Art of Supply

“Werner Enterprises wishes to clarify that we are not involved in any agreements of discussions regarding the recruitment of Kenyan truck drivers to the United States. Any claims suggesting otherwise are just false.” - Werner Enterprises on X, September 9, 2025 In early September, rumors started to swirl that Werner Enterprises, a $3 Billion transportation and logistics company based in Omaha, Nebraska, was bringing people from Kenya to drive for them in the United States.  The rumors aren’t completely based on speculation. Delegations from Kenya and the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office have been going back and forth for over a year. Werner and their CEO have publicly denied the rumors, and the Governor of Nebraska has clarified the limitations of the Secretary of State’s office, but only digging into the details can separate fact from fiction.  In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner pulls together the facts as she found them: Reviewing the timeline - a critical piece of this story Pictures that seem to have been worth more than a thousand words Who said what when, including representatives of the Federal government The lessons we can all learn from what happened Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“It's also important to note that while our stores are fulfilling more digital orders it's not coming at the cost of in-store sales…our stores as hubs strategy isn't putting our core business at risk. It's simply helping us grow faster.” - Brian Cornell, Target CEO, in 2019 In August, Target announced that they would be backing away from their ‘stores as hubs’ program. The program started in 2017 and used dedicated spaces in the backrooms of regular Target stores to fulfill the company’s digital orders. The ‘stores as hubs’ program was rolled out with huge fanfare… and a massive $7 Billion investment… so why has Target changed their mind? Their explanation for the change is that they need to focus more on the in-store shopping experience, but it could also be that true omnichannel retail fulfillment is harder to deliver against than they thought. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner considers the roll out and then roll back of Target’s ‘stores as hubs’ program: How the program worked, and what the incentives were to keep it going The challenges Target ran into as well as the successes they had under their omnichannel strategy What we know about how they plan to handle digital order fulfillment moving forward Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

If you want to operate a truck over 26,000 pounds, earn money for doing it, and cross state lines… then you need to have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Truck drivers are essential to the economy, and so having a CDL is a real asset. It offers job security and flexibility, as well as solid earnings and great benefits. In fact, CDLs are so valuable that even people who haven’t earned one are willing to break the rules to get one. But having unqualified commercial drivers on the road is a danger to everyone. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the right way and the wrong way to get a CDL: Safety statistics associated with large trucks and their drivers How to get a CDL and what the pass/fail rate is Recent news stories that illustrate what can go wrong when the administration of CDLs is not handled properly or when licensed drivers aren’t qualified Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

“We’re committed to supporting U.S. suppliers involved in every key stage of the chip-making process — from the earliest stages of research and development, to final fabrication and packaging.” - Sabih Khan, COO at Apple In April, President Trump said that he wants the Apple iPhone to be manufactured in the United States.  The iPhone’s 2,700 components currently come from 187 suppliers in 28 countries, according to an article from the Financial Times, and less than 5 percent of the total components are manufactured domestically.  Apple ships 438 iPhones every minute, and 85 percent of them are assembled by Foxconn, with its dozens of locations in China. Can Apple reshore the iPhone? We’re all watching to find out. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks into whether this lofty goal could become a reality: What incentives does Apple have to make this work, and what are the disincentives to tolerate failure? How are they investing domestically in terms of capacity, partnerships, and talent? Are they thinking big enough to address the raw materials required in their silicon and battery supply chains?  Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

The supply chain faces a lot of challenges right now: geopolitical unpredictability, tariff uncertainty, the end of de minimis exemptions, and constantly changing regulations worldwide. It doesn’t need one more problem - but it has one anyway. And that’s cargo theft. According to Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb), since 2021, there has been a 1,500% increase in cargo theft incidents in the U.S., costing $35 Billion annually. The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) has reported that cargo theft grew by over 600% between November 2022 and March 2023 alone, less than 6 months.  Recent estimates say that 2,500 truckloads are stolen every year, an average of 200 truckloads per month, or 7 per day.  And who pays for all of that theft? Companies shipping goods, companies transporting goods, and you. The consumer. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks into this massive and growing problem: The different types of theft associated with the cargo crime epidemic How technology is making it easier for criminals to seize loads and making it easier for shippers to safeguard their cargo A case example involving one of the worst and fastest growing areas of cargo theft: copper Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“Today, the U.S. ranks 19th in the world in commercial shipbuilding, and we build less than 5 ships each year, while the PRC is building more than 1,700 ships. In 1975, the United States ranked number one, and we were building more than 70 ships a year.” - Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative (2021-2025) The Trump Administration is on a mission to make shipbuilding great again… a bipartisan effort that started during the Biden Administration. In the spring of 2024, the U.S. Trade Representative released the findings and recommendations of a Section 301 investigation into whether or not China is engaged in anti-competitive shipbuilding practices. This release led to the “Ships for America Act,” introduced by Senator Mark Kelly, among others. When both sides of the aisle agree, the problem must be huge… and in the case of U.S. shipbuilding capabilities, it is gargantuan. There are currently about 80 U.S.-flagged ships involved in international commerce compared to over 5,500 China-flagged vessels, and the connection between military shipbuilding and commercial shipbuilding is too strong to ignore. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner: Tracks the downfall of U.S. shipbuilding from its peak in the 70s to today Examines China’s strategy for combining military and commercial shipbuilding capabilities and how that has helped them build a dominant global position  Considers the many moving pieces that will have to fall into place to put the U.S. on a better path Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

