The Zero100 Podcast

What did Zero100 get right about 2025 — and what's coming in 2026? Chief Content Officer Matt Davis sits down with VP, Research Advisory Services Lauren Acoba and Principal Research Caroline Chumakov to grade last year's boldest predictions before mapping the forces that will reshape supply chains over the next 12 months. From AI agents moving into planning and sourcing, to clean energy as competitive advantage, to India's manufacturing rise and humanoid robots entering the workforce— this is your annual roadmap of trends worth watching and moves to make now.Grading 2025: How Zero100's predictions held up (01:43)Can AI move faster without cleaner data? Spoiler: probably not (05:25)Nuclear's next mission: Powering the data center boom (06:29)How AI agents are reshaping planning, sourcing, and orchestration roles (10:31) Could India be manufacturing’s next superstar? (16:34) Humanoids find their footing in real-life operations (18:36)

DoorDash isn't just delivering dinner – it's transforming how small businesses run. This week, VP, Strategy & Operations Parisa Sadrzadeh joins Zero100 Chief Content Officer Matt Davis to take us inside the systems powering the restaurant experience today. From the new Going Out feature blending digital and in-person moments to partner-first design principles that work across thousands of kitchens, Parisa reveals what supply chain leaders can learn from frontline food ops.Inside the DoorDash playbook: delivery, dine-in, and everything between (01:22)Building for the moments that matter: why restaurant tech must respect craft over complexity (04:13)How Gen Z is pushing commerce and omnichannel into new territory (07:09)Why great tech starts with understanding your partner's operating "heartbeat" (10:05)How working the floor leads to better tech solutions (11:55)On Shake Shack, growth, and meeting customers where they want to be (17:32)Earning trust without authority: aligning incentives and building for partners (23:36)

The best questions come from the messy middle of transformation. Join Zero100’s Principals, Research Caroline Chumakov and Jenna Fink, and Chief Research Officer Kevin O'Marah as they answer the questions keeping supply chain leaders up at night in our first mailbag episode: How do you balance quick AI wins with paradigm-shifting transformation? What actually measures Copilot's impact? And to what degree can organizational resistance slow change? Real questions, actionable answers.Introducing the Zero100 Mailbag (00:05) Balancing incremental vs transformational AI strategy (1:06) Manufacturing transformation: task automation or systems redesign? (5:00) Measuring Copilot productivity and AI ROI (10:02) How to manage organizational resistance and the quintile problem (13:42) What data improvements are needed before AI implementation? (18:10) 

The hype is high for agentic AI – but what's the reality on the ground? Fresh off Zero100’s Live 2025 events in London and San Diego, the Zero100 team reveals what's actually working in supply chain transformation. Spoiler alert: it’s not about deploying AI and declaring victory. It's about the unsexy fundamentals – data ownership, fusion teams, and the Translators who bridge tech and ops. Featuring: VP, Data & Analytics Cody Stack, VP, Research Advisory Services Lauren Acoba, and Account Executive Jen Smith. Live in a nutshell: Bold vision meets pragmatic action (00:53)  Taking Live international: Impressions from London and San Diego (2:10) Content that resonated: Translators, fusion teams, and scaling AI pilots (5:00) What is “data readiness” really? (7:11) Sustainability meets efficiency: The cost-carbon connection (9:02) Real-world AI use cases, from document parsing to personal leadership development (11:07) Key takeaways: Unconstrained thinking, hard work, and why humans aren't going anywhere (20:09)

In a world drowning in data and AI hype, the leaders who win aren't the ones with the best algorithms – they're the ones who can tell the best stories. Join Zero100’s Chief Research Officer Kevin O'Marah and Principal Research Caroline Chumakov as they explore storytelling as a critical leadership strategy for digital supply chain transformation and provide practical tips for winning over skeptical boardrooms. The neuroscience of storytelling (02:53) Why storytelling matters more than ever in the age of AI (04:18) The essential ingredients: Conflict, emotion, and a hero at the center (05:50) What we can learn from Indra Nooyi, Sara Blakely, Paul Polman, and Jim Rowan (08:44) The Golden Nugget: How to win over boardrooms with data and narrative (14:10) Understanding storytelling as a change management strategy (19:10) Amazon's PR/FAQ framework: A practical tool for driving multi-year transformations (22:25) Making it stick: How to practice storytelling and build it into your leadership development (24:29) 

