Leveraged Supply Chains

Your SIOP process looks airtight on paper. The S&OP meetings are running. The demand signals are flowing. And your ERP is telling you exactly what you planned to order six weeks ago.What it's not telling you is whether your supplier confirmed it, when they actually plan to ship it, or whether that lead time you're planning against was last validated before inflation hit.In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, Andrew Stroup sits down with Lisa Anderson, President of LMA Consulting Group and one of the most recognized voices in mid-market manufacturing operations. Lisa has spent 30+ years helping manufacturers build SIOP processes that actually hold up under pressure. She wrote the book on it. Literally.The conversation starts where most planning conversations don't: at the supplier. Because a SIOP that's fed by stale acknowledgments, manually updated promise dates, and lead times nobody has checked in months isn't a plan. It's a best guess dressed up in a spreadsheet.What they get into:Why solid SIOP processes still break down at the supplier execution layer, and what the failure modes actually look likeThe difference between what your ERP thinks is happening and what your suppliers committed to this morningWhere AI is genuinely useful in mid-market procurement right now, and where it's still noiseReshoring and supplier diversification: practical, not theoreticalWhat Lisa tells $50M–$300M manufacturers to do in the next 90 daysWhat separates manufacturers who get supply chain right from those who stay stuckLisa also runs the Harvey Mudd Executive Roundtables for manufacturing CEOs and was appointed to the California District Export Council by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. She knows what happens in planning rooms and on plant floors. This isn't abstract.If your team runs SIOP meetings and still gets surprised by supplier performance, this one is worth your time. Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more real-world conversations on AI, supplier performance, and operational excellence in manufacturing and distribution.

Your inbox is full of AI pitches, but your team is still living in email, spreadsheets, and an ERP that hasn't changed how work gets done. So what happens when the old SaaS playbook actually breaks?In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, Andrew Stroup sits down with Dr. Elouise Epstein, Partner at Kearney, author, and one of the sharpest critics of procurement technology. Elouise built the spider maps that became a public service for anyone navigating the procurement tech landscape. She's now retired them, and the reason why is the thesis of this episode.Elouise walks through her non-traditional path from the San Francisco Opera to a dot-com procurement startup to nearly 26 years at Kearney, why she felt compelled to call out the "conjoined triangle" of vendors, systems integrators, and analysts propping up a broken model, and what an AI-native procurement organization actually looks like when you stop thinking in suites and start thinking in outcomes.They get into:Why the spider maps are retired and what that says about the end of legacy SaaS categoriesThe vendor-SI-analyst feedback loop that produced inflated ROI cases and widespread implementation failureWhat Procurement 4.0 means in practice: outcome-based, not process-coded, built around AI platforms instead of monolith architecturesAI employees vs. agents vs. copilots, and why mid-market teams should think about renting AI labor instead of buying more transactional systemsHer advice to every leader: stop buying tech, do one-year renewals, learn AI yourself, and get on the bus or get out of the wayWhy governance in the AI era is a way of operating, not a policy document nobody readsThe people and culture gap that's wider than the technology gap, and why failure is the metric that matters mostHer message to younger professionals: believe in yourself, because nobody else is going to hype you upIf you're a mid-market supply chain or procurement leader caught between doing nothing and signing the next seven-figure suite contract, this conversation gives you a framework for what comes next.🔔 Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more real-world conversations on AI, supplier performance, and operational excellence.

Most procurement teams don’t lose time in big, strategic decisions — they lose it in the messy middle: PO acknowledgements, promise dates, pricing mismatches, follow-ups, and exceptions that turn the inbox into the real system of record.In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, Andrew Stroup sits down with Steve Andrews, a supply chain and procurement leader with deep experience across strategic sourcing, ERP-adjacent system implementations, and PE-backed operational scaling.Steve breaks down why procurement systems fail after launch — and what makes them stick six to twelve months later. We dig into the two failure modes he sees constantly: strategy that never translates into buyer day-to-day behavior, and master data governance that gets ignored until trust collapses. He shares a pragmatic buying framework (including how to avoid “snake oil” AI claims), why sandbox trials beat polished demos, and why small, meaningful wins outperform big-bang rollouts.Note: Steve is speaking in his personal capacity based on his professional experience, not on behalf of any employer.

