Auto Supply Chain Champions

We really can’t predict the future … because nobody can. What we can do, though, is help auto manufacturers recognize, prepare for, and profit from whatever comes next. Auto Supply Chain Champions gives you timely and relevant insights and best practices from industry leaders.

Auto Supply Chain Champions is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 115 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Auto Supply Chain Champions, a business show with 115 episodes published.

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  Episode #113

  The Office of Resilience: Automotive's Missing Function

  Aug 3, 202628 minS3

  Resilience is the most used word in automotive, and one of the least staffed functions in it. It turns up in board decks, on conference panels, and in webinar titles, and then the next disruption hits, and the response doesn't look any different from the last one: a war room, a handful of empowered people, and a lot of luck. In this episode, Jan Griffiths and Tom Roberts sit down with Ambrose Conroy, CEO of Seraph, to put structure behind a phrase most leaders use loosely. Ambrose built his firm on crisis work, and his answer to the resilience question isn't a mindset. It's an org chart. Build an office of resilience, staff it full-time, and have it report to the CEO or the board. The model already exists outside automotive. Shell and Apple run standing teams that watch their value chains down to raw material pricing, and Apple's got roughly 100 people doing it. Toyota does the same work without giving it a name. What separates them from most OEMs and tier ones isn't intent. It's the ability to see across their own data. That's where most companies stop. Multiple ERP instances, disconnected PLM systems, and dozens of cross-reference tables make it slow to answer a simple question: what stops if the rare earth supply is disrupted, or if an earthquake takes out a plant in Japan? Ambrose and Tom are blunt about what dirty master data does to AI. It drifts. It hallucinates. It returns alerts nobody can act on. Speed is the second half of the argument. In the Novelis disruption, three OEMs faced the same problem. One had an alternate capacity locked in within 48 hours. One followed the full qualification process and lost weeks. The third didn't really know what was going on. The mindset shift is the hard part, and Jan says so plainly about her own years running the supply chain. Nobody wants to fund headcount against a risk that hasn't happened yet. The leaders who fund it anyway will be the ones still shipping when the next choke point closes. Themes Discussed in This Episode What an office of resilience actually does Why resilience fails as a part-time assignment Board and CEO ownership of enterprise risk Master data as the foundation of risk visibility Choke points, commodities, and what-if modeling The end of the annual cost-down Decision speed as a competitive advantage Measuring resilience against competitors This podcast is powered by QAD RedZone. Featured Guest Name: Ambrose Conroy Title: Founder and CEO of Seraph Consulting About: Ambrose is the Founder and CEO of Seraph Consulting. He founded Seraph to solve complex, bet-the-business problems for clients and to be the go-to partner for driving operational excellence. Before founding Seraph, Ambrose served as Vice President of Supply Chain Solutions at NAI Global and led the West Coast Global Business Transformation Group at PA Consulting, where he specialized in due diligence, crisis management, and strategic transformation. He began his career as a consultant at CSC. Connect: LinkedIn About Your Hosts Jan Griffiths Jan is the host and producer of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and The Automotive Leaders Podcast . A former