.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, Rafael Avila of Westernacher joins us to discuss the future of logistics. He explains how AI can make emissions visible earlier, improve mode and carrier decisions, reduce waste, and support better service. The conversation also explores workforce shifts and the importance of end-to-end supply chain visibility.
 
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Guest: Rafael Avila, Supply Chain and Logistics leader, Westernacher Consulting
Rafael Avila is a Supply Chain and Logistics leader specializing in SAP Transportation Management and end-to-end supply chain transformation at Westernacher Consulting. With over a decade of experience, he has worked across global organizations to design and deliver solutions that improve transportation planning, execution, and visibility across complex networks.
 
A former IBM consulting leader, Rafael spent years supporting large-scale S/4HANA programs and shaping supply chain strategies across industries including consumer products, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and mining. His work has focused on helping organizations connect transportation with warehousing, trade, and order management to unlock more integrated and resilient supply chains.
 
Today, Rafael continues to work closely with clients on modern logistics challenges, with a strong focus on simplifying complex topics, driving practical outcomes, and exploring how technologies like AI are reshaping transportation and supply chain decision-making.

Host 1: Richard Howells

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP  

Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability.  
 
She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance & Accounting and English Translation, along with a master’s degree in Business Administration and Foreign Trade, specializing in marketing. With her background in digital transformation, Oyku communicates technology trends and industry insights to help professionals navigate the evolving business landscape.  

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Show Links:
Westernacher
Article: Smarter Transportation Management cuts your carbon footprint

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠ 
⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Richard Howells: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, 
Oyku Ilgar: ⁠LinkedIn⁠      
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠LinkedIn⁠   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:22: Guest’s Introductions
00:04:48: Making transportation emissions visible with AI
00:07:39: Why reporting alone does not reduce emissions
00:09:50: Mode selection and carrier choice matter
00:12:33: AI can cut cost, emissions, and service waste together
00:14:27: Biggest sustainability wins in transportation planning
00:18:28: How AI changes the logistics workforce
00:22:33: Common pitfalls in digitizing supply chain
00:25:14: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:26:28: Outro

This week, we talk with SAP's Ralf Hierzegger about how network intelligence and AI can assist logistics teams in managing disruptions, enhancing collaboration, and building a more resilient supply chain.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, we speak with SAP’s Ralf Hierzegger about how constant disruption, digital dependencies, and climate and regulatory shifts are reshaping logistics. They explore why supply chains must move beyond company borders, how AI can support real-time decisions, and why trusted network collaboration is essential for better execution, efficiency, and resilience.
 
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Guest 1: Ralf Hierzegger, Chief Product Owner of SAP BN4L, SAP
Ralf has built his career at the intersection of logistics, consulting, and digital innovation. After starting out as a forwarding agent from 1990 to 1992, he studied economics from 1993 to 1996 before joining SAP in 1996 as a consultant. In 2013, he stepped into the role of Solution Architect at SAP SE Custom Development, focusing on Foreign Trade and Transportation Logistics. Since 2023, he has served as Chief Product Owner of SAP BN4L, helping shape the future of business networks in logistics. He is married and the father of two grown-up children.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP   

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Show Links:
Read: Circumventing Geopolitics: How Network Intelligence and AI Can Answer Uncertainty blog
 
SAP Business AI Platform
 
Supply chain logistics
 
SAP Logistics Assistant

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠⁠⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠⁠⁠ 
⁠⁠⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠⁠⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Richard Howells: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, 
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:22: Guest’s Introductions
00:02:23: Why logistics disruption is harder now
00:06:26: Structural challenges in supply chain and logistics
00:08:02: Using AI to respond to delays and blockages
00:10:51: Why AI alone cannot solve logistics
00:12:36: The value of AI for a business network
00:14:24: How data sharing improves network performance
00:16:27: First steps for adopting network intelligence and AI
00:19:06: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:20:31: Outro

Arkestro’s CEO, Rob DeSantis, joins us this week for an insightful conversation about why AI is the next major paradigm shift in the supply chain and how it can unlock faster value, better decisions, and happier teams.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Join us as we explore AI as the next paradigm shift in supply chain. This week, Arkestro CEO Rob DeSantis shares lessons from the internet and cloud, the importance of trust and data quality, how AI is reshaping human work, and why fast time to value matters.
 
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Guest 1: Rob DeSantis, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Arkestro
Rob DeSantis is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Arkestro. As a former co-founder of Ariba running sales, Rob has deep expertise in the procurement space, having helped propel Ariba from zero to $250 million in revenue in four years and IPO of the year in 1999 before its acquisition by SAP a decade later. In addition to co-founding Ariba, Rob was also an early angel investor and board member of LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional online network.
More recently, Rob served as an investor and advisor to a small portfolio of companies, including Bloom Energy, HiQ Labs, Agiloft, USEND and more. He is also a co-founder of TrueParity. Rob started his career as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry and holds a BSME from the University of Rhode Island.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP   

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Show Links:
Arkestro: https://arkestro.com

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠⁠ 
⁠⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Richard Howells: ⁠LinkedIn⁠, 
SAP Digital Supply Chain: ⁠LinkedIn⁠   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:00: Guest Introductions
00:02:51: The biggest paradigm shifts
00:04:53: Lessons from the internet and cloud for AI adoption
00:07:23: Overcoming laggards and proving value in production
00:08:55: Trusting AI in black-box supply chain planning
00:11:54: How AI changes human roles and skills
00:15:20: The main business benefits of AI
00:19:02: KPIs for measuring AI success
00:20:44: How Arkestro supports the paradigm shift
00:22:38: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:23:19: Outro

SAP SCM value doesn’t end at go-live. Jacob Ladson and Dmitry Antonovich share how continuous improvement, clean core, KPI governance, and agentic AI help organizations keep supply chain solutions delivering value.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This week, LeverX’s Jacob Ladson and Dmitry Antonovich join us to discuss what happens after go-live in SAP supply chain implementations. They cover operational drift, user adoption, clean core strategy, KPI governance, continuous improvement, and how agentic AI may reshape warehouse operations. Join us as we discuss the future of the supply chain!
 