“If you’re as good as you say you are, you should be able to keep your cost structure down, deliver the mission and the outcome, and still make a margin.” - Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the GSA The General Services Administration (GSA), responsible for Federal contracting, has been making DOGE-style headlines of their own this year. In late June, they sent a letter to a number of large consulting firms under contract, looking for opportunities to reduce spending and better understand the work that is underway. Josh Gruenbaum, who is overseeing the review, specifically requested “No consultant gobbledygook” in the responses. The GSA has signaled a mindset shift from time-and-materials to outcome based contracts, a dynamic that is likely to impact private sector consulting contracts and spending as well. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks into this shift and what it will require from all involved parties: How the government defines consulting services The multi-round outreach process being led by the Federal government and how firms are responding How to shift to outcome based agreements and the pressure of AI is likely to change the future of consulting Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Art of Supply on YouTube Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

“We've had this whole period of trying to manage supply chains for lowest cost, whereas I think now we're managing for resilience at a managed cost and at an acceptable cost.” - Tim Richardson, Founder and CEO, Iter Consulting Supply chains aren't really chains anymore. They're complex, interconnected networks.  Supply networks are anything but predictable. What used to be straightforward relationships between suppliers and customers have become webs of interconnected partnerships, each with its own risks and opportunities. The leaders and teams who succeed in this environment understand that optimizing for resilience at a managed cost has fundamentally replaced the old paradigm of chasing the lowest cost… at any price. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes Tim Richardson back to the podcast. Tim is the Founder and CEO of Iter Consulting, a global team of experts with supply chain and manufacturing experience that are helping companies navigate the new world order of distributed manufacturing and supply network complexity In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Tim and Kelly discuss:  Why we've moved past peak globalization and what "local for local" manufacturing means for supply network design How to balance the challenge of mapping supply network complexity against the need to understand cost and risk exposure The talent gap in supply chain leadership and why strategic thinking capabilities haven't kept pace with operational demands Links: Tim Richardson on LinkedIn Supply Chain Forecast: Volatile with Tim Richardson Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“The way you do one thing is the way you do everything, and we found, over and over, that precision in the smallest of details translated to precision in the bigger ones.” - Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality There are a lot of opportunities for crossover learning between running a restaurant and working in procurement or supply chain. Both fields are highly operational and process driven, not to mention measured by known, benchmarkable performance metrics.  In the book “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect” by Will Guidara, we hear the story of one high-end restaurant’s rise to become the best in the world, but it wasn’t just about the food. They had to master and refine their systems, their approach to the guest experience, and serve amazing food all at the same time. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner shares key lessons from the book and connects them to the challenges and opportunities that procurement and supply chain leaders face today: The critical need to pair vision with operational systems that work at scale Crafting an exceptional customer experience and training a large team to preserve it How successful leaders handle difficult times and even failure Links: Unreasonable Hospitality on Amazon Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“There is a world where we can have a much more dynamic supply chain. Certainly, the current set of brands that are experiencing the squeeze from the tariffs would definitely benefit from being able to pivot their supply chain pretty quickly.” - Anthony Sardain, Founder and CEO of Cavela For all of the enthusiasm about AI, global sourcing is one of the processes that has remained predominantly human. Between the complexity of specifications and the relationship-based exchanges of information, it has been too ‘messy’ for straight automation - until now. Anthony Sardain is the founder and CEO of Cavela, a company focused on automating the end-to-end sourcing process. For three generations, his family has been heavily involved in trade. It probably comes as no surprise then that during his graduate studies at McGill University, he focused on developing machine learning and AI models to predict global trade. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner speaks with Anthony about the opportunities associated with (finally) automating global sourcing: Building a business model that delivers the value traditionally associated with a service as a product instead Why increasing competition from smaller players will increase all companies’ reliance on brand How suppliers feel about this new advancement in the manufacturing space Links: Anthony Sardain on LinkedIn Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“Life is short and it ends, the clock is ticking. Don’t get all wrapped up in your personal self, that’s a very unhealthy thing to do.” - Fred Smith, Founder of FedEx (1944 - 2025) On June 21, 2025, the business world - more specifically the supply chain world - lost a giant. FedEx Founder Fred Smith passed away at the age of 80. Frederick Wallace Smith was born in Marks, Mississippi in 1944. According to common anecdotes, he first imagined a company that could provide overnight delivery for an economics paper he wrote while studying at Yale in 1965 - and he got a C because the professor thought the idea was implausible. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner looks at Fred Smith’s many contributions from five decades in business: The risk he had to be willing to take on in pursuit of his vision The many innovations that were introduced by FedEx during his tenure Why Smith’s perspective on what kind of business FedEx was in was so critical to its success Links: FedEx Ground’s Contractor Woes Case Dismissed: Spencer Patton Prevails Over FedEx Reading FedEx Ground the RICO Act Will FedEx Freight hit the open road? Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

