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Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you may be.

Scott Lewton and the one and only Corinne Bursa here with you on Supply Chain now.

Welcome to today's Live Stream.

Hey, Corinne, how you doing today?

Hey, I'm doing great.

It's good to see you, Scott.

You as well.

You as well.

We've had a series of hits from a programming standpoint and today is going to be more of the same, wouldn't you say, Corinne?

Oh, I think so.

It'll be a good conversation, no doubt.

So folks, on today's show, it's the Buzz where every Monday at 12 noon Eastern time, you know what we do?

We discuss a variety of news developments across global supply chain and global business news that matters is what we like to call it.

And gosh, would we have a great show here today, Corinne.

We're going to be looking at the supply chain action behind NFL's preseason games.

We're going to be sharing a few key takeaways on the latest domestic freight market trends.

We've got a big event coming up September 3rd that's gotta be on folks radar out there and we've got one heck of a story and some key trends going on in the cold chain industry.

All that and a whole bunch more.

And Corinne, guess what?

We've got some terrific guests joining us in about 10 minutes or so.

Luke Vaccaro with Cold Track and Matt Chilaney with Deposco.

Folks, you can stay tuned to hear about some big news they are making out in the industry.

Corrine, it should be one heck of a show, huh?

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

And this topic of cold Chain is really front and center for a lot of businesses right now.

So I'll be curious to hear what Luke's to share with us and how that dovetails with the work that Deposco is doing.

Well said, Corinne, and we'll fill in.

Why?

Why?

Cold Chain is just blowing up left and right.

So stay tuned on all of that.

Hello, Trisha says hey, happy Buzz day.

Let us know where you are tuned in from.

As always, Juan, it's great to see you last week.

Greetings from Atlanta, ga.

He's moving some mountains here in the Metro atl.

Hey, Alan.

Jacques tuned in from Canada.

Beautiful Canada.

Alan, great to see you.

He says hello to Scott and Corinne and we'll find out where this LinkedIn user is.

By the way folks, sometimes your LinkedIn settings may not be set just the right way so your profile or your social profile doesn't show up.

That is why we'll find out.

We'll get to the heavy hitting research and find out who that is.

So folks, two things before we get going.

Give us your take in the comments just like Juan, Alan and Trisha did.

Whether you're tuned in via LinkedIn, YouTube X Facebook, Twitch, no matter, let us know what you think.

And secondly, if you enjoy the show today, love for you to share it with a friend, your network, you name it.

And that was told you we get to the bottom up.

That was Angelina.

Angelina is back.

I met Angelina Kin in Cape Town.

I was gonna say, wasn't that when you were over for the SAICS session?

Sure was.

That's right.

That is right.

She's doing wonderful work.

So great to see you.

Alex from Miami, Greg is tuned in as well.

Great to see y'.

All.

Let us know your take on what we talk about here today.

So Corinne, we've got a full house and I want to start talking about.

We got three things to hit before our esteemed panel joins us.

The first is our latest edition of with that Said, which published over the weekend.

In this edition we really dialed in on Dan Indy's experience as director of operations a few years back, a number of years with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.

So get this Corrine.

So a while back he shared some behind the scenes supply chain and logistics perspective at what has to go on during the playoffs and the super bowl and all Will this go around after?

Everyone really enjoyed that this time with preseason that started in earnest.

Get some of the similar thoughts around what has to go on from a logistics standpoint in the NFL.

So get this.

Here's one tidbit y' all check out with that said for the rest.

But Dan said, quote Beginning right after July 4th, we had 18 wheelers on the road hauling gear, helmets, shoulder pads, cleats, blocking sleds, golf carts, classroom supplies, copiers and the pre digital age, you name it.

Not to mention the training gear, weights.

We had better equipment than the college kids, projectors, videotape equipment, scissor lifts to get those overhead video shots.

It was a massive amount of movement and it was always constantly in motion.

The folks read the rest of the newsletter where you're going to find, as always, upcoming events, resources and a whole bunch more.

With that said, your almost weekly newsletter.

So Corinne, did you get a chance to check out with that said over the weekend.

Oh, absolutely.

And I got to say, it's got, it's clear you're ready for some football.

And I am, too.

I mean, I'm going to, to lean more into the SEC football, but I'm ready for some football, too.

But it was really interesting to hear what Dan shared with you and just some of the logistics aspects.

What got me was two things.

One is his focus on continuous improvement.

And I think he said something to the effect that his predecessor left him a really good blueprint of what had worked in the past.

He was always looking for those opportunities to improve efficiency capabilities, maybe additional services for this experience on the road.

They were doing meals for 150 people.

Three meals a day, right?

Three meals.

And I guarantee you they were really good meals.

And a lot of those athletes have such specialized diets and, you know, things that they control or they need more of.

So I cannot imagine the complexity there.

But I really thought the article or the interview with Dan was just a lot of fun and a great way to kick off football team season.

Well said.

And everything has a supply chain, folks.

Everything has a supply chain ecosystem.

And just when you think it doesn't, do a little digging and you'll find it.

So, hey, here's a shot of me and Dan Indy.

This was last year in the Twin Cities and Hell's Kitchens, Minneapolis.

We had a delicious meal and Dan's continued doing great things out in industry.

Speaking of resources, I'm gonna get to that in just a second.

I see Dinesh tuned in from New Delhi.

Great to see you, Dinesh.

Let us know your thoughts on today's conversation.

Maria from Madrid, great to have you back.

Maria, what season are you gearing up for up in beautiful Madrid, Spain?

So resources Corrine, we're moving faster and faster and faster.

And the emphasis on great resources could never be greater.

And I want to share this great resource from our friends at US bank who released their Q2 2025 Freight Payment Index last Tuesday.

And after 11 straight quarters of shipment and spend volume decreases, the Q2 numbers actually went up.

You'll see there even a region by region breakdown.

Now we reviewed the index last Wednesday with U.S. bank's Bobby Holland and Bob Costello, who's the chief economist at the American Trucking Associations.

And here was my key takeaway, Corinne.

Folks, check out the Freight Payment Index.

It even includes freight pricing rates and adjustments from our friends at dat.

So check that out.

Here's my key takeaway, Corinne.

Let's see if you think the same Cause you were offering up some golden nuggets last week.

So my key takeaway from that conversation can be summed up like this.

