Episode 6: AI X-Ray Vision for Your Supplier Network (w/ Rob Handfield, NC State + SCRC)

Most teams still manage risk one supplier at a time. They only see tier-1, they fight fires in email, and they call it “resilience” when they update a slide once a year. In this episode, we zoom out to the network level and ask: how can AI actually give us X-ray vision across the whole supplier base?Andrew Stroup sits down with Professor Rob Handfield, Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management and Executive Director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) at NC State, to break down how AI, data, and “disciplined imagination” can be used to stress-test supplier networks and design more collaborative, less fragile ecosystems. They get into:Why Rob prefers “supply chain immunity” over vague “resilience” and what an immune supplier network actually looks like in practiceHow to use AI with human judgment to map multi-tier supplier networks, not just vendors in your ERPA practical framework for stress testing your network using “disciplined imagination,” from tsunami scenarios to tariff shocks and regional disruptionsConcrete levers to respond: inventory plays, dual-sourcing, regionalization, and tariff re-engineering plus where companies are overly optimistic about “leaving China”How to combine vulnerability assessment with opportunity finding so you know where to co-invest, co-develop, or deepen collaboration with key suppliersRob’s 90-day plan for a $100–300M manufacturer or distributor to build a clean supplier fact base, plug in AI, run scenarios, and walk into the CFO’s office with a clear business caseIf you’re a supply chain, procurement, or operations leader who’s still thinking in terms of individual suppliers, this episode will help you start thinking and acting in networks.