CHECKINGIN
Vol. 46, No. 9
September 2026
THE MAGAZINE FOR DEMAND-DRIVEN ENTERPRISES www.inboundlogistics.com
Demand-Driven AI?
STAFF
PUBLISHER Keith G. Biondo
D o you still rely on rearview mirror forecasting to run your front-line manufacturing operations? No bueno. For decades, the standard S&OP playbook meant extrapolating last year’s sales, tacking on a hopeful percentage bump for good luck, and praying your suppliers wouldn’t hit a wall. But in today’s volatile global supply chain ecosystem, historical data isn’t just antiquated, it’s an operational trap. Building a truly demand-driven enterprise with the
publisher@inboundlogistics.com
EDITOR Felecia J. Stratton
editor@inboundlogistics.com
SENIOR EDITOR Katrina C. Arabe
karabe@inboundlogistics.com
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC CONTENT
Amy Roach amy.roach@thomasnet.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Prince
ashley.prince@thomasnet.com
Keith Biondo, Publisher
June Allan Corrigan Tom Gresham Karen M. Kroll Rich Osborne Gary Wollenhaupt
tech SC managers have today gives you additional tools to stop reacting to yesterday’s purchase orders and start sensing tomorrow’s market disruptions. That doesn’t mean you have to wait for a long implementation or a multi-year and expensive software overhaul. It means applying pragmatic, high-impact AI supported execution where it actually moves the needle. Manufacturing leaders now deploy AI to sharpen forecast accuracy, trim tied-up working capital, and smooth out operational friction across their network. A demand forecast is only as solid as your supplier’s actual capability to deliver critical parts on demand. Traditional planning models mostly assume Tier 2 and Tier 3 vendors can magically scale up production the moment your purchase orders surge. When they can’t, your production lines grind to a halt, leaving you with un nished work-in-process inventory, missed delivery windows, and angry management and customers. So ip upstream looks upside down. Don’t wait for late-shipment noti cations to reveal supply chain breakdowns. Instead feed external signals such as energy price increases, port congestion data, macroeconomic indices, raw material spot prices, weather patterns, and anything else you have into targeted machine learning models. That gives you a predictive bottleneck sensor to map external risks against your bill of materials and ag component shortages weeks before you issue the PO. That lead time can allow procurement teams to secure secondary sourcing or adjust production schedules before minor supplier hiccups turn into major operational crises. It is still upstream guessing, but now you have a backstop. Planners can then step in when the system ags a true anomaly, such as an unexpected trend break or a sudden promotional spike. By routing exceptions instead of auditing all routine items, you cut planning efforts and time while allowing your talent to focus where humans-in-the-loop matter most. Arti cial intelligence isn’t about replacing the human expertise on your logistics and planning teams; it’s about amplifying it. Operational focus shifts from reactive historical reporting to real-time, predictive demand sensing. Less supply chain waste, leaner working capital needs. Demand-driven AI gives companies a better shot at being a step ahead of customers’ needs .
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeof Vita
jvita@inboundlogistics.com
DESIGNER Arlene So
DIGITAL DESIGN MANAGER PUBLICATION MANAGER
Amy Palmisano apalmisano@inboundlogistics.com
Sonia Casiano sonia@inboundlogistics.com
SALES STAFF PUBLISHER: Keith Biondo
212-629-1560 FAX: 212-629-1565 publisher@inboundlogistics.com ADVERTISING SALES sales@inboundlogistics.com Joseph Biondo 516-578-8924 jbiondo@inboundlogistics.com Rachael Sprinz 212-629-1562 FAX: 212-629-1565 rachael@inboundlogistics.com Guillermo Almazo 305-833-5372 mexico@inboundlogistics.com FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS bit.ly/get_il
Inbound Logistics supports sustainable best practices. Our mission is rooted in helping companies match demand to supply, eliminating waste from the supply chain. This magazine is printed on paper sourced from fast growth renewable timber.
Inbound Logistics welcomes submissions and comments. Email us at editorial@inboundlogistics.com; call (212) 629-1560. For advertising or subscription information, email publisher@inboundlogistics.com. Inbound Logistics is distributed without cost to those qualified around the world. Interested readers may subscribe online at bit.ly/get_il. Subscription price to others: in North America $95 per year. Unqualified subscription prices: foreign $229. Single copy price: N. America $50, foreign $100, back issues $50.
4 Inbound Logistics • September 2026
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