While the increases are encouraging, it's too soon to tell if this indicates a freight transportation market rebound or if these increases are the result of tariff volatility or overall industry uncertainty.

Folks, what do you think?

Hey, download your own free copy of the US Bank Freight Payment Index.

We're dropping the link right there.

Tricia, is Johnny on the spot, as always.

It's free and it's an outstanding resource.

So, Corinne, what was your key takeaway from last week's conversation?

Well, you know, I'm a big fan of facts, not feelings.

Right.

That.

Let's take a look at those facts and then we can start layering on all the color commentary and what we know in our intuition.

And I thought the combination of Bobby Holland and Bob Costello was just a great combo last week.

And they were actually able to go not just to the Q2, which is what the report covers, but what they've seen already in the first month of the current quarter.

And you know, we're all cautiously optimistic about the direction.

Right.

So you mentioned Scott, both volume and spend were up.

So those are two positive indicators.

But there were some significant differences region by region.

So the bottom line is this report is important to all of us as supply chain professionals because the freight activity is one of the best indicators of actual economic movement.

Whether you're bringing in raw material into manufacturing locations or factories or you're looking at finished goods going into distribution centers or retail shelves when freight moves, the economy is in motion.

That's positive for all of us.

And you know, my favorite part about this is it's a very holistic conversation.

The report is holistic.

It's not just this freight rate in Aiken, South Carolina is doing this.

It is a mixture of geopolitical economic leadership, data points from other resources.

So folks, check it out.

Don't take our word for it.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

But Karen, what a great conversation.

And by the way, Bob Costello did say, and he's a chief economist around the block a few times.

It is not projecting a full blown recession.

Hey, he did say that.

That's right.

News.

I will take it.

So we got the link right there, folks.

Check it out.

By the way, we got a Georgia Tech yellow jacket in the house.

Hey, Mark Preston doing big things out in manufacturing.

Great to see you here.

Go jackets, he says.

And hello.

Okay, one more thing before we bring on a home Run panel.

You're not going to believe this, Tory.

We're going to get into here in just a second.

But first, big things must attract each other because we've got this tremendous panel coming up on September 3rd.

Rock and roll supply chain leadership, folks.

It's got to be on your radar.

So check this out.

A five person panel all led by the one and only Corinne Bursa.

We got Stephanie Beal, who's the chief supply chain officer at hasbro.

Whitney Schlesinger, VP Global Planning and Logistics from McCormick, the leading spice company in the world.

Sylvia Wilkes, chief supply chain officer with Lamb Weston Great food company.

Eliza Simonova.

Hope I've got that right.

Vice president, Global supply with Mars Pet Nutrition helping to fuel the pet and what we spend on pets these days continues to grow in being a tidal wave.

And Tamara Finski, chief supply chain officer with Kimberly Clark.

Okay, so Corinne, we rarely get a collection of firepower like that on one event.

What's one thing you're looking forward to there?

Yeah, I got to admit, Scott, I'm a little starstruck.

I really admire the work of all of these leaders and the fact that we have an all female panel is kind of fun for me.

I feel a little fangirlish if I must, but I'm really looking forward to hearing their different perspectives from their roles in industry.

Not just where they are today, but a little bit about their journey on how they got there and the recommendations they have for all of us as we continue to look forward.

What's next?

How are we harnessing new technology, new practices, new processes in our organization?

So I want to encourage everyone to register now.

So it's going to show up on your calendar.

You can reserve that time.

And it will be an information rich hour for sure.

Undoubtedly.

Folks, join me.

I'm registering.

I'm going to have a diet Coke and popcorn as I watch Corinne and this incredible panel.

We're dropping a link right there.

And also one more little helpful thing.

We try to be very helpful.

Make it easy if you don't want to miss anything.

Amanda, Tricia can drop a link where you can sign up for all of our programming.

So if you can't make them, you'll always get the on demand version.

But we'll make it so you can sign up for the that specific event and you can also sign up for the never miss programming too.

So check that out.

I appreciate your industry leadership as always and I look forward to that event as much as I look forward to this great conversation.

We've got Here today.

Are you ready to dive in, Corinne?

I'm ready.

Let's do it.

It's a great time, Scott, to be in supply chain.

Let's learn something new and we gotta lean on those facts, not feelings, which is one of your other mantras, which I love.

Okay.

We have two terrific guests joining us today, folks.

They're partnering to move mountains out in industry.

Got a great story teed up here today.

So Luke Vaquero has over 25 years of leadership experience driving real results in sourcing supply chain, fulfillment, manufacturing.

He's done big things for some of the biggest brands in the world, Amazon and General Electric to name a few.

He's joined by Matt Celani who brings a strong technical leadership background to the table, spanning roles in solution architecture, business analysis and process improvement, successfully guiding all sorts of teams through complex system designs and transformations in this ever complex and vuca environment we're in.

So please join me in welcoming Luke Vaccaro, Chief operating officer with Cold Track and Matt Cellini, director Professional services with Tepasco.

Hey.

Hey, Luke, how you doing?

Doing well, Scott, how are you?

Great, great to see you.

Enjoyed our conversation pre show.

And Matt, how you doing?

Hey, Scott, good to see you.

You as well.

You as well.

We got a lot of stuff to get into here.

So Corinne, Luke and Matt, we're going to start with the heavy hitting stuff, barbecue.

So Luke, we've been doing some homework on you and lurking around, looking around corners, seeing what, what drives Luke Vaquero.

One of those things is a passion for cooking, especially barbecue.

That's one of our favorite topics here.

So I'm going to ask you, Luke, build the perfect barbecue plate for us.

Perfect plate is a bit of a mixture, right?

Okay.

I know you got some purists from Texas that just like brisket.

You know, I grew up in the northeast so I don't have religion about this stuff, but when I have people over, I just like to make it all right.

So I love some brisket, love the fatty point.

Yeah, A little bit of burnt ends, but I also love pulled pork.

It's a crowd pleaser and it's probably what my kids love the most.

Luke.

Hey, I love it all.

And we're.

I might have to head up to New Jersey and taste your culinary brilliance firsthand, but love your passion for barbecue.

Let's see what Matt thinks.

So Matt, you're from Texas originally, but now you're, you're in Nashville now.

Two great barbecue locales in the world.

What's perfect barbecue from where you sit yeah.