automotive manufacturing and supply chain executive, Jan is recognized as a Champion for Culture Change in the automotive industry. She brings direct, grounded conversations to leaders navigating execution, disruption, and transformation across the global automotive ecosystem. Tom Roberts (Co-host) Tom is Co-host of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and Vice President of Strategic Industry Development at QAD . He works closely with automotive and industrial manufacturers to close the gap between insight and execution, helping leaders move from visibility to systems of action that drive real operational outcomes. Mentioned in the Episode: Seraph choke point analysis webinar deck Episode Highlights [00:04:35] What an Office of Resilience Is: Ambrose anchors it to the board risk committee mandate. The office exists to protect your ability to deliver today's products and services, no matter what happens. [00:05:34] Seeing Across Your Own Data: The blocker isn't strategy. It's architecture. Most OEMs and tier ones have built systems that can't give anyone a cross-enterprise view. [00:07:57] AI Drifts on Dirty Data: Fifty reference tables and disconnected PLM systems produce alerts nobody trusts. Tom points out that's exactly where big data analytics projects fell over a decade ago. [00:09:04] If It's Not in the System, It's Risk: Working around the system of record feels faster in a crisis, and it's what leaves you people-dependent when things start going wrong, and people get tired. [00:13:44] The Cost-Down Era Is Over: Annual price decreases aren't coming back. Ambrose argues that if you're not running the what-if scenarios, the crisis and chaos will cost you far more than the five or ten strategic heads you didn't want to fund. [00:16:45] Who Owns It: CEO, CFO, or board. Anywhere below that, silos and politics kill it before it's produced anything. [00:19:42] Part-Time Doesn't Work: You need full-time people from finance, legal, supply chain, and strategy, led by someone with the standing to challenge peers. Ambrose calls it a grooming ground for future senior executives. [00:22:02] Three OEMs, One Disruption: The Novelis situation exposed the gap between empowered decision-making and process compliance, measured in weeks of lost capacity. [00:24:09] Measuring Risk You Prevented: Purchasing savings as a metric is done, and Ambrose points to an OEM that skipped a volume-specific contract to capture some. Success is relative now: how fast your organization absorbs disruption compared with direct competitors. Top Quotes [00:06:33] Ambrose Conroy: "It's not just getting out of China, it's not just regionalization, it's making sure you have business continuity moving forward, no matter what." [00:16:15] Ambrose Conroy: "So an office of resilience needs to be able to take that into account, and you need to have the data to do it. But you also need to have the organization, you need to have the will, and you need to have the sponsorship from a board level or a CEO level to make it work." [00:27:00] Ambrose Conroy: "There's a lot of choke points out there right now that could close, thinking through those proactively and comparing how your organization performs to those of your direct competitors is the cleanest way to measure the impact and success of the office of resilience." If this episode resonated, share it with a fellow automotive leader and subscribe to the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast, where we're closing the gap between insight and action across the global automotive supply chain. Follow the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast for real conversations with leaders who are making hard choices, focusing their bets, and leading with intent. Follow the podcast: Learn more about QAD Redzone: https://www.qad.com/