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Guest 1: Jacob Ladson, EWM Practice Lead, LeverX
Jacob Ladson is the EWM Practice Lead at LeverX, based in Houston, Texas, where he helps organizations modernize and optimize warehouse operations using SAP Extended Warehouse Management. He brings extensive experience leading warehouse transformation initiatives across implementations, enhancements, and optimization programs for complex distribution and manufacturing environments.
Jacob partners with operations and IT leaders to translate business objectives into practical SAP solutions that improve throughput, labor efficiency, inventory accuracy, and operational visibility. He is known for delivering scalable, sustainable warehouse solutions that drive measurable results beyond go-live.

Guest 2: Dmitry Antanovich, Solutions Director, SAP Supply Chain Management, LeverX
Technology and business leader with a strong focus on growth, strategy, and execution in SAP-driven transformation initiatives. As a Solutions Director, I lead solution strategy and customer engagement across complex SAP programs, helping organizations translate business priorities into clear technology roadmaps. I work closely with executive stakeholders, SAP teams, and partners to guide modernization efforts, moving from legacy landscapes to scalable, cloud-enabled architectures built on SAP S/4HANA and SAP BTP.

Host 1: Richard Howells

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Show Links:
LeverX: https://leverx.com/
SAP EWM Value Realization Program: https://leverx.com/services/sap-ewm-value-realization-program
Warehouse Efficiency Check Up: https://leverx.com/services/warehouse-assessment
 
Blogs:
 
SAP EWM Optimization After Go-Live: Unlocking Hidden Warehouse Performance: https://leverx.com/newsroom/sap-ewm-optimization-after-go-live
 
Common Post Go-Live Traps in SAP EWM: How to Move From Stable to High-Performing Warehousing: https://leverx.com/newsroom/common-post-go-live-traps-in-sap-ewm

Supply Chain Management:  
⁠SAP Supply Chain Management⁠ 
⁠SAP Insights: Supply Chain⁠       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
Jacob Ladson: LinkedIn
Richard Howells: LinkedIn, 
SAP Digital Supply Chain: LinkedIn   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:22: Guest’s Introductions
00:02:55: Why value stalls after go-live
00:05:15: Common causes of post-implementation failure
00:06:03: Why trust and knowledge transfer matter
00:07:48: Keeping the system flexible as the business changes
00:09:01: Why clean core and technical debt matter
00:10:40: Using new SAP tools to stay agile
00:12:10: Revisit unused capabilities after go-live
00:15:26: KPI governance after implementation
00:17:00: Breaking down silos across supply chain teams
00:18:49: Continuous improvement examples after go-live
00:22:30: How can LeverX help in logistics implementations
00:23:42: What is the Future of Supply Chain?
00:25:53: Outro

In this episode, SAP’s David Vallejo discusses whether AI will replace or redefine supply chain jobs, and explains how assistants, agents, trust, and reskilling will shape a more strategic future for the workforce.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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SAP’s David Vallejo joins us to explore one of supply chain’s biggest questions: will AI replace jobs or redefine them? The conversation covers practical AI use cases, the role of assistants and agents, how to build trust, why reskilling matters, and which KPIs prove business value.
 
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Guest: David Vallejo, Vice President, Head of SCM Innovations Product Marketing, SAP
His global organization leads strategy and growth initiatives for SAP’s SCM portfolio which encompasses solutions for product lifecycle management, manufacturing, planning, logistics, assets and service management as well as the Business Network. The suite of AI-first solutions enable customers to orchestrate their supply chain with confidence to become risk-resilient, adaptable, and sustainable in their supply chain operations.

David joined SAP in 2014 and has held various leadership positions before attaining his current role. During David’s tenure he drove the successful launch of SAP’s Supply Chain Business Network focusing on direct materials collaboration across the extended supply chain and driving the customer co-innovation program as product owner for SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP).

Host 1: Richard Howells

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP  

Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability.  
 
She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance & Accounting and English Translation, along with a master’s degree in Business Administration and Foreign Trade, specializing in marketing. With her background in digital transformation, Oyku communicates technology trends and industry insights to help professionals navigate the evolving business landscape.  

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Show Links:
Supply Chain Management:  
SAP Supply Chain Management 
SAP Insights: Supply Chain       

Follow Us on Social Media : 
David Vallejo: LinkedIn
Richard Howells: LinkedIn, 
Oyku Ilgar: LinkedIn      
SAP Digital Supply Chain: LinkedIn   
 
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes! 
 
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Chapters:

 00:00:00: Intro
00:01:18: Guest introduction
00:01:54: Will AI replace supply chain jobs?
00:06:05: Where AI will have the first impact
00:10:01: Building trust and adoption in teams
00:13:58: Assistants, copilots, and job design
00:19:02: Best early use cases for agents
00:22:52: Reskilling supply chain organizations
00:26:28: KPIs that prove AI value
00:29:00 What's the future of the supply chain?
00:31:10: Outro