558: Maintenance Reimagined, with Samsara
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Sean McGee of Samsara talks about maintenance; tackling key pain points; the impact of automation; flexibility, and driving successful change management. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.15] An introduction to Sean, his role at Samsara, and why their conference, Samsara Beyond, is the highlight of the year. [03.31] What the landscape of maintenance has typically looked like, and why Samsara have learned to pay attention to post-it notes. “A lot of operators are trying to figure out how to go from reactive and chaotic to proactive and planned.” [05.52] Why Samsara has gone all-in on...
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556: Discover AI Applications for Global Supply Chain Management and The Role of Total Landed Cost, with Trade Facilitators
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Dan Gardner of Trade Facilitators talks about AI hype, challenges & opportunities; & how their Total Landed Cost engine is driving big impact for US importers. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.17] Dan’s collection of currency notes, and what they say about his career journey. [05.33] How, and why, Dan transitioned from logistics to global supply chain management. “There’s a lot of competition in that space, so to legitimately differentiate is difficult… I started to look beyond logistics, to see how I could enhance a clients performance in other areas.” [10.26]...
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555: How to build a technology partnership that drives results, with Samsara Customer XPO
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Tony Graham of XPO talks about their partnership with Samsara; AI; the importance of gaining employee buy-in; & driving impact with new technology solutions. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [01.18] An introduction to Tony and his nearly 30-year career journey at XPO. [02.35] An overview of XPO, what they do, and how they help their customers. “We have about 300 locations, 22,000 employees – we moved 16 billion pounds of freight last year!.. So we play a pretty important role in the North American supply chain.” [03.45] Re-investing in LTL – how XPO has evolved over the past few...
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554: Navigate Fuel Volatility and Disruption, with DeliverDirect
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Edward Burek of SmartKargo & Marco Ferrara of DeliverDirect talk about issues impacting small parcel delivery; fuel price reality; & keeping costs low & simple. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.04] An introduction to Edward and Marco, and their roles at SmartKargo and DeliverDirect. [03.07] An overview of DeliverDirect – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers. [03.29] As the industry deals with ongoing fuel volatility, why Delta Airlines have a structural advantage other carriers don't have, and what it means in practice to have an airline like Delta...
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553: Engage and Empower Your Team, with Brecham Group
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Chris Hamley of Brecham Group talks about people - ‘accidental’ supply chain careers; leadership; balancing teams & tech; and creating futureproof careers. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.17] An introduction to Chris and the Brecham Group. [04.10] The current pace of change across the industry, and whether it’s actually ready for widespread AI adoption. “The speed of change, and the amount knowledge you have to consume and gain, is amazing.” [06.34] ‘Accidental’ supply chain careers – how Chris sees people entering the industry, and why there are so many ‘accidental’...
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552: Expand Your Visibility and Achieve Asset Tracking at Scale, with Samsara
Let's Talk Supply Chain
David Gal of Samsara talks about their new Tracking Label; shipment visibility; cargo theft, building a tiered tracking strategy; and becoming proactive. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [01.13] An introduction to David and his role at Samsara. “We digitize everything that’s not a vehicle!” [02.03] What visibility into a shipment's journey typically looks like, the biggest barriers to accurate visibility, the solutions currently on the market – and why they don’t solve the problem. “For consumers, tracking can be frustrating. But, for businesses, it’s a real challenge… The...
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551: Make Shipping and Shopping Work Better For Everybody, with Veho
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Ita Zur of Veho talks about what they do; the ecommerce industry; the Amazon effect; & balancing cost, speed and optionality for the best customer experience. RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED: Head over to Veho’s now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Veho and keep up to date with the latest over on , , or , or you can connect with on LinkedIn. Check out our other podcasts .