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  Episode #112

  Automotive Supply Chain Resiliency: Trade Shocks, Commodity Risk, and AI Scenario Modeling

  Jul 20, 202620 minS3

  The disruption isn't coming. It arrived with dates attached. July 1 brought the USMCA review, and Canada got left in the cold. July 20 marks the end of the Section 301 investigations. July 24 is when the Section 122 tariffs, currently capped at 10% and set to expire, have no automatic renewal. Q2 wasn't a quarter to review. It was a quarter to survive. In this host-only Q2 review, Jan Griffiths and Tom Roberts trade the guest chair for a hard look at a quarter that refused to sit still. Trade policy moved. Commodity prices moved. The talent question moved. And underneath all of it sits the problem QAD has named for years: manufacturers don't have a data problem, they have an execution problem. The trade math keeps splitting into smaller pieces. Companies may soon have to separate US and Canadian content, then carry that split through every tier of the chain, where country-of-origin data was already hard to trust. Commodities pull the same thread. With the Strait of Hormuz closed at the time of recording, oil spiked, and aluminum, resin, and plastics moved with it. Tom describes tier ones already using AI to catch index swings against exploded BOMs and recover costs that were once hidden in one analyst's spreadsheet. The data was always there. The speed wasn't. Then there's resiliency, the word every leader defines differently. Jan and Tom settle on a working one: know where your risk sits, and be ready when something breaks. The Novelis fire, a single Nylon 12 plant, an earthquake that takes out paint for the F-150, none of these are hypothetical, and AI now lets a team model that exposure across a region before it lands. The quarter closed on the people who inherit it all. Universities call AI cheating. The employers hiring those same graduates expect it on day one. That gap is real, and it starts to close on a plant floor, not behind a screen. Q2 proved the old playbook can't keep pace. The leaders who win the back half won't wait for stability that isn't coming. They'll have built the data, the scenarios, and the bench before the next headline makes the decision for them. Themes Discussed in This Episode USMCA and the cost of a 10-year breakup Section 301 and Section 122: the tariff deadlines that matter Splitting US and Canadian content across every tier Why do what-if scenarios decide who holds the margin Commodity volatility and index-based cost recovery Using AI to model geopolitical risk in real time Resiliency: knowing where the risk actually sits Preparing the next generation for an AI-first plant floor This podcast is powered by QAD RedZone. About Your Hosts Jan Griffiths Jan is the host and producer of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and The Automotive Leaders Podcast . A former automotive manufacturing and supply chain executive, Jan is recognized as a Champion for Culture Change in the automotive industry. She brings direct, grounded conversations to leaders navigating execution, disruption, and transformation across the global automotive ecosystem. Tom Roberts (Co-host) Tom is Co-host of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and Vice President of Strategic Industry Development at QAD . He works closely with automotive and industrial manufacturers to close the gap between insight and execution, helping leaders move from visibility to systems of action that drive real operational outcomes. Mentioned in the Episode: Building the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders with Professor Leah Wolf Episode Highlights [02:15] The USMCA Cold Shoulder: The July 1 review signaled the US has little interest in keeping Canada and Mexico together, and this breakup will be bumpy. [03:33] The Dates That Decide Q3: July 20 and July 24 bring Section 301 and Section 122 to a head, with 12.5% duties on 46 countries in play. [05:23] Splitting Content Across the Tiers: Separating US and Canadian content means multiplying already-hard country-of-origin data through every supplier tier. [06:52] What ETL Actually Means: Tom breaks down extract, transform, load in plain terms, and why clean data decides your tariff exposure. [11:00] The Spreadsheet Nobody Can Read: AI can flag index movements for cost recovery instead of trusting the one analyst who understands the file. [12:10] Resiliency Starts With Risk: Know where your exposure sits and have a plan ready before the next plant fire, earthquake, or closed strait. [14:51] From Failed Pilots to Real Wins: AI pilots succeed when they start with a known problem and a defined outcome, not "let's apply AI and see." [17:45] Build the Bench on the Plant Floor: Students need real plants and real AI tools, closing the gap between how they learn and how they'll be expected to work. Top Quotes [06:33] Tom Roberts: " Clean data is going to be incredibly important with those product codes, product classifications to understand what is actually exposed to tariffs, what's not, and I think AI is gonna play a big part in helping to automate some of the cleanup and transformation. " [12:10] Jan Griffiths: "Resiliency is really, step one is understanding where your risk is and being ready when something breaks." If this episode resonated, share it with a fellow automotive leader and subscribe to the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast, where we're closing the gap between insight and action across the global automotive supply chain. Follow the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast for real conversations with leaders who are making hard choices, focusing their bets, and leading with intent. Follow the podcast: Learn more about QAD Redzone: https://www.qad.com/