Once known for low-cost production, the Asia-Pacific region now sets the global pace in digital integration, real-time orchestration, and AI-powered operations. From China’s consumer-driven factories to Singapore’s strategic investment in talent, APAC has created supply chains where data, decisions, and execution move as one. On this week’s episode of the podcast, the Zero100 team unpacks what’s driving this momentum – and why leaders everywhere can’t afford to ignore it. Featuring: Principal Research, Suzanne Lindsay, Senior Research Analyst, Jalen Thibou, and VP, Research, Kelly Coutinho. What’s driving APAC’s digital edge in supply chain? (00:50) Inside the factories syncing data and decisions at speed (03:19) How real-time orchestration is pushing the region ahead (04:23) Cross-industry collaboration wins in policy, tech, and talent (07:22) The infrastructure powering APAC’s smart production model (10:20) When AI meets skilled labor on the factory floor (15:31) The big lessons global supply chain leaders can’t afford to miss (18:59) 

In the age of AI, the most powerful investment you can make has nothing to do with technology – and everything to do with your org chart. Enter fusion teams: cross-functional powerhouses that combine tech and ops expertise to deliver digital products at scale. In this episode, the Zero100 team looks at the personas that drive success and unpacks how to build, empower, and measure the success of these teams across the supply chain. Featuring: VP, Data & Analytics Cody Stack, Principal Analyst Caroline Chumakov, and VP, Research Lauren Acoba.What are fusion teams, exactly? (00:58) Meet the key players: Citizens, Translators, and Wizards (01:32) How to spot and grow Translators in your organization (05:50) Fusion team archetypes in action (08:48) From pilot to practice: making fusion teams stick (12:19) How to spot success, and why “failure” is a key ingredient (14:37) What’s next for fusion teams in the age of AI? (19:42) 

The recent digital tech boom has reshaped how supply chains operate – and the skills that powered the last era aren’t the ones that will define the next. This week, Bonnie Fetch, EVP and President, Operations at Cummins, sits down with Caroline Chumakov, Principal Analyst at Zero100, to explore how leaders can develop and empower the supply chain talent of tomorrow and build fusion teams that drive the best tech solutions.The role of humans in an automated world (03:05) Spotting and developing tech-ops “Translators” (05:36) Why fusion teams are crucial for innovation (10:11) The human skills that matter most in a tech-driven era (12:47) Learning and development in the age of AI (15:31) Data cleanliness, the limits of AI, and knowing where to scale (18:36) Building a fulfilling supply chain career for the future (21:02) 

Six months after Trump declared “Liberation Day,” tariff revenues are up, and major US investment pledges are rolling in. But at the same time, costs are rising, and global sourcing strategies are shifting fast. This week, the Zero100 team explores reshoring readiness, friendshoring alternatives, and the role of AI and robotics in turning volatility into opportunity, outlining the steps supply chain leaders must take to build resilience in a reshaped global market. Featuring: Chief Research Officer Kevin O’Marah, VP, Research, Geraint John, and Principal Analyst Caroline Chumakov. Breaking down Trump’s tariff playbook (00:05) What the numbers really say about trade deficits and tax revenue (02:01) Moving manufacturing back to the US: Political theater or a real shift? (03:38) The roadblocks slowing a reshoring push (10:17) Non-stop negotiation: How global trade partners are reacting (15:44) Inflation, resilience, and what supply chain leaders must prepare for next (19:14) Trump’s tariffs: a win or a miss? (25:01) 

China's electric vehicle manufacturers are changing the game with seamless ecosystems that blend digital and physical production – and they're scaling without friction. This week, the Zero100 team explores how companies like BYD and Xiaomi are producing high-quality EVs faster and cheaper than Western competitors, and breaks down the operating lessons every supply chain leader needs to know. Featuring: Principal Analysts Suzanne Lindsay and Jenna Fink, and VP, Research Kelly Coutinho. The three waves of China’s EV innovation (00:51) How robotics help Xiaomi produce 1,000 cars a day with just 2,000 workers (02:28) Unpacking BYD's battery advantage (04:26) How STEM talent powers China's automotive transformation (06:03)  Understanding China’s EV glut and export strategy (08:54)  What Western supply chains can learn from China’s “seamless scale” approach (12:10)