Supply Chain Now The Buzz: Leadership & Workforce Management
Oct 3, 2025
Katie Date, Senior VP at Manifest, brings a wealth of experience in supply chain dynamics, focusing on community and diversity. She discusses the provocative findings from a LinkedIn survey on workforce management and the consequences of poor leadership. The conversation shifts to Kraft Heinz's innovative AI Cookbook project, aiming to enhance operational knowledge. Katie also highlights upcoming industry events and the importance of cold chain solutions for Manifest 2026, emphasizing networking's critical role in building relationships.
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Leadership Shapes Supply Chain Outcomes
- Leadership quality directly impacts supply chain performance and employee retention.
- Katie Date and Koray Kose stress that good managers accelerate teams while bad bosses create costly friction.
Put People Before Processes
- Do invest in leaders who develop and support their teams instead of nitpicking.
- Prioritize people-first management before technology and process improvements.
Kraft Heinz's Ketchup AI Cookbook
- Kraft Heinz built an AI "Cookbook" to capture 150 years of ketchup production tribal knowledge for operators.
- The pilot aims to deliver real-time answers on thickness, color, and taste at the production line.