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  Episode #111

  Is USMCA Dead? What the 2026 Renegotiation Means for the Auto Supply Chain

  Jul 6, 202625 minS3

  The auto industry didn’t lose USMCA on July 1st. It lost the assumption that the rules would sit still. The agreement isn’t dead. Nobody packed their boxes. But the US declined to renew the deal as written, and it opened what could be a 10-year renegotiation of the trade framework that governs somewhere between 1.6 and 2 trillion dollars a year, with autos at roughly 18% of that. The proposal on the table increases North American content from 75% to 82%, with half of that produced specifically in the US, and 25% tariffs still in place as leverage. In this episode, Jan Griffiths and Tom Roberts bring back QAD trade experts Ian Berman and Joshua Guy to separate what actually changed from what only sounds like it did. The headline reads like an attack on trade with Mexico and Canada. Ian reframes it fast: the real target is China and Mexico, as the bridge suppliers have used to skate on tariffs. If you’ve been finding loopholes, this is the light being pointed at them. Nothing changes tomorrow. That’s the trap. The suppliers who wait for final rules will be doing origin math under deadline pressure that the prepared ones have already finished. Qualifying under the new content thresholds forces every supplier to expose its true bill of materials, and then to know its supplier’s supplier’s supplier. That’s not a sourcing problem first. It’s a data problem first. Joshua makes the same case from the trade-zone side. Foreign-Trade Zones won’t erase the origin issue, but used well, they’re a lever that mitigates duty exposure, with ROI that usually lands inside year one. 2025 was the largest growth year FTZ usage has seen, and DC is staffing up for another record in 2026. Underneath it all, the hosts keep returning to one message: data quality is the survival trait, systems turn that data into decisions fast enough to matter, and agility is the posture, because the volatility isn’t a phase to wait out. This episode is a reminder that global trade is not back-office reporting. It is a strategic infrastructure. Leaders who treat it as such gain flexibility, cash flow timing advantages, and margin recovery. Those who do not will absorb the cost and call it unavoidable. Themes Discussed in This Episode What actually changed on July 1, and what didn’t Why the new rules target China, with Mexico as the transshipment bridge Rising US-content and regional-value thresholds under revised rules of origin Origin qualification as a data problem before a sourcing problem Knowing your supplier’s supplier’s supplier across the bill of materials Clean upstream data as a tier-two competitive advantage Foreign-Trade Zones as a duty-mitigation lever, not a loophole around origin Moving from reactive compliance to proactive planning before the rules are final Featured Guest Name: Ian Berman Title: Global Trade and Transportation Expert About: Ian is the Manager of Business Consulting with QAD Supply Chain. Ian has been with QAD for 11 years and has 20 years of experience in global trade and transportation management. He holds a Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management as well as an ASCM CLTD Certification. Connect: LinkedIn Name: Joshua Guy Title: Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Specialist About: For more than 25 years, Joshua has worked at the intersection of engineering, product leadership, and global trade, helping organizations bring structure and clarity to complex supply chains. Today, he leads strategy for Foreign-Trade Zone solutions that enable multinational importers to manage tariff exposure, reduce compliance risk, and strengthen financial performance. He also led the development of QAD FTZ, an industry-leading Inventory Control and Recordkeeping System that supports manufacturers, distributors, and 3PLs as they move from reactive compliance to