From Inbox to Action: How Supply Chains Are Automating the Mess Away

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, hosts Scott W. Luton and Kevin L. Jackson sit down with Antonio Bustamante, CEO of bem, to explore how automation is reshaping the supply chain landscape in 2025. Together, they unpack the hidden costs of manual workflows, the pitfalls of outdated systems, and the massive opportunity in eliminating data friction.Antonio shares how bem helps teams move away from time-consuming email and PDF-based processes toward self-healing, AI-powered systems that learn from every operator input. He discusses why the freight world is especially burdened by unstructured data, and how automation can free up teams to focus on serving customers, not fixing typos.The conversation also covers the limitations of RPA and email triage, the challenge of achieving interoperability across legacy systems, and why meeting operators where they are (even if that means faxes and handwritten notes) is key to meaningful digital transformation. Plus, Antonio offers a peek at bem’s upcoming Command Center, a tool that gives ops teams the power to correct, route, and improve workflows without relying on engineering.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(03:49) The importance of automation in supply chain(06:57) Challenges of manual data entry(13:47) Unstructured data in supply chain(21:06) The role of communication in logistics(22:34) Understanding multimodal communication(23:45) Challenges with RPA and email triage(24:44) Embracing real-world data(27:09) The role of handwritten notes(27:49) BIM's impact on manual processing(30:39) Introducing the command center(40:08) Composable infrastructureAdditional Links & Resources:Learn more about bem: https://blog.bem.ai/ Connect with Antonio Bustamante: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abmirayo/ Loop automates data transformation at scale for new clients with bem: https://www.bem.ai/customer-stories/loop-automates-data-transformation-at-scale-for-new-clients-with-bemThe Supply Chain Back Office Is Broken: https://lp.supplychainnow.com/bemFor more content with bem and Supply Chain Now, check out the bem Campaign Landing Page: https://supplychainnow.com/bem Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVkWEBINAR- In Chaos We Create: Bridging the Critical Raw Materials Gap Through Strategic Convergence: https://bit.ly/459BzIQWEBINAR- Transforming Operations: Flowers Foods Unveils Its Digital Supply Chain Revolution: https://bit.ly/44b8GKdWEBINAR- Tariff Watch - Unpacking the Latest Updates: https://bit.ly/3FvL2zNWEBINAR- When to Walk Away from Warehouse AI - and When to Go All In: https://bit.ly/4dFgCYqWEBINAR- Unleash Your Inner Pioneer: How to Transform How You Lead: https://bit.ly/45X3ax3WEBINAR- Still in the Dark? 4 Shipping Visibility Fails You Can’t Afford This Peak: https://bit.ly/44g0NEiThis episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/inbox-action-supply-chains-automating-mess-away-1443 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at [email protected]© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.