So actually, funny enough, I didn't tell you this pre show, Scott, but I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.

My mom's from Carolina, so I have a wide variety of, you know, barbecue.

It's in me.

And, you know, moving to Dallas for three years, I kind of gravitated towards the brisket.

But, you know, I grew up on just, you know, traditional pulled pork.

So I'm kind of more of a brisket guy now.

But let's not forget the sides, right?

Like Mac and cheese, green beans.

You know, you got those with a fatty brisket.

I think that's the combination.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.

All right, so, Corinne, before I go get your take here, gotta say hello to Karai Kozay from overseas in Paris.

Karai, great to see you.

Looking forward to your take here today.

Amanda says.

Oh, this is tricky.

I like a lot of.

Like a lot of barbecue.

Pulled pork, barbecue chicken, drumsticks, white bread, fried okra, coleslaw, whole bunch more.

Greg says brisket, ribs, chicken, baked bean slaw, German style, and some collard greens.

Oh, my gosh, folks.

Corinne, how about you?

What's barbecue to you?

I love barbecue because it means my husband is cooking.

So I will more than gladly take over doing all the sides and maybe work in a little banana pudding to go with it all, just to kind of top it off, man.

Okay.

All right.

We get a splurge one day, and then it's back to our boring diet.

So I got to show y' all, I prepared for this one.

So this is what barbecue is growing up.

So let me just work from the hush puppies in the bottom, which is like, fried piece of dough, which is delicious.

We got pulled pork with mustard sauce.

Moving around to the left kind of clockwise.

We got hash and rice, which we were talking about in the pre show.

Up at the top, lots of Tabasco, and that's perfect.

And you got to have slaw, which, to one of yalls point, it balances out all the richness.

And that plate came from the only place it comes from, Carolina barbecue in little New Ellenton, South Carolina.

So check it out.

And, folks, y' all let us know your favorite barbecue.

But Luke and Matt and Corinne, as big of a conversation about barbecue we're having, we've got a big story, big news to share that's maybe arguably tastier than all the barbecue we're talking about.

So I'll do this.

Let's start with some introductions.

I'm a big fan of context, as Corinne knows as much as she is about facts, not feelings.

I think we can't get enough context in this fast moving world.

So, Luke, let's start with you.

Tell us our audience, if you would, about your journey there at Cold Track and what drew you to the wide world of cold chain fulfillment.

Sure.

Well, hello everyone.

Once again, Luke vaquero.

I'm the CEO here at ColdTrack.

My previous company was a DTC online grocer called Hungerroot and Coltrak was my biggest supplier.

So it was a natural kind of fit.

I'd worked in my previous role with many, many three pls in the cold chain space.

I understand its importance as a customer and work with many of those providers and really just wanted to come here and make something great.

Right.

I've always just all been about continuous improvement and building culture, building process systems and.

And this was a wonderful opportunity for me to do it.

As you mentioned, I think in the intro, you know, worked for bigger companies earlier in my career.

It was kind of an old school manufacturing guy, Lean, Six Sigma, Honeywell, GE back in the day.

And then kind of pivoted to food and to fulfillment when I moved over to Amazon Fresh.

I rent a bunch of warehouses for them as a regional director at that time.

And that was sort of once again the pivot to food, pivot to more fulfillment as opposed to manufacturing.

And learned a lot there, gained a passion for it and been kind of in that space ever since.

Okay.

Outstanding man.

Luke, I bet if you haven't written a couple books already, I look forward to getting them when you do.

But you got a few stories but for context, folks.

And Corinne gets you weigh in on what we're going to hear from Luke's perspective.

But Coltrack is a leading provider of pick and pack logistics for cold and frozen E commerce brands.

So I like to make sure we get that context out there.

Corinne, Luke can write maybe a whole set of books given that journey, huh?

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

I think again, he's got context right.

He's been a customer, a consumer, if you will, from a business perspective that needed cold chain capabilities.

And so I'm sure brought a unique perspective to the business for Cold Track.

No doubt.

Okay, look, look forward to it.

And Matt, is your one, two, the.

The other punch here in the one, two punch.

Matt, I love your Atlanta roots, by the way.

I'm glad you shared that.

We're going to have to compare notes later.

And Alex, I promise not talk anymore about barbecue.

Alex, call me out.

Great to see Alex.

I think Scott is more excited about Barbecue than supply chain maybe Those are two topics for me.

All right.

But Matt, how did you land at the Posco and how did you find yourself in Colchic?

Yeah, great question.

So I studied supply chain in school, went to Pasco about seven years ago, so started as a solutions consultant.

Kind of worked my way up to a director and within our professional services group, so primarily serving our 3PL customer base.

Working with our 3PLs, we primarily serve like the middle market, upper middle market customers.

So kind of Luke's point, it's.

It's really impactful work.

You're really changing.

You can really see businesses change.

You know, WMS is most of the times considered the heartbeat of an organization.

So it's really fulfilling work, kind of seeing a transformation of a business.

And also it's.

It's been great to kind of work with great people both internally as well as externally.

You know, great customers like people like Luke, customers like Coltrack.

Been a blast to get to know Luke over the last couple of years.

And yeah, quick story of how I, I kind of got introduced to Luke and you know, okay, it's a cold chain as well.

You know, I know we were on site for the Go Live initially back a couple years ago, Luke.

And you know, I know you guys would do early replenishments, you know, it's just in time fulfillment, you know, within the cold chain sector.

So we were there 4 or 5am, you know, for Go Live activities.

And I think Luke rolls in.

It was probably mid morning.

It felt like 3, 4pm for us at that point.

He rolls in probably mid morning and you know, he's got a, you know, hands full of, what do you guess, what else but pulled pork.

He's got his hands full of pulled pork, comes in, he's like, this is the Go Live lunch.

As my first time meeting the guy.

He's just so energetic, so passionate about the pulled pork that he had made, I guess the couple nights before.

Been smoking it and it's just been great.

You know, I thought to myself, if this guy has the same energy now that he has about pulled pork with supply chain and operations, you know, it's going to be a great relationship.

And what do you know, every single call Luke, you know, you bring that same passion and energy, whether it's pulling pulled pork or talking about how do we change the picking processes or the replenishment strategy.

Same energy.

So it's been fun to work together over the last couple years.

That is awesome.