proactive, resilient trade strategy in a volatile global environment. Connect: LinkedIn About Your Hosts Jan Griffiths Jan is the host and producer of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and The Automotive Leaders Podcast . A former automotive manufacturing and supply chain executive, Jan is recognized as a Champion for Culture Change in the automotive industry. She brings direct, grounded conversations to leaders navigating execution, disruption, and transformation across the global automotive ecosystem. Tom Roberts (Co-host) Tom is Co-host of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and Vice President of Strategic Industry Development at QAD . He works closely with automotive and industrial manufacturers to close the gap between insight and execution, helping leaders move from visibility to systems of action that drive real operational outcomes. Episode Highlights [01:43] Couples Therapy for Your Sourcing Strategy: Jan opens with Pete Mento’s framing of the July 1 news, and the room agrees the metaphor fits: every sourcing decision now comes with an asterisk. [02:39] The Real Target Isn’t Mexico: Ian reframes the headline. This is aimed at China and the Mexican bridge suppliers have used to skate tariffs, not at North American trade itself. [03:57] A Light on the True Bill of Materials: New content thresholds force origin math that exposes what a product is actually made of, and pushes visibility down to the supplier’s supplier’s supplier. [04:40] Tier Two Data Becomes an Advantage: Josh makes the case that clean, auditable upstream data is what separates the suppliers who survive this from the ones who scramble. [05:19] The Data Sensitivity Problem: Tom names the tension: OEMs want deeper visibility, and tier ones are wary of exposing their supply base and origin data outside their four walls. [09:02] FTZ as a Tool in the Toolbox: Josh explains what Foreign-Trade Zones can and can’t do. They won’t erase the origin issue, but they mitigate duty exposure in export-heavy flows. [11:06] A Record Year for Foreign-Trade Zones: 2025 was the largest FTZ growth year yet, and the DC board is staffing up for another record in 2026. Awareness of the lever is finally catching up. [13:04] The ROI Is a No-Brainer: Josh walks Tom through the math: most companies recoup FTZ setup and software costs inside year one or two, before the deeper savings even count. [15:50] Rules of Origin, in Plain Terms: Ian breaks down what a rule of origin actually is and why knowing your biggest BOM cost line matters more than any headline percentage. [19:48] Stress-Test the BOM Now: Jan lays out the starting move: run 82% regional and 50% US content against your bill of materials, prioritize the parts, then build the action plan. [22:32] The Monday-Morning Playbook: Ian, Josh, and Tom close on three moves: baseline your data, put systems in place, and stay agile, because the volatility isn’t slowing down. Top Quotes [04:15] Ian Berman: “ If you're not doing FTA calculations and origin determinations today, my guess is you'll be doing them tomorrow because that's what's really gonna be tied in if you wanna keep being able to use these aspects.” [12:29] Joshua Guy: “You might not be able to get the full savings that you once might have had, but you can use these different tools available to squeeze out just enough margin to stay competitive.” [22:11] Jan Griffiths: “It's about reducing those decision-making cycle times, being able to grab the situation, grab the ball, and pivot and move with it quickly.” [24:40] Tom Roberts: “You got to have great data, and you got to make some decisions, and it's something you can't leave behind. You can't just kinda wait it out. It's good to get in front of it now.” Follow the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast for real conversations with leaders who are making hard choices, focusing their bets, and leading with intent. 🎧 Follow the podcast: 🔗 Learn more about QAD Redzone: https://www.qad.com/

