The Zero100 Podcast: Digitally Reinventing Supply Chain

ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot – LLMs are everywhere. But how do you integrate them into your operations? After a year spent developing our own LLM, the Zero100 team shares hard-won lessons and a primer on getting LLM design right. Featuring: VP Data & Analytics Cody Stack, Senior Manager, Data Science Julia Dahlgren, and Data Scientist Prajwal Bn.Why we built our own LLM (1:37)Key considerations for your build vs buy decision (2:55)How we leveraged open-source components (5:39)The promise – and challenge – of knowledge graphs (7:42) Encouraging adoption and winning buy-in from leadership (9:38)Why prompt engineering and quality training data are underrated (12:44)The business case for building a small language model (14:46)

Despite recent pushback against green policy, the EU is on track to score a major environmental win. The Zero100 team dives into what supply chain leaders and policymakers can learn from this success, and how companies are still fulfilling their sustainability pledges. Featuring: Principal Analysts Jenna Fink and Caroline Chumakov and Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah.Why we're not surprised by a European climate win (1:00)Key lessons for all following the EU's climate success (5:17)PepsiCo and Mars' win-win sustainability strategies revealed (6:53)Why green policy rollbacks shouldn't stall supply chain action (8:35)Getting practical with emissions reductions: Stories from Kimberly-Clark and ODP (13:34)Is the energy use of large language models a true environmental risk? (16:41)

GenAI and autonomous agents are catapulting supply chains into a future that was unimaginable just five years ago, and the pace of innovation is only accelerating. Join Zero100 Chief Content Officer Matt Davis and Principal Analyst Suzanne Lindsay as they reflect on the last 20 years of digital supply chains and how to navigate today’s tech landscape.How Amazon amassed an incredible human sentiment dataset (2:01)New challenges, opportunities in evaluating the world of solution providers (4:04)Unilever's approach to breaking down functional siloes for tech breakthroughs (8:32)The new (and eternal) decision parameters for tech selection (13:37)Top tips for future-proofing your tech stack (18:13)

AI agents could make up a significant part of company org charts within the next five years, supercharging human productivity. This week, we look at the roles, org structures, and leadership approaches needed to drive these teams forward. Featuring: Chief Content Officer Matt Davis and Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah.Unpacking Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index and the coming agent shake-up (01:00) Moderna’s fusion of HR and IT (02:30) Supply chain hiring trends for agentic AI (4:10)“The Path to 40” and bot boss leadership (07:43) Amazon’s two-pizza teams, Spotify guilds, and other models for functional organization (10:34)Moving forward with imperfect data (14:40)Teaching ethics to AI teammates… (18:32) … and readying human employees to work with them (20:30)

Autonomous AI agents have gone from sci-fi fodder to the stuff of TikToks and celebrity-fronted commercials. Amid the building buzz, the Zero100 team delivers a primer on the tech and how to implement it in supply chain. Featuring: Principal Analysts Jenna Fink and Caroline Chumakov and Research Analyst Jalen Thibou. AI agents have infiltrated the mainstream media (00:52)The promise of AI agents as teammates, not tools (04:53)What’s the difference between genAI and agentic AI? (05:13)Agentic in action: Supply chain use cases from Dow, C.H. Robinson, Yum! Brands, and Klarna (06:48)A primer on agent orchestration and why it matters (12:08)First steps and watch-outs for agent implementation (14:00)Building team trust and managing worker anxiety around agents (17:01)How Novartis and ExxonMobil are hiring to enable agents (20:00)

In today's volatile trade environment, how can you ensure your supplier relationships not only endure but flourish? PepsiCo's Chief Procurement Officer Marcelo Stefani tells Zero100 VP, Research Geraint John about how the company has revamped its SRM strategy. The secret ingredient: Why SRM is a non-negotiable at Pepsico (1:03)Marcelo's key learnings along the SRM journey (1:53)Beyond cost savings: How stronger supplier relationships offer tangible value (4:08)How Pepsico creates "one voice, one team" for suppliers (8:56)What's next for Pepsico's SRM superpower? (11:28)

What if, instead of pushing change onto people, we could design it to spread itself? The Zero100 team breaks down how to use the psychological hacks that fuel memes and movements to spread new ideas within supply chain organizations. Featuring: VP Research Lauren Acoba, Principal Analyst Caroline Chumakov, and VP Research Analytics Cody Stack.Tariffs, agentic AI, and deeper disruption ahead (3:17)The reason change needs to spread faster? Creative destruction (5:51)Why the old playbook for change no longer works (8:07)What viral change looks like in a work setting (11:01)How Unilever avoids the dilution effect (13:19)The secret to getting your idea to spread (16:34)How to lay the foundation for social proof (19:49)Tips for embracing a new way of thinking (24:47)

Since Trump's return to office, supply chain leaders have been scrambling to adapt to new tariffs and a culture of uncertainty. This week, Chief Research Officer Kevin O'Marah, VP Research Geraint John, and Principal Analyst Caroline Chumakov reflect on the first 100 days of the President's new term and unpack what comes next.Panic or pause? Leaders' immediate reactions to tariffs (00:45)Next steps for navigating the new trade landscape (4:11)What an impending recession could mean for supply chain (7:51)Product pricing strategies amid inflation (13:45)Is the death of the Trans-Pacific Partnership the reason we're in this situation? (16:15)The implications of China's critical mineral monopoly (19:00)Why it might be harder for US companies to build green supply chains (20:40)The essential change every supply chain should invest in now (23:45)

Walmart has long set the bar for omnichannel innovation, with breakthroughs connecting store operations, e-commerce, logistics automation, and sourcing. Ahead of 3xOmni – an event co-hosted by Zero100 and Walmart – Andrea Albright (EVP, Sourcing, Walmart; Operating Partner, Massmart) and Lauren Acoba (VP Research, Zero100) discuss how the retailer’s strategy has evolved with consumer expectations and what comes next. Unpacking the evolution of omnichannel shopping (1:04)Inside Walmart's next-gen omni playbook (3:35)How AI powers ethical sourcing and strategy at Walmart (4:55)Breaking down siloes to deliver on hyper-personalization (7:07)The secrets to optimizing supply networks using AI (11:02)Overcoming cultural inertia: the power of psychological safety (12:59)Omni lessons for everyone (not just retail!) (17:33)Why there's no substitute for being with your customers (18:55)

As global trade volatility soars, many supplier relationships could be headed for a rough patch. Zero100 discusses how leaders can not only maintain those relationships but strengthen them for mutual benefit. Featuring: Chief Content Officer Matt Davis, VP Research Geraint John, and Principal Analyst Jenna Fink.The best relationship advice the team has ever received (00:49)How trade shifts and regulation are putting supplier relationships under strain (1:58)Why strong supplier relationship management (SRM) is so important – and why it’s not been prioritized (3:13)Preferred pricing and premium service: The financial incentives for strong SRM (6:55)The Zero100 STEER framework for becoming a customer of choice (9:56)Lessons in SRM from SHEIN (13:13)How Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and BMW are driving supplier co-innovation (15:26)The supply chain skills and roles needed to push SRM forward (20:56)