Welcome to Supply-Chain360, your all-in-one source for actual insights into the world of SCM!

Ralph Leyendecker
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  • MANAGEMENT

Here, we explore the latest innovations, technologies, and strategies transforming the global supply chain landscape. From BANI to generative AI and automation to sustainability and risk management, our content covers everything you need to stay ahead in the dynamic world of SCM & Logistics. Whether you're a professional, a student, or just curious about supply chains, tune in for in-depth discussions, expert interviews, and actionable tips to optimize your operations - or just learn something new.

  1. After Davos: Great-Power Theater, Middle-Power Strategy, and Pharma Supply Chains

    JAN 23

    After Davos: Great-Power Theater, Middle-Power Strategy, and Pharma Supply Chains

    In this episode, I look at Davos 2026 not as a media show, but as a live stress test of the global order. From Merz’ “age of great powers” narrative to Trump’s tariff threats, Greenland remarks, and pressure over U.S. bonds, Davos made one thing clear: the world is being run more openly as a great-power game again, and middle powers, especially in Europe, are caught in the squeeze. I translate this into the language of pharma and healthcare supply chains. We explore how tariffs, sanctions, export controls, dollar dependence, and critical infrastructure decisions (plants, APIs, IT, banks) create structural exposure for your network. Using examples from pharma, automotive, and banking, I show how the same pattern repeats across industries: highly regulated, high-stakes systems built on a few geopolitical chokepoints. Finally, I outline what a “middle-power supply chain strategy” could look like in practice: rethinking your exposure map, identifying a few structural dependencies you can actually change, and giving geopolitical risk a real home in your governance. If you’re responsible for supply chain, risk, or corporate strategy in a BANI world, this episode is an invitation to move beyond headline reactions and start managing a deliberate great-power risk portfolio. Connect with me on LinkedIn: Ralph Leyendecker | LinkedIn

    17 min
  2. From Country Crisis to Risk Portfolio – How Pharma Supply Chains should think about Geopolitics

    JAN 19

    From Country Crisis to Risk Portfolio – How Pharma Supply Chains should think about Geopolitics

    In this episode, I move beyond “one crisis at a time” and look at geopolitics through the lens of a risk portfolio for pharma and med-tech supply chains. Starting from recent events like Venezuela, the Red Sea, Taiwan, and Europe’s energy debate, I sketch a simple way to map exposure versus geopolitical fragility – not as a theoretical exercise, but as a practical tool for network and governance decisions. I talk about what leaders can actually control: where buffers sit, how contracts handle sanctions and export controls, how decision rights are set, and which trade lanes are treated as “single points of failure.” Using a concrete Latin America scenario, I walk through how a portfolio mindset changes the way you react to shocks, design options, and explain trade-offs to boards and regulators. If you’re responsible for supply chain, risk, or governance in a BANI world, this episode is an invitation to make your geopolitical exposure visible, link it to real levers you can set, and move from reactive crisis management to deliberate portfolio thinking.

    15 min
  3. Venezuela and the BANI World – Implications for Health and Pharma Supply Chains

    JAN 5

    Venezuela and the BANI World – Implications for Health and Pharma Supply Chains

    In this episode, I unpack the recent U.S. military operation that led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture and ongoing narco-terrorism proceedings in New York, and look at what this actually means for health and pharma supply chains in and around Venezuela. Rather than debating the politics, I focus on access to medicines, sanctions and logistics friction, and two working scenarios: a managed transition with selective relief versus a prolonged standoff where Venezuela remains a high-friction, low-priority market. I also explore how spillover effects, migration, shifting demand, and NGO procurement, could impact neighboring health systems. Finally, I translate this into practical actions for pharma and med-tech leaders: mapping exposure, separating humanitarian and commercial channels, tightening sanctions and compliance processes, building regional flexibility, and watching operational indicators instead of just political headlines, all framed through a BANI lens.

    12 min
  4. Holiday Message – Merry Christmas and see you in 2026!

    12/22/2025

    Holiday Message – Merry Christmas and see you in 2026!

    This short holiday episode is a quick thank-you from me to you before I step away for a year-end break. I share a few reflections on this past year in pharma supply chains and what’s coming next for the podcast, then hit pause until the new year. Wishing you a Merry Christmas, and a healthy start into the new year. See you soon in the next season of Supply Chain 360.