And Luke, you got a big fan in Matt And Matt, I'm so glad you shared that story.

And Corinne, you know, we all know that relationships powers everything in global supply chain.

And we're just on the front end.

We're starting to see the relationship between Matt and Luke and their respective organizations, huh?

Yeah, absolutely.

And hand delivered barbecue goes a long way for a team that's been working some crazy hours.

So nice move.

Look nice.

So true.

So true.

Sign me up, Luke, if you got a subscription list, sign me up for delivered prime pulled pork.

All right, really quick, folks to Pasco.

I'm sure most of y', all, maybe there's three people out there hadn't heard of Deposco.

It's an innovative supply chain software provider, perhaps best known for its leading warehouse management system, amongst other offerings.

So that's a little bit about to Posco.

So now that we've got lots of context, I want to add a little bit more because for some folks out there that aren't regularly involved in the cold chain industry, they may not know its incredible growth and importance.

And I want to.

I want to start with this article here.

So Food Shipper of America reports that the industry is poised for big growth with a capital B, as in Bezos.

Data from Custom Market Insights says that global cold chain logistics was about a $368 billion industry in 2024.

Well, that's big enough, but it's projected to reach over $1.2 trillion by some estimates by 2033.

Folks, that's just eight years from now.

Factors fueling this growth include expanding global food trade, online grocery shopping trends, rapid urbanization, and a whole bunch more.

We're dropping a link to this article that you will enjoy.

So with that as a backdrop and Luke, I'll circle back to you, especially given all of your experience and expertise in this space.

What's one or two big trends shaping global cold chain industry that folks should be aware of?

There's plenty of trends out there too, that I would bring up here.

One, you know, we've been in a period where, you know, the super low cost money is, you know, went away a while ago and investors are all about profitability.

And especially with these DTC brands, you know, the customer experience and the cost to serve is.

Is paramount.

Right.

So, and that kind of, you know, leads into what we're going to talk about later with, you know, how we've invested in the Posco and what a great partner they've been in, allowing us to provide an amazing customer experience.

Right.

From a quality perspective.

The other thing I would tell you is traceability.

Right.

We're need for traceability is that much higher.

People want to know where their food's coming from.

They want to know.

I mean, we've gotten down to the point where every box of food we know where every, you know, a lot of every skew that's in that box.

So if there is recall, God forbid, you know, we're able to really, you know, narrow in on what lot was impacted and can get to our customers because the expectation on DTC side is much higher than say if you're just to go to the store.

Right.

Pick it up in the retail.

So that's something we've gotten a lot better at and continue to invest in as a company.

Yeah, look, I appreciate that, Luke.

And really quick, for folks that may not know, I know we use a bunch of acronyms across global supply chain.

Ddc, customer, direct consumer, sometimes.

Thank you.

See, I even have a hard time keeping up all the acronyms I talk about.

Good stuff, Luke.

Matt, from your purview, what's a trend, big trend out there in global cold chain that you want to point out to folks?

Yeah, I mean, the first thing that came to mind was similar to what Luke said, just hyper focus on the customer experience, especially not only for cold chain, but just in general across, you know, ambient fulfillment as well.

I think it's even more relevant cold chain just dealing with perishable goods.

It's something we'll talk more about, I'm sure today.

But just the transparency, visibility into fulfillment and also the accuracy portion of it.

Right.

That's the reason we're talking here today is just around the pack accuracy.

Right.

So that's something that I think is a huge focus right now.

We've done a lot of that with the Posco and with Coltrack just through automation, you know, trying to decrease the cost per pick, increasing pack accuracy.

So it's been a huge trend lately.

Matt, good stuff to both of you.

Corinne, I think they're setting the table.

Well, I would just add one more on that traceability.

I was writing a few weeks ago about shrimp and about the shrimp market here in the US how there's been research that shows us being misadvertised in terms of what Gulf shrimp is versus shrimp from elsewhere.

And it's.

It's really fascinating and it really.

The hubbub that's created goes back to the transparency and TR that both Luke and Matt have been talking about.

Corinne, what'd you hear though there?

Yeah, there are a lot of elements that come together around cold chain.

And you know, a lot of people think of it initially as the environmental control, just making sure that we're keeping the temperature in the appropriate range so that the goods are not diminished in value or have to be scrapped and replaced over time.

But visibility that's offered with the Internet of things and the ability to monitor and validate that information and then this compliance aspect is really important from a customer quality perspective.

But the thing that Luke said so quickly over and over when he was saying DDC or direct consumer, is that also equates to granularity.

So we need that visibility and that precision right down to the Bursa household so that we're getting the right products, you know, when we're ordering them and when we're receiving them.

Well, Corinne, I think every household can relate to that.

And it's fascinating to me how global supply chain teams and organizations, whether they are on culture chain or other parts, have continually had to up their game based on those ever evolving and ever more demanding consumer demands.

It's great.

Call out, Corinne.

Okay, so let's do this, folks.

We've got a big story.

I want to dive in now on some cool things that yalls organizations are doing together.

Y' all already kind of foreshadowed a little bit.

And I'm going to start with this news.

Check out this headline, folks.

Cultrack just launched the industry's first hack accuracy guarantee program with a hundred percent guarantee.

How about that?

So, Luke, walk us through this why now moment.

I mean, I mean, what made right this minute the right time to make this first of its kind industry commitment?

Tell us more.

Well, sure.

As I was mentioning earlier, right.

I mean, the customer experience is paramount.

Right.

A lot of these DTC brands, a lot of these are subscription businesses where retention is the key to profitability for them.

And you know, one of the keys to retaining customers, of course, is to make sure that they get their food cold, that it's on time and that it's accurate.

Right.

Everything that you said was going to be in the box is in the box.

And that's something that we've invested in quite a bit.

And a lot of that investment has been in the posco the system.

And candidly, working closely with Matt and his team on tailoring our processes to be, you know, just perfect for our space.

So that's why it's important.

Now, it's also nice that we're able to pick at a super high accuracy level and be able to offer something like this in a way that Isn' Right.

Costly to our business.

You know, if we had a 2% misspick rate or something like that.

Right.

Guaranteeing 100%, backing it up would be a little costly.

Right.

But when you're near perfect as we are.

Right.

For a good year now, we're just very comfortable as an ops guy.

Right.