“This is a long standing discussion within the networking and security industry: is there a perimeter? I think the reality is the perimeter still exists because it's a data and logical perimeter, but it doesn't exist anymore as a physical perimeter.” - Ken Rutsky, Chief Marketing Officer at Aryaka As the world becomes increasingly digital, ensuring network connectivity and security become parallel objectives that all companies must prioritize. Add in trying to do it as efficiently as possible, and the challenge only grows.  Ken Rutsky is the Chief Marketing Officer at Aryaka. They recently released their first Network Security Trends in Transportation and Logistics report, part of a series of research efforts looking at network security trends for different industries.  In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Ken joins Kelly Barner to discuss: The unique combination of physical and digital security needs that transportation and logistics companies have to satisfy  How the cost, complexity, and relative risk associated with network security are being addressed Balancing systems integration and also network perimeters to ensure connectivity on the move without taking on undue risk Links: Ken Rutsky on LinkedIn 2025 State of Network Security in Transportation & Logistics Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

There have been a number of efforts to regulate a transition to lower logistics-related emissions, and all of them involved the state of California and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  California always plays a unique role in these debates because they have the most air pollution in the country and also the toughest emissions regulations. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) predates the EPA. In the past, they have been able to make their own rules, only requiring waivers when newly proposed standards are tougher than Federal standards.  On May 22, 2025, the Senate voted to strip California of its ability to impose tougher standards on heavy duty trucks and ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. California may be down, but they are certainly not out. They are using other creative ways to regulate the emissions associated with logistics. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner looks at this alternate approach to regulation: The Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions Program (known as WAIRE) and the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR) How these rules are are intended to work and how they are being enforced Whether this alternative approach will be effective in achieving its objectives Links: Examining the Practicality of the EV Truck Mandate Nebraska v. California: The EV Trucking Transition Who will decide the future of EV trucking? Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

While true crime has gained traction as a genre in the literary world, it's not often we see it applied to procurement. Yet, a fascinating and unsettling procurement fraud case has recently come to light within Intel Israel's operations. Every criminal investigation seeks to uncover means, motive, and opportunity, and this case checks all three boxes, with implications that go far beyond one company. Just a few weeks ago, a story broke that uncovered an alleged scheme in which a now-former employee, Natalia Avtsin, and a component supplier, Yefim Tsibolevsky from Energy Electronics 2000, teamed up to steal roughly 3 million Israeli shekels (NIS), or about $842,000 USD.  Although the case is still ongoing and has yet to see its day in court, it poses a lot of questions for procurement teams across the globe. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers: How Avtsin and Tsibolevsky pulled off this alleged fraud The process loopholes and absent oversight that allowed them to get away with it for so long The many lessons procurement can take from this case regarding checks and balances, pattern detection, and technology use Links: Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

After spending years reviewing business books, Kelly Barner knows how to recognize authors who truly move the needle–and Kate Vitasek is one of them. Her latest work, Preventing the Dispute Before It Begins: Proven Mechanisms for Fostering Better Business Relationships, co-authored with James Groton, Ellen Waldman, and Allen Waxman, takes on a surprisingly neglected topic: dispute prevention. While this topic can be applied to procurement, it’s also very human, looking at business relationships from their most troubled moments and aspiring to lay out a plan as well as offering up resources to help teams and individuals stay away from the trouble.  In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner takes on her first audio book review and covers: The difference between handling conflict and proactively preventing issues in the first place How certain language, particularly within contracts, can lay the foundation for disputes even before they happen Who peacekeepers are and the role they have in strategically averting crises Links: Kate Vitasek on LinkedIn Preventing the Dispute Before It Begins: Proven Mechanisms for Fostering Better Business Relationships Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“In this climate of being a trade professional in Washington, expect to be in an Uber for about half of the day and then the other half of it sitting in rooms making cases of why people either should be not paying tariffs or how other people should be paying tariffs.” - Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index Supply chain professionals have always had to keep a close eye on trade–both the policies and the geopolitical happenings that affect it. But with tariffs launching trade-related topics to the top of the news cycle repeatedly since January, all of us - supply chain professionals and otherwise - have learned something new.  One person who spends a majority of his time right in the thick of it all is Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index.  Samir and Kelly Barner have discussed global sourcing and tariffs in the past, but in this interview they take a broader approach, exploring how trade policies and lobbying intersect and what they really mean in today's volatile geopolitical environment. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Samir shares his expertise about the: Nuances of trade relationships between companies and governments Factors that influence trade agreements and tariffs Types of lobbying methods that influence and shape trade practices Links: Samir Kapadia on LinkedIn India Index The Dawn of a New Era in U.S. Trade Policy Evaluating India as a Viable Alternative to China Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