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  Episode #110

  Building the Next Generation of Supply Chain Leaders with Professor Leah Wolf

  Jun 22, 202630 minS3

  The automotive industry spends a lot of time talking about supply chains, but not nearly enough time talking about the people who make them work. In this episode of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast, Jan Griffiths and Tom Roberts are joined by Leah Wolf, retired General Motors supply chain executive and professor at Central Michigan University, for a conversation about one of the industry's most important and often overlooked challenges: developing the next generation of supply chain talent. After spending 33 years leading supply chain operations at General Motors, Leah now brings real-world experience into the classroom, helping students bridge the gap between theory and execution. From case competitions and plant tours to supplier strategy and inventory management, she shares how universities can prepare students for the realities of today's manufacturing environment. The conversation explores how the skills required for supply chain success are evolving. Technical knowledge remains important, but leadership, teamwork, adaptability, and problem-solving skills continue to set great supply chain professionals apart from the rest. As AI and automation reshape the industry, Leah and Tom discuss why technology will amplify human capability rather than replace it. This conversation challenges supply chain leaders to rethink their talent pipeline. The organizations that build strong partnerships with universities, invest in experiential learning, and engage future talent early will be better positioned to navigate disruption and lead the next era of automotive supply chain excellence. Themes Discussed in This Episode Building the automotive supply chain talent pipeline Bridging academia and industry experience Why real-world learning matters in supply chain education The evolving role of AI in supply chain careers Leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving under pressure Developing future-ready supply chain professionals University partnerships and talent development strategies This podcast is powered by QAD RedZone. Featured Guest Name: Leah Wolf Title: Professor of Supply Chain Management, Central Michigan University; Retired General Motors Supply Chain Executive About: Professor Leah Wolf spent 33 years with General Motors, primarily serving in global supply chain leadership roles across North America and Europe. Since retiring from GM in 2016, she has focused on developing the next generation of supply chain professionals, teaching graduate and undergraduate supply chain management courses at Central Michigan University and Wayne State University while bringing decades of real-world industry experience into the classroom. Connect: LinkedIn About Your Hosts Jan Griffiths Jan is the host and producer of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and The Automotive Leaders Podcast . A former automotive manufacturing and supply chain executive, Jan is recognized as a Champion for Culture Change in the automotive industry. She brings direct, grounded conversations to leaders navigating execution, disruption, and transformation across the global automotive ecosystem. Tom Roberts (Co-host) Tom is Co-host of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and Vice President of Strategic Industry Development at QAD . He works closely with automotive and industrial manufacturers to close the gap between insight and execution, helping leaders move from visibility to systems of action that drive real operational outcomes. Episode Highlights [02:43] From the Plant Floor to Global Supply Chain: Leah reflects on her 33-year career at General Motors, beginning as a production supervisor and eventually leading supply chain operations across multiple countries and cultures. [04:28] Learning Beyond the Classroom: Students gain hands-on experience through case competitions, trade shows, plant tours, and real-world consulting projects before entering the workforce. [08:53] The Total Enterprise Cost Lesson: Jan and Leah discuss why great supply chain decisions require balancing piece price, inventory, logistics, quality, and supplier relationships rather than focusing on a single metric. [12:19] Teaching Real-World Problem Solving: Leah explains how she challenges students with current supply chain issues and forces them to think through implementation, execution, and business outcomes. [14:22] Making Supply Chain Exciting: Plant tours, warehouse visits, and real manufacturing environments help students understand the fast-paced and dynamic nature of supply chain careers. [18:28] The Skills That Never Go Out of Style: A sense of urgency, leadership, transparency, teamwork, and strong interpersonal relationships remain foundational skills for supply chain success. [19:46] The Blackout That Tested a Team: Leah shares a memorable story from the Northeast Blackout and how a highly engaged team found creative ways to keep production running. [22:31] Why AI Changes the Game: Tom and Leah explore how AI, automation, predictive analytics, and risk mapping are transforming supply chain operations and decision-making. [25:01] Preparing Students for an AI-Powered Future: Students are increasingly exposed to AI applications that automate routine processes and help supply chain professionals make faster, more informed decisions. [26:55] Building a Stronger Talent Pipeline: Leah encourages supply chain leaders to engage with universities early, support internships and experiential learning, and build relationships with future talent before graduation. Top Quotes [10:23] Leah Wolf: “Total enterprise cost is key, and I teach that all day long. You've got to run the numbers, and you've got to do the business case.” [15:18] Leah Wolf: "I would go into work every day thinking I've seen it all. And then, I'd go to work the next day, and something else that I'd never even dreamed would've happened would've happened. " [24:47] Leah Wolf: "Everything you just mentioned, I've done manually, and it's very difficult, and sometimes you can't get all the answers, and maybe until it's too late. But with AI, it's going to change all that. It's just gonna be amazing." Follow the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast for real conversations with leaders who are making hard choices, focusing their bets, and leading with intent. 🎧 Follow the podcast: 🔗 Learn more about QAD Redzone: https://www.qad.com/