If you’re a mid-market manufacturer or distributor, your inbox is full of “AI for logistics” and freight-tech pitches — but your team is still living in email threads, spreadsheets, PDFs, and clunky portals. This episode is about closing that gap between the slide deck and what actually works on the ground. Andrew Stroup sits down with Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor at the Journal of Commerce (JOC) and host of LogTech Live and the LogTech Letter. Eric spends his days talking to shippers, forwarders, 3PLs, carriers, and software vendors, giving him a rare “meta-operator” view into what really creates value — and what’s just noise. Together, they break down a no-hype buying playbook for mid-market operators who need results, not buzzwords:A simple map of the freight-tech stack that actually matters for a $100–500M industrial manufacturer or distributor — execution, visibility, compliance, and analytics/AI. How the definition of “10x value” has shifted from 2015 to 2025, and what really tips teams over the line to invest: cost, service failures, customer pressure, and regulatory shocks. Where AI is genuinely moving the needle (exception management, ETA prediction, document and invoice automation) vs. where the “AI” label is mostly cosmetic. Why so many 2025 processes still look like 2005 — and how vertical SaaS plus deep domain expertise can finally change that. The evolving role of 3PLs as an innovation arm, and how to pressure-test whether a partner is truly innovative or just good at marketing. If you’re a VP Supply Chain, COO, or Ops leader evaluating your next freight-tech or “AI” investment, this conversation gives you practical models, a 3–4 step roadmap, and one concrete move you can make in the next seven days — so you can leverage data, not buzzwords.

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.

In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, Andrew Stroup sits down with Charles “Charley” Dehoney, Co-Founder & CEO of Upwell, to demystify freight brokerage AR and show how operators pull exception rates below 3% and drive disputes down—without piling on back-office burden. Definitions (freight brokerage AR): exception rate = % of invoices rejected at submission by the payer’s AP (portal/EDI/email) for rule/format issues, missing docs, or rate/PO mismatches; dispute rate = % of submitted invoices later challenged for amount/terms or documentation (accessorials, detention, lumper, POD).You’ll hear about:The submission flow where exceptions are caught early (ingest → validate → enrich → route → submit/collect → reconcile) and what to automate vs. leave human-in-the-loop.Upstream root causes that create both exceptions and disputes (missing references, wrong formats, absent docs) and a practical “block-and-tackle” playbook to fix them.A real-world scale example: an enterprise brokerage reducing manual touch to ~4% of ~42k monthly invoices by auto-presenting the rest—freeing experts to focus on the true edge cases.Where automation won’t move the two numbers yet, and how to stage your rollout to get wins now while you clean the data and rules.Team design: exception queues, SLAs, and capturing tribal billing knowledge so improvements stick across lanes and payers.On-air benchmarks to track:Exception rate ≤3% (scrutinize weekly if you’re above it), dispute rate trending down, top exception/dispute reasons, documentation completeness, and first-pass submission quality.🔔 Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more real-world, numbers-first conversations on AI, supplier performance, and operational excellence.