I'm always careful about signing up for these types of things.

You know, sales is always pushing you to, you know, offer things that maybe sometimes you're not always comfortable with.

Right.

In this case, it was, it was a real simple conversation.

It sounded, of course, crazy.

Like, you know, in the beginning, like, wait, 100% guarantee.

Why are we going to do that?

Right.

That's crazy.

You do the math.

You're like, well, oh, why wouldn't we do this?

I mean, it's, it's, you know, we don't really misspick all that often.

So I knock here.

It's remarkable, Luke, it's remarkable.

And I appreciate your frank comments there because it can't be when you do this thing, Corinne, it can't be lip service.

You got to deliver on time in full.

And that's what they've seen.

So, Karen, I'll get you a comment here, but so far I'm looking over to some of the numbers behind it.

80 to 90% reduction in customer credits so far.

So far.

Taking lots of costs out of the equation and lots of friction and heartburn.

Karen, what do we hear there from Luke?

Well, first of all, congratulations, because being willing to be out there and saying 100% guarantee and the first in the industry to offer this is really impressive and shows confidence in your team and your process and the technology that's supporting you delivering that in efficient manner.

But I think that's fantastic.

I mean, I've subscribed to home delivery of food in the past and you're right, it's making that customer experience tangible.

And if there's problem with the temperature or the packaging or any of those things, it's the brand that gets the hit first.

So working with a partner that's got such a strong guarantee is really important.

So true.

Good stuff there.

And Matt, for if we switch over to the technology side, a couple quick comments away.

It's great to have you back from Pakistan.

Look forward to your take here today.

O L K from Albini, Georgia.

I hope I said that right.

I always get that wrong.

And by the way, Trisha is sharing more information on this announcement, including all the data behind it.

And I bet my hunch is Matt And Luke are welcome to chat a little Q and A, talk shop with anyone that's interested in this initiative.

So, Matt from the technology side, right.

And I'm about to get out of my.

About to swim it over in the deep end because, Matt, you're the technologist here.

Achieving 99.8% pack accuracy requires big time WMS capabilities.

Right.

What specific features or functionalities into Posco's platform were critical to reaching these accuracy levels?

Tell us more.

I'd say the biggest thing that comes to mind is the word Luke used, which was Taylor.

Right.

Our ability to just listen to Luke.

Right.

I mean, seven years of experience.

He's been in the industry a lot longer than me.

He's got the operational excellence.

So our ability to just listen to Luke and understand what their specific requirements are and just translate those into business outcomes.

So understanding what the business outcome is, hey, we want to get to 100 pack accuracy.

We want to mitigate packing mistakes.

How do we actually break that down and solution around hard requirements, translate those into hard requirements.

So that's what we've done is just listen to Luke.

And a lot of that's been sessions where we just kind of peel the onion back on the picking processes, the replenishment processes, try to really make the processes foolproof for the end user, make them into it.

Okay, what information are we showing to the user?

Are we showing too much showing, not enough?

What are we requiring them to scan versus what are we maybe making assumptions of?

Okay, that's safe to not scan that value to, you know, kind of balance, speed and accuracy.

So there's been a lot of collaboration with Luke.

I think that's been paramount to making it successful.

All right, so Corinne, we got a new T shirt that's going to be rolled out soon with a new definition of LTL on the back.

Just listen to Luke.

That's.

We could all be better off.

Scott, I got to cut off, if you don't mind.

I think Matt's being a little too modest here.

Right.

You know, he does list very well.

He also reels me in when I have crazy ideas.

And, you know, it's been an amazing partner.

You know, listen to me, but please make sure you keep me out of trouble too.

I love it.

I love that.

All right, Corinne, what'd you hear there from Matt?

I. I heard many, many indicators of a good partnership between two partners with a common outcome in.

In mind and a common outcome that they're working towards.

So I think listening and offering maybe alternatives from time to time is really important.

But I also think that, as Matt mentioned, you know, looking at what things and when specific data needs to be entered during the pick, pack and ship process to make sure that those orders are moving quickly, but moving with confidence and certainly 100% pack guarantee, which is pretty exciting.

Well said, Corinne.

And away says, hey, I also handle cold chain.

And yes, the compliance is very important.

And traceability, visibility is not possible without appropriate use of innovative technology.

Good stuff there, Matt.

Quick follow up.

How does cold chain fulfillment.

This is something you were speaking to earlier, Matt.

How does cold chain fulfillment challenge warehouse management systems differently than the more prevalent ambient operations?

Yeah, no, it's a great question.

I mean, I think the first thing that comes to mind is just there's a higher sense of urgency.

Perishable goods, once we start replenishing out of the freezer into the fridge clock starts, right?

That product is thawing on the clock.

You've got to get that product out the door, into a reefer truck, back into refrigerated space.

So I think sense of urgency comes to mind.

That's why Luke and I really focus a lot around replenishments.

You know, a good replenishment strategy will make or break an operation.

I think that's even more relevant in the cold chain space.

So we focus a lot on replenishments.

And I don't want to give away too many secrets, but I believe that's our secret sauce here.

Luke, is just, you know, the effective replenishment strategy that we've incorporated here.

One thing I also want to mention is, yeah, the big difference is just the.

When we talk about pack accuracy, A pack accuracy is a little bit different when you're dealing with ambient goods versus in the cold chain space.

Because pack accuracy is not just, hey, did we get all the SKUs with the right quantity into the box?

We get the right SKUs with the right quantity.

But did we also get the right amount of dry ice or gel packs to get the product in a sellable state to the end consumer on time?

So there's advanced logic and complex logic that has to take place to calculate that quantity of gel packs or dry ice.

And with the help of the Coltrak team and Coltrak Live, which is their proprietary software for interfacing directly with the Posco and telling us how many gel packs or dry ice blocks need to go in the box.

And we're telling the picker, hey, put this quantity of gel packs into the box.

All that's done systematically, which again, all backs into the 100% order accuracy.

I love a lot of what you just shared there, but one of my favorite things you shared there, Corinne, is we're not asking the picker.

We're not sending them on a wild goose chase to get the answers they need.

They're probably getting those answers right there at the picking station so that there's not wasted footsteps.

There's no second guessing.

They can confidently get the number, put it in, and move on to what's next.

Corinne, is that what you heard too?

Yeah, I agree.

