545: Look At Your Supply Chain From Every Angle, with Pallet Alliance
Release Date: 05/25/2026
Let's Talk Supply Chain
Jake Hoffman of Gnosis Freight talks about AI – trust; misconceptions; data; asking the right questions; measuring success; & why the real innovation isn't AI. IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [03.08] The biggest misconceptions people have about AI in logistics. “There’s a big misconception that AI itself is the differentiator, that if you have good AI that means all your problems go away. AI is just an amplifier of whatever is underneath the surface… People are learning that the hard way.” [04.16] What being an AI-native company means for Gnosis Freight, why they’ve changed how...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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...
info_outlineLet'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...
info_outlineMary Casillo & Patrick Noone of Pallet Alliance talk about people, process, partnership & performance, & how their unique approach drives results for customers.
IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
[03.22] An introduction to Patrick and Mary, their backgrounds, and roles at Pallet Alliance.
[04.42] An overview of Pallet Alliance, and the importance of using fit for purpose pallets.
[07.20] What this year’s MODEX theme, ‘From Every Angle,’ means to Pallet Alliance and supply chain optimization.
“If you look at something from every angle, you’re able to optimize it to the best it can be… And you’re able to fix it from every angle.”
“It’s the opportunity to tear something apart and say: ‘How do we put this back together for you?’”
[09.18] Why designing custom pallet programs is like playing Tetris, or being a detective.
“Every customer is different, you have to figure out what fits where… And you’re factfinding along the way.”
[10.37] A closer look at the journey to developing a new pallet program, from sourcing and testing through to suppliers and transportation, exactly why that process is so challenging, and Pallet Alliance’s approach to problem-solving.
“The amount of work is monumental. We’re so successful because we do all of it for them with our pallet management program… We want to make people in procurement look good.”
[14.38] What makes Pallet Alliance’s process different from traditional sourcing approaches.
[17.00] In a landscape increasingly defined by AI, why Pallet Alliance strive to find the balance between people and technology, and why AI is only as good as the data you feed it.
“Part of the challenge we have now is that people understand that the data is wrong, but they don’t want to invest the time to allow us to fix it for them. Or, it’s that automatic RFQ, without thinking about bad data in, bad analysis out.”
[24.19] The kind of impact Pallet Alliance customers typically see, and how they can continue to uncover substantial savings across locations even with long-term customers.
“We can save millions year over year through cost savings, more efficiency, and education in general.”
“We’re all pallet heads!!”
[26.04] What results can look like for Pallet Alliance customers, and how to measure them.
“We don’t have a crystal ball, but we can see where things are going. And if we can see that, we can be proactive instead of reactive, and that’s something our customers really appreciate.”
[28.19] A selection of case studies exploring how Pallet Alliance have helped customers avoid fines, improve customer experience, meet high demand, and utilize improved materials to boost resilience and drive huge cost savings.
[33.46] Where teams should start when approaching a new pallet program, and the small steps they can take towards making meaningful change.
[36.00] What Mary and Patrick want listeners to take away from today’s discussion.
“Pallets and crates are way more complicated than you think!!”
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:
Head over to Pallet Alliance’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Pallet Alliance and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook or X (Twitter) or you can connect with Mary or Patrick on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Pallet Alliance, check out epsidoes:
- 501: Uncover Hidden Inefficiencies and Opportunities, with Pallet Alliance
- 482: Transform the Way Your Business Moves, with Pallet Alliance
- 146: A Holistic Approach to Pallets
Check out our other podcasts HERE.