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550: Discover The Blueprint For Your Autonomous Supply Chain, with FourKites
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Jimmy Sebastian of FourKites talks about AI; visibility; the problem with ‘AI-washing;’ the simple steps to get started; & how to measure scalable success. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.57] An introduction to Jimmy, his background, and role at FourKites. “I care about AI that’s not just powerful, but explainable, secure, and enterprise-ready.” [04.38] An overview of FourKites, their evolution, the three layers that make up their offering, and the customers they serve. [07.28] How visibility has evolved from differentiator to table stakes, what that means for businesses, and...
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549: Detect Anomalies Before They Show Up As Cost, with Reveel and GOAT Group
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Gabrielle Murabito of Reveel & Gloria Seckler of GOAT Group talk about anomaly detection; data & visibility; & why automation is key to finding issues early. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.42] An introduction to Gabrielle, her background and role at Reveel; and a reminder of who Reveel are, what they do, and their customer profile. “We help shippers level the playing field with their carriers, and understand where their spend is going across all modes of transportation.” [04.22] An introduction to Gloria, and GOAT Group. [05.18] What anomaly detection means in a shipping...
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548: 2026 Market Review - Explore Key Challenges, Opportunities and Drivers, with SecurSpace
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Bobby Strenk of SecurSpace talks about cargo theft; market challenges & opportunities; & equipping suppliers to redefine their competitive advantage. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [02.51] An introduction to Bobby and his role at SecurSpace. [04.07] An overview of SecurSpace and their customers. “It’s like Airbnb but, instead of booking a home for vacation, you’re booking parking and storage for containers, trailers, chassis and trucks!” [06.04] Why industrial outdoor storage is mission-critical, and the current market gaps. [08.50] From a brand new partnership to product...
info_outlineMark Fralick of IFS Softeon talks about what they do; measuring your warehouse tech ROI; joining IFS; being nimble; & embracing a limitless philosophy.
IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
[03.27] Why Mark is still so passionate about supply chain after over 30 years in the industry.
“I was in the industry before Amazon made it cool!... I’m driven by this idea of inspiration, it feeds me when folks come to us with ideas and notions… there’s nothing better.”
[04.20] An introduction to Mark, his background, and how he came to join IFS Softeon.
[05.17] Softeon’s recent acquisition by IFS.
[06.30] What the IFS acquisition means for Softeon, and the new chapter it unlocks for them and their clients.
“All the things that made us successful are going to stay the same. But being part of IFS now allows us to tap into industrial AI and the abilities that being part of a larger, AI-forward organization brings.”
[08.40] The ideal client for IFS Softeon.
[09.37] Why being nimble is critical in the current climate.
“A lot of people don’t think about that as a core competency of a system. But it should be! Speed is life in our world.”
[11.18] The importance of flow, recognizing that every business and warehouse is different, and why IFS Softeon’s approach to solution design is a key differentiator for them.
“I tend not to believe in industry practices, we should just eliminate bad practices and adopt good ones… I don’t want to force some industry standard… We orient our systems to be micro-tuned to your business.”
[14.46] IFS Softeon’s unique ‘challenge and refine’ process, and how it helps achieve that all-important flow.
“It’s co-ordinated movement, and that’s the key.”
[16.05] What AI and new technology looks like now for IFS Softeon, and how it’s helping companies combat variability and unlock the next level of optimization and resilience.
“If you’re going to employ digital workers, you need the same ability to have measurable results that you would expect from a team member, so how do you do that? We have a circular approach to define what the digital worker does, validate the results, tune it – and create a feedback loop.”
[20.20] How to determine which technology ROI measurement is right for your warehouse.
[22.39] IFS Softeon’s unique philosophy of being limitless, and what that means for technology, competitive advantage and positioning for the future.
[26.16] Why Mark is so focused on time-to-value when it comes to new projects and clients.
[28.07] The other exciting announcements IFS Softeon are sharing at MODEX.
“It’s a really cool, best-of-both-worlds approach.”
[30.46] Mark’s key takeaway from today’s discussion.
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:
Head over to IFS Softeon’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with IFS Softeon and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn or YouTube, or you can connect with Mark on LinkedIn.
Check out our other podcasts HERE.