As as much of that as we can take out of the equation and make sure, you know, the.

It's a directed workflow.

They know exactly what they need in every package that's being picked because there is variability.

Right.

These are consumer orders.

So what's in the box, if you will, or what's in the packing may be different from one customer to another customer, one household to another, and the distance traveled and therefore the length of time the product needs to be ice packed or dry.

Ice packed is.

Is a variability that can be calculated and augmented with Deposco.

Let's face it, consumers are fickle, and we're all consumers.

We can be fickle, folks.

Right?

All right, so let's do this.

Luke, I want to get on circle back around you and talk operational transformation.

So beyond all the technology that Matt was speaking to earlier, that we're all kind of speaking to earlier, what internal changes did Coltrack have to make?

And better yet, how were you able to get your team aligned around this Accuracy first mindset, Luke, you know, I.

Think it starts with, you know, getting the organization to be open to change.

You know, sort of set the platform for.

Make the case for, hey, you know, we need to be better than we've ever been.

Oh, and by the way, we can be world class.

You know, I remember when I first said that, actually sitting right down the hall here in Edison, Okay.

One of the guys has been here for a while, a senior leader kind of looked at me like, look, that'd be amazing.

It's like, it's hard to see that, right?

You know, been through a lot.

You know, they're kind of in that startup mode for many years.

And, you know, but getting people to believe it is the first step.

And part of how you sell them on it, right.

Is showing how process improvement and technology can really work for them and making sure that not only the leaders on the floor, but the people that are doing the work work are included in the process.

Right.

So, I mean, we talked about listening earlier.

It's a basic skill.

Right.

But truly listening to the pains of what's going on out there and addressing those.

Right.

And error proofing everything so that you truly are making people's lives easier, then they start to buy in when it just feels like, hey, here's, you know, somebody from corporate or somebody from the outside, you know, putting a new process on us.

Right.

That doesn't feel better.

Right.

You know, it's easy just to say, oh, well, people don't like change and they're just resisting change.

And sometimes, you know, there's certain people that really, you know, no matter how hard you try, they're pretty change resistant.

But most people, right, when they're resisting change, it's for a reason.

It's not just because they don't like change.

It's because they see things don't make sense to them.

Right.

And sometimes they can't always articulate that.

But once you build the trust with the team, show them that they're being heard, then you give yourself the opportunity to do great things and then you.

Bring in the pulled pork and really seal the deal.

Is that right, Luke?

Hey, food helps a lot.

And I just want to clarify something, and I love Matt, but he did kind of, you know, suggest that maybe I was a slacker and came in really late that day with.

With barbecue park.

There were several days old.

I just want to correct that.

I was taking it off the smoker that morning so that they could have it right.

You know, fresh.

Okay.

And hey, you know, all right, I.

Don'T doubt that for a minute and I will go back.

Kidding aside, we're having some fun with the food analogies and themes.

But Corinne, really quick, two things in his response there.

First off, who would want to work from Luke?

Someone like, with that mindset.

But they're with them.

But send it for me.

Wrapping communication around that.

And he didn't say this exactly like this, but we've got this phrase we use around here.

Do it with your people, not to your people.

And I heard that in his response.

Your quick comments are Corinne?

Absolutely.

And people are always.

They're either part of the magic that happens or one of the most difficult aspects of transformation.

So the fact that you've got them on board, they understand the mission that everybody's focused on, the customer experience I think is a real testament to the business and the culture overall.

So true.

So true.

Okay, well, I want to keep driving here and Luke, when it comes to cold chain time, is I'm going to make my oldest daughter proud.

She uses the word literally just about in every single sentence.

But time is literally money when it comes to perishables.

Right.

The stakes are really high.

Is that right, Luke?

Absolutely.

There's nothing worse than.

Well, I guess there's plenty of things worse, but in our world, there's not much worse than, you know, a customer getting a big box of food that is, you know, arrival or that took too long to deliver in general.

Right.

And arrives unsafe, warm, and of low quality.

Right.

So the key to keeping things fresh is speed.

That's right.

So it needs everything however you find.

It with your people, your processes, how you approach ecosystem, or when it comes to innovative technology, we're going to circle back on that.

I wanted to spike the football, on the stakes that the cold chain industry brings.

So, Matt, from a data and analytics.

Yeah, Corinne, I'm ready for football.

I'm ready for football.

Matt, from a data and analytics perspective, I got two questions for you.

And by the way, where'd you go to supply chain school?

Matt, where'd you go to school?

University of South Carolina down in Columbia.

Really?

Well, you are making, you're making the Gamecocks very proud.

I got a great supply chain program, by the way.

Top 10, top 5, according to some.

All right, so, Matt, what kind of real time visibility and reporting capabilities does Deposco provide that really helps Coltrak maintain these accuracy levels, that this accuracy mindset is keeping front and center?

I think one of the big things, and Luke's been talking about it, but it's just the focus on the customer experience.

Right.

Just providing the customer with information before they even ask.

Right.

It's going to reduce overhead too, on the cold track side, but.

Right.

Yeah.

Information will breed trust and trust will ultimately lead to better retention.

So just pushing more reporting to the customer, you know, like we talked about automation.

So we're capturing a lot of these important values from an inventory standpoint.

When the inventory hits the dock, right on the receiving dock, so capturing the lot number, expiration date, SKU quantity that's being pushed to the customer.

They have that in an interface as well as, you know, when it's stored in inventory, they have all that information in terms of how much do we have for this lot, for this expiration date, in what quantity and then as well on the shipment side.

So all that is pushed to the customer.

So we're kind of offering it up and just that creates a better relationship with the end customer.

Right.

Breeds better trust.

So that's the, you know, part of it.

I think the other Part of it is also operational, which it's not all of the system.

Right.

The system can only go so far.

But it's a lot of the operational enhancements that Luke's put in place with the picking team that's helped.

Yep.

All right, so Matt, quick follow up.

We all know being reactive is just part of what we do in global supply chain because we get surprise and curveballs and all the, all the like goes with the territory.

We're starting to look around corners and having that ability more so than perhaps ever before.

So, Matt, how do you catch potential issues before they become customer problems?

Yeah, I think that's all part of it.

I mean, we've implemented a lot of processes within the posco to where there's hard error validations that the user scans something correct, goes to the wrong location, picks the wrong product.