“We need to be able to tolerate this uncertainty and the fluctuations that we're undergoing right now and keep our eye on the long term goal of strengthening American manufacturing.” -Hollie Noveletsky, Owner and CEO of Novel Iron Works While many consumers and business owners feel uneasy about the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs, there is at least one group that views them as essential: steel fabricators.  Hollie Noveletsky, Owner and CEO of Novel Iron Works, and Stephen Capone, President of Capone Iron, have personally felt the negative impact that foreign competition and a lack of fair trade have had not only on their own businesses but on their overall communities. As Section 232 tariffs help incentivize domestic steel fabrication, they feel a sense of hope in protecting the security of American jobs and infrastructure. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Hollie and Stephen share their perspectives on: The importance of maintaining, growing, and preserving domestic steel fabrication capabilities Competition–and the factors that impact it–between between fabricators in New England and internationally Advice Hollie and Stephen have for decisionmakers who feel wary about impending tariffs and what this really means for the country Links: Hollie Noveletsky on LinkedIn Stephen Capone on LinkedIn Noveletsky: I’m in the steel biz, Trump’s right about steel tariffs Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement Stephen Capone on LinkedIn  

“Even though the world’s advanced economies are largely considered post-industrial, chipmaking is an area where domestic manufacturing is now being treated as a high priority for economic and national security reasons.” Jon Martin, Writing for the ‘More than Moore’ substack The CHIPS and Science Act, which took effect in August of 2022, is an ambitious Federal program that will inject $52.7 Billion into U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and workforce training. As we look back nearly 3 years later, there has been more talk than action, but no one party or entity bears all of the blame. Forming productive partnerships between the public and private sectors is always complicated - even when everyone’s interests seem to be aligned, and a change of Administration has also brought changes in how the program will be run. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner reviews the law as an example of joint public-private reshoring: Reviewing the commitments that have been made to date Unpacking the roadblocks to progress that we’ve seen so far Considering what the Trump administration is doing to facilitate the process of rebuilding semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in the United States Links: Does the CHIPS Act provide the Helpful Incentives the U.S. needs? Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

Global supply chain leaders and consumers alike have watched for months as the U.S. tariff rollercoaster starts and stops, impacting imported goods. While these policy changes are expected to directly impact supply chains, what about their impact on the cost and availability of freight? As companies hold their breath and wait to see if and/or when their imports will be subjected to tariffs, many have been doing their best to plan as far ahead as possible and get stock in well before seasonal demand hits. Even so, concerns still exist over tariff timelines and the availability and cost of domestic goods. Most preparation comes down to data–which is where this episode’s guest comes in. Judah Levine, Head of Research at Freightos, recently joined Kelly Barner to offer his insight into what he and his team are seeing in the ocean and air shipping market. In this episode of Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Judah cover: The strategy shippers are taking in response to tariffs The extended impact these trade wars will have on global shipping The challenges brought on by the pausing of de minimis exceptions Links: Judah Levine on LinkedIn Trump’s April Tariffs - Rundown, Implications, and Freight Impact Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement  

In recent years, a lot of work has been done to raise awareness about the massive problem of human trafficking as well as to start to attack that problem. In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner interviews two women engaged in an important part of that fight through an organization called Gift of Freedom: Sharon Siar and Nicole Glenn.  Sharon Siar is the Founder and President Gift of Freedom, and she is also the Vice President and CFO at Talon Freight Services Nicole Glenn, is a Board Member for Gift of Freedom, the Founder and CEO of Candor Logistics Management, and a host of the Ladies Leadership Coalition Podcast. Unlike organizations focused on raising public awareness, or rescuing victims of trafficking, Gift of Freedom is focused on aftercare. They provide the funding for counseling, a need that can extend years or even decades after a rescue is complete. Even though this is a hard topic to hear about, it is a challenging reality for far too many people - children especially - in the United States and around the world. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Sharon and Nicole share their perspectives on: Why aftercare counseling has been overlooked as an area of need in the past The connection between human trafficking and supply chains Why social statistics fail to capture or represent the scope of this problem Links: Sharon Siar on LinkedIn Nicole Glenn on LinkedIn Gift of Freedom Kelly Barner on LinkedIn Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter  Art of Supply on AOP Subscribe to This Week in Procurement