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  Episode #109

  Turning Data Into Action on the Shop Floor

  Jun 8, 202625 minS3

  Data is everywhere in manufacturing. Competitive advantage comes from turning it into action, where the work happens. In this episode of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast, Jan Griffiths and Tom Roberts sit down with Tom Luttrell, CIO of CSP, to discuss what it takes to modernize technology inside an automotive manufacturing company and why the future belongs to companies that move beyond systems of record and embrace systems of action. With more than three decades of experience leading technology transformations across automotive manufacturing, Tom shares how he approached his first year at CSP by listening first, understanding business problems before technology solutions, and building a roadmap centered on simplification, automation, and employee empowerment. The conversation explores the realities of disconnected systems, fragmented workflows, and siloed data that slow execution across manufacturing organizations. Tom explains why modern ERP platforms, AI-powered workflows, and agentic technologies can place critical information directly in the hands of maintenance technicians, operators, and frontline teams when they need it most. Rather than focusing on technology for technology's sake, Tom emphasizes a people-first approach. Success comes from making employees' jobs easier, reducing friction, improving decision-making, and creating tools that respect human expertise while accelerating action. In the latter part of the episode, QAD's Tom Roberts reflects on the shift from systems of record to systems of action, the role AI plays in uncovering the "why" behind operational issues, and why technology leaders must communicate in business terms rather than technical language. Themes Discussed in This Episode Why manufacturing leaders must move from systems of record to systems of action Building a data-first culture that drives execution, not just visibility Modernizing legacy technology without disrupting the business Using Agentic AI to put knowledge in the hands of frontline teams Empowering maintenance technicians and operators with real-time decision support Making manufacturing execution systems work for the people doing the work Designing technology around human behavior and user adoption Eliminating friction between data, decisions, and action Balancing cybersecurity, productivity, and business outcomes Leading enterprise transformation through trust, relationships, and business alignment This podcast is powered by QAD RedZone. Featured Guest Name: Tom Luttrell Title: Chief Information Officer at CSP About: Tom is Chief Information Officer at CSP, bringing more than 30 years of experience leading digital transformation, ERP modernization, cybersecurity, and business growth initiatives across the automotive and manufacturing industries. Prior to joining CSP, he held CIO leadership roles at RealTruck, Shiloh Industries, and Masco Cabinetry, where he led large-scale global technology transformations, ERP integrations, and operational improvement initiatives. He holds degrees in Computer Information Systems and Business Administration and continues to advance his expertise in cybersecurity and risk management. Connect: LinkedIn About Your Hosts Jan Griffiths Jan is the host and producer of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and The Automotive Leaders Podcast . A former automotive manufacturing and supply chain executive, Jan is recognized as a Champion for Culture Change in the automotive industry. She brings direct, grounded conversations to leaders navigating execution, disruption, and transformation across the global automotive ecosystem. Tom Roberts (Co-host) Tom is Co-host of the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast and Vice President of Strategic Industry Development at QAD . He works closely with automotive and industrial manufacturers to close the gap between insight and execution, helping leaders move from visibility to systems of action that drive real operational outcomes. Episode Highlights [02:17] Building a Data-First Culture: Tom explains his mission at CSP: modernize the technology foundation, create a data-first culture, and make it measurably easier for employees to do their jobs. [03:23] Listen Before You Lead: Technology transformation begins with understanding the business. Tom spent his first ninety days assessing systems, processes, talent, and trust before making changes. [06:40] From Systems of Record to Systems of Action: Traditional ERP systems capture transactions. Modern systems sense issues, trigger action, and help teams respond in real time before problems escalate. [08:30] AI for the Frontline: Instead of searching through hundreds of documents, maintenance technicians could use AI-powered tools to instantly access answers and solve problems faster. [10:46] The Point of Impact: The greatest value comes when critical information reaches the person closest to the problem, enabling faster decisions and better quality outcomes. [12:18] Reimagining the Shop Floor Experience: Tom outlines his vision for manufacturing execution systems that provide real-time visibility, automate routine transactions, and simplify work for operators. [13:46] Technology That Works for People: Whether through automation, scanning, image recognition, or AI-driven workflows, technology should remove friction rather than create it. [15:39] Speaking the Language of Business: One of Tom's biggest leadership lessons was learning to frame technology initiatives around business outcomes, not technical specifications. [17:42] Cybersecurity Without Creating Friction: Security matters, but successful technology leaders balance risk mitigation with maintaining productivity and enabling business operations. [21:08] The Power of Systems of Action: Tom Roberts explains how AI can move organizations beyond reporting what happened toward understanding why it happened and what action should happen next. Top Quotes [02:52] Tom Luttrell: “ The reason why I came in was to modernize our technology foundation for the company and to build a data-first culture, and to make it measurably easier for our employees to get their jobs done.” [10:55] Tom Luttrell: "You're putting the information in the hands of what I would call the point of impact, which would be the maintenance tech at that specific press looking at that specific problem." [16:20] Tom Luttrell: “ You have to primarily come at things from what problem are you trying to solve from a business perspective.” Follow the Auto Supply Chain Champions Podcast for real conversations with leaders who are making hard choices, focusing their bets, and leading with intent. 🎧 Follow the podcast: 🔗 Learn more about QAD Redzone: https://www.qad.com/

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