So we're not allowing the.

The user to fulfill if it's not 100% accurate.

And I think that's kind of a trend that we've seen over the last year.

Luke alluded to, hey, we've just seen the error rate decrease year over year significantly.

I think that's in part a lot to what we've implemented just from a processes standpoint, making the processes more intuitive and having hard error validation so that we're mitigating any potential issues getting to the customer without us knowing about it first.

Outstanding.

Quite the crystal ball element.

Corinne will bring you in here before we get back to Luke and talk about some customer conversations.

Corinne is amazing.

In the golden age of support supply chain technology, our ability better and better and better to predict the future.

Now we got a long way to go before we perfect that.

But your thoughts on what we heard there from Matt?

Corinne, I think it's.

It's a great time to be in supply chain.

I think that when you look at the growth in direct to consumer businesses or direct to consumer as a channel for businesses, they may still serve business to business as well.

The demands are quite different and the granularity that's required is really important.

I also think that this is, you know, the final step of bringing those products to market.

When you think of the distribution center management, the order fulfillment process and the delivery to the consumer, that's the, you know, kind of the.

The end game, if you will, or the final delivery of the brand promise of the goods that have been purchased.

So that 100% guarantee, again, super impressive.

And it makes a statement.

I mean, it makes an impression on me as a supply chain professional, but.

Also as a consumer and it certainly.

To your point, is not lip service leadership because it is a real time commitment that with operational expectations on the back end.

And again, going back to the number so far, 0% customer losses due to operational issues so far in this guarantee.

Man.

Okay, really quick, Luke, I'm coming back to you in just a second.

There's a lot of folks I'm not getting to.

I'm falling behind.

A lot of comments here.

Peterbolay All Night and all Day says, oh, I love cold chain.

It's also about very reliable service providers.

And cheapest is not best.

That's right.

Mark says, hey, people aren't afraid of change, they're afraid of uncertainty.

A lot of truth in that statement as well.

And by the way, Mark, Open Air Barbecue is a wonderful place near Juliet, Georgia.

So check out Open Air Barbecue, folks.

We're getting all the good stuff here.

Luke, Customer impact, right?

So when I'm about to pose this question to you, I'm thinking in the back of the room, you got some folks back there, some grizzly veterans that got their arms crossed.

They're like, well, so what?

All this is great, but so what?

Well, I bet, Luke, since launching this guarantee, that clients are responding, and I bet it's shifting conversations from price to value when it comes to your sales process with said customers.

Is that right?

It is.

You know, and one thing I didn't mention earlier in terms of, like, you know, the evolution of this and where it came from is we feel like we've been the best in the industry for a while in terms of quality.

And, you know, we'd get into these sort of, you know, closing conversations.

You know, it'd be in final negotiations or on a short list.

And.

And it felt like it was always coming down to price, and we were having a hard time articulating why they shouldn't just look at price.

And, you know, we talked internally.

How do we monetize this?

How do we monetize our quality and show people how this will lead to better outcomes on their side, whether that's in terms of improved retention, what have you.

And some of these things are, you know, harder to prove.

Right.

But this was one way that we could show them, hey, we're putting our money where our mouth is and, and signal to the market that, yeah, you're going to have a better experience here.

I love it.

I really love how these conversations are changing.

And whether it's small moves that help you have more holistic brainstorming, innovative, different conversations with your customers, or big, bold Bets like we're making here, this guarantee.

Matt, how does your platform there at the Posco help balance the need for speed without sacrificing that 99 accuracy?

Matt?

Yeah, no, I think it's a collaboration with coltrack.

I mean, I'm a firm believer that the WMS shouldn't be a monolith.

Right.

We should be focused on executing.

So I think our collaboration with coltrack Live, their proprietary software has allowed us to do just that.

Right.

They're doing a lot of the order orchestration upstream of deposco.

Once the order hits Deposco, we're ready to then kind of do our automation, which is some PFO allocation logic zone based picking.

So we have all of that, you know, task based, where the picker's going in, going through an intuitive handheld device, handheld screens, error proofing, the handheld processes just to make it really foolproof.

Like I mentioned, that's kind of the balancing of speed and accuracy all while doing cartonization at the same time.

So there's a lot of functionality that we're incorporating within the wms, but also a lot of functionality that's happening upstream of the WMS within coltrack Live that's assisting us with that speed.

All right, Corinne, as promised, we've delivered quite a story with Luke and Matt and their organizations and more importantly, what they're doing out in the industry, because I bet they're going to be pushing other industry players to get better and do better and deliver better.

Your thoughts there, Corinne?

I agree.

I think that as much as we can automate and help our teams to be as efficient as possible, they appreciate that as well.

So having everything really kind of in the palm of their hand as they're doing their pick pack and ship and coordination process is really beneficial.

I also think that having the entire team focused on this customer experience or consumer experience experience is a lot of fun because everybody wants to have a great customer experience.

They have been a consumer themselves, they understand what good looks like.

And being a part of a leader or somebody who's been set apart in recognition of great experience and a goal of 100% accuracy has got to be fun for the team.

That doesn't mean it's easy, but it does mean it's exciting and it's something that they feel good about day after day.

Love that.

And one element of that that Matt and Luke really kind of both mentioned is having technology that's intuitive with a keen eye on user experience, because that when you can have really intuitive technology, you can Train people up quicker.

New hires can get up to speed where they're bringing the productivity to the table sooner.

So I love that when technology is designed from that user in mind.

Okay, we're going to a fast and furious finish.

Wish we had a couple more hours with Luke and Matt and Corinne.

As a Wyatt says, each and every minute counts when it comes to handling the cold chain.

So well said and so true.

All right, so really quick, Luke and Matt, we're going to make sure folks don't connect with you in a second.

We've got a great resource from the Deposco team we want to share and we got to get Corinne's favorite key takeaway from this big conversation.

But we all know this VUCA environment we're plowing through, right?

And I would ask for one tip from everyone here, from Luke, Matt and Corinne, one piece of advice you'd offer up the supply chain leaders out there that really want to create their own game changing initiatives.

And Luke, let's circle back and have you.

Let's see.

What's your baseball team, Luke?

I'm trying to think of the leadoff hitter.

What's your favorite baseball team?

I'm more of a football fan, but okay, I gotta go Yankees.

