Guest: Kevin Ledversis of Newcastle Systems on employee satisfaction and retention; Logistics companies respond to Mexico's manufacturing boom; Generative AI in sourcing and procurement

Jul 26, 2024

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Our guest on this week's episode is Kevin Ledversis, vice president of sales at Newcastle Systems. Labor continues to be in short supply, which means that it is important for distributors and warehouse operators to hold on to the labor that they do have by keeping warehouse employees engaged and happy. Our guest shares ways to foster an environment of employee contentment.

Mexico recently passed China to become the U.S.’s largest trading partner. We’ve seen Mexico rise very quickly in the business landscape due to tariffs on imports from China to the U.S. as well as global disruptions, such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. As a result, there has been a swift shift toward Mexico as a new manufacturing hub. To move all the freight now being generated south of the border, there has been a rush from leading logistics companies to build supply chain links between the U.S. and Mexico.

The adoption of generative artificial intelligence—or GenAI—for sourcing and procurement is gaining steam, and recent research from Gartner shows that its mainstream application may be just two years away. Gartner said this week that GenAI for procurement is at the “peak of inflated expectations.” Essentially, the data show that use cases are growing and AI capabilities are improving, making GenAI for sourcing and procurement a fast-moving technology within supply chains.

Supply Chain Xchange also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.

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Podcast is sponsored by: Storage Solutions

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