    1 min
  5. From Signals to Action – SOPs and Response Playbooks in Pharma Disruption

    12/15/2025

    From Signals to Action – SOPs and Response Playbooks in Pharma Disruption

    In this episode of Supply Chain 360, we complete the arc from scenarios to signals to action. After building an early-warning radar for your pharma supply chain, the next question is: what happens when a signal actually flashes red? We explore how to turn early warnings into fast, coordinated responses using lean, scenario-specific SOPs – response playbooks. Instead of long policy documents, these mini-SOPs define, on a single page: which triggers matter,what options you have,who owns each action, andwho is empowered to decide, and how quickly.We walk through concrete examples for suppliers and cold-chain lanes, show how to rehearse these playbooks in short cross-functional simulations, and discuss why clear decision rights often matter more than perfect data. Finally, we touch on how AI can support this: automatically pulling together relevant data when a trigger is hit and suggesting potential actions based on your existing playbooks—while humans stay firmly in charge. The goal: move your organization from “we saw it, but didn’t act” to a state where signals reliably drive smart, timely decisions.

    9 min
  6. From Scenarios to Signals – Building an Early-Warning System for Pharma Supply Chains

    12/08/2025

    From Scenarios to Signals – Building an Early-Warning System for Pharma Supply Chains

    In this episode of Supply Chain 360, we move one step further along the BANI journey: from imagining possible futures to actually seeing them coming. Building on the previous episode on scenario planning, we explore how pharma organizations can turn scenarios into a practical early-warning system – a simple risk radar that helps you act before disruption fully hits. We look at how to define meaningful signals for your key scenarios: creeping lead times, recurring minor quality issues, lane performance degrading, temperature excursions, regulatory noise, or carrier behavior that hints at capacity stress. Then we translate those into clear triggers and options that can plug straight into S&OP / IBP and regular risk reviews. On top of that, we discuss how AI – including more agentic AI – can support this radar by continuously scanning internal data and external news, highlighting weak signals, and even suggesting potential actions based on your playbooks, while keeping humans firmly in the loop. The goal is not a perfect cockpit, but a habit: regularly asking “What would we see first?” so your supply chain stops being surprised and starts anticipating. Listen in to learn how to turn scenarios into signals.

    9 min
  7. From Gut Feeling to Scenarios – Preparing your Pharma Supply Chain for the Unexpected

    12/01/2025

    From Gut Feeling to Scenarios – Preparing your Pharma Supply Chain for the Unexpected

    In this episode of Supply Chain 360, we move from forecasting to future-proofing. Instead of asking “What’s the plan?”, we ask a more powerful question: “What if?” We explore how simple, practical scenario planning can help pharma supply chains prepare for the unexpected. From export restrictions and supplier failures to regulatory changes or a sudden surge in demand when a new use for a drug is approved earlier than planned. You’ll hear how to: Work with one time horizon and just a few focused scenariosIdentify where service, inventory, or capacity would break firstDefine “no-regret moves” that help in almost any futureBuild options and triggers so you’re ready to act when signals appearRun short, cross-functional scenario sessions that plug into S&OP/IBPThe goal isn’t to predict the future perfectly, but to be less surprised by it. Scenario planning becomes your flight simulator for disruption, and a key capability in a BANI world. Tune in to learn how to move your organization from gut feeling to structured readiness.

    7 min
  8. Leading in the BANI Decade — How Supply Chains Evolve When Leaders Do

    11/24/2025

    Leading in the BANI Decade — How Supply Chains Evolve When Leaders Do

    In this final episode of the BANI mini-series on Supply Chain 360, we shift the focus from systems to the people who run them: leaders. We revisit what it means to operate in a world that is brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible, and explore why supply chains only become truly viable when leadership mindsets evolve. This episode looks at how the best leaders move from control to composure, from rigid plans to adaptive thinking, and from managing risk to learning from it. We discuss the leadership behaviors that enable Complexity, Orchestration, Risk, and Enablement to work in practice: creating psychological safety, making decisions with incomplete information, building cultures of curiosity instead of fear, and treating disruption as a constant condition rather than an exception. The core message: supply chains don’t just evolve because technology improves. They evolve because leaders do. Tune in for a reflective, practical close to the series, and a roadmap for leading in the BANI decade.

    5 min
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About

Here, we explore the latest innovations, technologies, and strategies transforming the global supply chain landscape. From BANI to generative AI and automation to sustainability and risk management, our content covers everything you need to stay ahead in the dynamic world of SCM & Logistics. Whether you're a professional, a student, or just curious about supply chains, tune in for in-depth discussions, expert interviews, and actionable tips to optimize your operations - or just learn something new.

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