I'm a New Yorker at heart, so.

Okay, I'm a struggle to find, to remember a leadoff hitter for the Yankees.

I'm gonna use a Braves one.

Lotus Nixon was a famous leadoff hitter when the Yankees beat us those World Series back in the day.

But anyway, Luke, what's one piece of advice for supply chain leaders out there?

Yeah, I mean, when you're dealing with uncertainty and everything that we are today, I think think this is going to sound very generic, but I would just say that, you know, building trust within your teams.

Right.

And keeping the culture very customer focused is what kind of can get you through it.

I think there's trust across the teams.

You can get through some crazy times.

I mean, you know, I went through, you know, at Amazon, I think at one time, you know, we're growing at 8% a week.

You know, at Hungaroo Post Covid, we doubled the business in like, you know, every, every six or seven weeks at one point.

Those are crazy times.

And you could only do it if you have people that really are bought into your leadership or bought into, you know, where the company's going.

And the best way to do that.

Right.

Is to get them to focus on the customer.

Right.

People can rally on the customer more.

You could put the results there in front of them.

And feel that connection to the end customer, you know, the better you're going to be able to navigate and motivate people to get through the tough times.

Luke, I love that.

Been there, done that advice.

What's old is new again and powerful again.

Trust and focus are two big themes he shared and he's had quite the journey.

So take it from Luke.

Corinne, I'm going to shift.

I'm going to get Matt's key advice and then I'm going to get your key patent takeaway from this whole conversation with an eye on the clock.

We just, hey, there's so much going on that I want to know about this development here.

We're going to have to bring you all back.

So, Matt, the pride of the University of South Carolina and their top ranked supply chain program, what is one piece of advice you'd offer up supply chain leaders that again want to have their own game changer in this crazy uncertain environment?

I'll keep it short.

I mean, I think software is not the golden ticket.

It.

Right.

It's kind of what Luke said.

Hire good people, hire great leaders, just.

And they'll find the right solutions.

Right.

Whether you know, certain technologies, they hire great people, surround them with support, trust in them and they'll find the right solutions for you.

I like that, Matt.

I like that.

Savvy, way beyond your years.

Matt, really quick.

Jeremy says trust is an axiom of relationship, thus trade and economics.

Jeremy, great to have you here as always.

Mark says kill those rattlesnakes.

He's meaning like defects and mistakes that you can find.

A lot of times folks walk right past out there in their facility and I think this is Angelina.

Everyone works for the customer.

Very true.

Good stuff there.

All right.

So Corinne, as much as I hate to wind this conversation down, we've covered a lot of ground with a game changing partnership and commitment out to the market here.

What is one key takeaway from this conversation that folks got to keep front and center?

I think and you've mentioned this a few times, you've mentioned the acronym vuca.

So volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

I think when you focus on these elements in our new never normal world, right, things are always changing.

It's important to automate what you can with technology.

But what Luke mentioned about culture I think is really the magical ingredient in all of this because culture eats strategy for breakfast.

So if we get the culture right, we will embrace the technology and have a common focus and work towards any obstacles or any volatility, uncertainty, et cetera that are in our path.

Love that, Corinne.

And we've really had when you think through the last 30, 45 minutes, we've talked innovative technology, we've talked innovative and a really unique partnership between Coltrack and deposco.

And we got a healthy dose to your point Corinth of cultural leadership.

And with servant leadership, folks, don't sleep on it.

It's extremely powerful when it goes back to that trust and focus that Luke's been touting and doing.

Okay, Luke Vaquero, chief operating officer with Cold Track.

How can folks track you down, Luke?

Oh, just come Visit us@coltrack.com We'll get right back to you if you're interested in our services.

Love it.

And you're happy.

3 minute response rate.

If I don't want to quote ourselves, but they're pretty crazy about it, so come on by.

Oh, we're quoting them now.

Three minutes.

Sales team three.

A lot of things, Scott.

So you know, I gotta.

I'm only kidding.

Well, hey, Luke, love it.

And I know you welcome conversations.

Don't take this last hour.

Reach out and have a conversation with Luke or Matt.

Coltrack.com Luke, is that right?

That's correct.

Got.

I've got it right here, Trisha.

Got it right here.

Thank you, Trisha.

Cooltrack.com All right, so Matt Celani, you and the Pasco team on the move.

How can folks track you down?

Yeah, you can reach out to me Natural on LinkedIn if you ever want to talk shop.

Deposco3pl supply chain or reach out at.

You know, deposit.com it is just that easy.

And can we find you at all the football games coming up this year?

You will?

Yeah, we won't just have a top 10 supply chain program at the end of this year.

Oh, I like that.

Top ranked.

Here we come.

Number one.

By the way, folks, Trisha has shared Matt's LinkedIn link.

So check out and connect with him there.

And I'm sure Matt, if you saw his passion here today, I bet he loves to talk shop.

So do that too.

Big thanks.

All right, so Corinne Bursa, always a pleasure.

What a great show here today, huh?

Yeah, really interesting.

And thanks for the inspiration, you guys.

No doubt, folks.

Also check out the DEPASCO website, deposco.com and I've got one more, one more resource to share, folks.

This is something that the Matt and the Deposco team drop every year.

In fact, they recently released the third annual report focused on how DTC sales are reshaping operations.

It's full data points and insights, especially from the market.

Sneak peek of what industry leading organizations are doing.

You would like this report.

We're dropping a link to that and you can download that.

And it's easy to download too.

You don't have to go through 18 landing pages.

Corinne.

It's one of my least favorite things to do.

Have you ever had an experience like that?

Corinne?

I have.

We all have.

Simplify, simplify.

Okay.

Well, folks, I know we couldn't hit everybody's comments here today, but thanks so much for being here.

Big thanks once again.

Luke Vaquero with Coltrack, Matt Talani with Topasco.

Corinne Bursa.

Make sure you follow and connect with Corinne out there.

And whatever you do, take one thing, folks, one thing from what Luke and Matt and Corinne shared here today and share it with your team.

Goodness gracious.

Let's lean into deeds, not words in terms of how we continue to transform, how global supply chain happens.

And whatever you do on behalf of the whole team here, Scott Luton, challenge you do good.

Get forward.

Be the change that's needed.

See you next time.

Right back here.

Supply Chain Now.

Thanks everybody.

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