In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, host Andrew Stroup sits down with Corey Apirian, Founder & CEO of Davinci Micro Fulfillment, to unpack the operating math behind profitable speed—when micro-nodes beat traditional DC/3PL shipping, and when multi-channel fulfillment (MCF) is the better call. We get into the weight/price rule of thumb (>4 lb or >$40 often pencils out; <1 lb or <$20 is no-man’s-land unless optimized), the network science of node placement (maximize 2-day, mostly 1-day, same-day in major metros by starting from carrier zones & lanes), and how “correct before commit” guides forward placement, re-slotting, and seasonality.You’ll hear about:MCF vs. MFC decision logic—both viable; it depends on your business model, SKU mix, and margin goals.The weight/price thresholds that drive parcel cost math and channel steering at checkout.Network design that “follows the NFL cities” as a quick comp—grounded in carrier lanes—to compress zones and split-ships.Inventory turns as the anchor KPI (<3 makes MFC hard; >12 often validates multi-node).Buy vs. build lessons: robotics ROI vs. smaller decentralized nodes; why industrial real estate (docks/flow/pick-pack) is margin-critical; and what you can vs. can’t control.On-air metrics to benchmark: zones/order, avg ship distance, split-ship %, same-/next-day %, parcel $/order, pick+pack mins, break-even throughput & ramp.🔔 Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more real-world, numbers-first conversations on AI, supplier performance, and operational excellence.

In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, host Andrew Stroup sits down with Dustin Rutledge, Supplier Quality Engineer at Major Tool & Machine (part of Precinmac), to unpack how a high-mix, large-format manufacturer modernized procurement and supplier quality without adding friction for suppliers. Dustin shares how the team moved from reactive email + ERP data entry to automated acknowledgments and change processing written back into Infor Visual/SyteLine, reclaiming roughly 16 hours per buyer per week and improving on-time delivery by ~1.5% YTD—while suppliers praised the email-first, no-login workflow. You’ll also hear how reclaimed time fuels more competitive quoting and dual-sourcing, and the quality metrics they track to keep programs on schedule. You’ll hear about:The reality of 100+ POs in a busy week for a single buyer and the documentation load that comes with it. Why evaluation criteria prioritized ERP compatibility, customization, and low-friction supplier UX—and where a human-in-the-loop still matters. What tasks disappeared first (manual re-keying, chaser emails) and how automated follow-ups close gaps like missed acknowledgments. How time saved is being reinvested into competitive bidding and dual-sourcing to improve price and resiliency. Practical quality KPIs (e.g., nonconformances per PO line) that predict downstream effort. 🔔 Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more real-world conversations with supply chain leaders on AI, supplier performance, and operational excellence.

In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, host Andrew Stroup sits down with Melanie Baker, Director of Supply Chain at PSS Industrial Group, to unpack how AI is transforming procurement in the energy and industrial supply sector.Melanie shares how her team moved from “chasing their tails” with constant price and lead-time changes to building a resilient, automated workflow that protects margins, reduces accounts payable exceptions, and strengthens supplier relationships.You’ll hear about:The daily chaos of mismatched POs, invoices, and supplier surprisesWhy PSS abandoned EDI and embraced interactive AI-driven emailsHow “correct before commit” became a mantra for reducing AP exceptions by 50%The impact of automation on buyer efficiency, supplier adoption, and margin protection (8–9% lift year-over-year)If you’re a distributor or supply chain leader looking to cut wasted hours, improve supplier collaboration, and protect profitability, Melanie’s story offers a practical roadmap for modernizing procurement.🔔 Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more customer stories and expert insights on how AI is reshaping procurement, supplier management, and operational efficiency.

In this episode of Leveraged Supply Chains, host Andrew Stroup sits down with Josh Cox, Vice President of Purchasing at General Factory Supply, to explore how AI is reshaping procurement and supplier management in manufacturing.Josh shares how his team moved away from manual, outdated systems and adopted Leverage AI, a procurement automation platform that streamlines purchase orders, improves supplier performance, and boosts on-time delivery.You’ll hear about:The challenges of managing procurement and suppliers with manual processesWhy General Factory Supply chose AI to modernize their supply chainEarly wins in supplier performance, procurement automation, and customer retentionHow AI protects margins while driving growth in manufacturingIf you’re a procurement leader, supply chain manager, or manufacturing executive, this episode offers a playbook for using technology to cut costs, improve supplier reliability, and scale smarter.🔔 Subscribe to Leveraged Supply Chains for more expert interviews on AI in supply chain, digital procurement, and operational efficiency.