Small Group Sessions – Session 3 – Room Strategy 1: Automation & Applied Intelligence
Moderator: Michael Levans, Group Editorial Director, Peerless Media
Intelligent Care: How AI Is Powering the Healthcare Supply Chain
Moderator: Michael Levans, Group Editorial Director, Peerless Media
Speaker: Dave Kordik, Vice President Customer Technology Solutions, Medline Industries.
The healthcare industry is searching for insights on what is taking place within supply chain, using inventory management and product utilization data from both the provider and supplier / manufacturer sides. See how Medline is answering the call with partners like Microsoft — leveraging AI-powered insights, predictive analytics, and automated workflows to streamline inventory and free up providers to focus on what matters most: their patients.
Test Automation: The key for improved speed and quality of WMS implementations
Speakers: Josh Owen, Founder, President and Executive Chairman, Cycle Labs & Jonathon Crafton, Systems Architect, Kohler Co.
Discover how Kohler used the Cycle® Test Automation Platform to accelerate and enhance their Blue Yonder WMS implementation. Faced with complex customizations, Kohler turned to automation to streamline documentation and expand test coverage. This session explores the results of their approach and how it’s paving the way for ongoing gains in efficiency and performance.
Revolutionizing Logistics & Supply Chain with IBM Watsonx.AI
Speakers: Collin Stiffler, Product Leader for Watsonx.AI, IBM and Ravi Chavali, CTO, Imaginnovate
Discover how IBM Watsonx.AI is transforming logistics and supply chain operations through generative AI and agentic workflows
Speakers
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Collin StifflerProduct Leader for Watsonx.AIIBMCollin Stiffler is an Advisory Partner Technical Specialist (PTS-P) at IBM with a focus on Data Platform solutions. Leveraging deep expertise across the WatsonX portfolio, Collin plays a key role in empowering resell partners to deliver innovative AI and data-driven solutions. He specializes in driving adoption, offering strategic technical guidance, and designing hands-on technical workshops that accelerate partner success.
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Dave KordikVP Customer Technology SolutionsMedlineDave Kordik serves as Vice President of Customer and Sales Technology at Medline Industries. For the past 18 years, he’s driven improvements in efficiency, agility, and value across the company’s operations.
Throughout his career, Dave has designed advanced analytics approaches that help teams act quickly, not just report on past data. His work in process improvement and automation has boosted productivity and streamlined complex workflows.
Under his leadership, Medline’s tech teams have accelerated digital transformation and built a culture of innovation. Dave connects business needs with smart technology, ensuring solutions are scalable and aligned with the fast-changing healthcare landscape.
Currently, he’s helping to lead the Mpower project in partnership with Microsoft — an AI-driven initiative that’s reimagining the healthcare supply chain. It focuses on automation, system integration, and using AI to drive smarter, faster decisions.
His impact comes from combining deep industry knowledge with a passion for empowering teams and delivering real results. As healthcare evolves, Dave continues to lead the way in building smarter, more responsive supply chain solutions.
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Jonathon CraftonSystems ArchitectKohler CompanyJonathon Crafton is a Systems Architect at Kohler Company. With 13 years of experience in the logistics field and over 10 years of experience with Blue Yonder WMS, he has led deployments across various enterprise supply chain systems, including SAP. Jonathon has also held leadership positions in strategic planning, business process improvement, and operations management. Currently, in addition to leading WMS implementations, he leads the Cycle platform implementation at Kohler, modernizing end-to-end testing in WMS deployments.
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Josh OwenFounder, President and Executive ChairmanCycle LabsJosh is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cycle Labs. Prior to Cycle Labs, Josh founded and led a global supply chain consulting firm through 12 years of organic growth where he also led the development of the Cycle product from its idea phase to the valuable enterprise continuous testing platform it is today. With over 19 years of experience deploying enterprise solutions across various industry verticals, Josh is dedicated to modernizing enterprise solution deployment and helping companies focus on business growth rather than business risk. Josh leads his teams with an emphasis on culture and a focus on innovation, curiosity, and a willingness to ask why. Cycle Labs encourages clients and teams to question everything and strive for continuous, iterative improvement.
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Michael LevansGroup Editorial DirectorPeerless MediaMichael Levans is the Group Editorial Director at Peerless Media, where he oversees several industry-leading publications, including Logistics Management, Supply Chain Management Review, and Modern Materials Handling. With over 30 years in B2B media management and decades of experience in the logistics and supply chain industries, Levans has established himself as a trusted authority, providing insights on the latest trends, challenges, and innovations. Under his leadership, these publications have become key resources for professionals seeking to navigate the complexities of logistics, supply chain management, and materials handling operations.
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Ravi ChavaliCTOImaginnovate IncAs the head of our technology division, Ravi Chavali drives innovation in Enterprise Architecture, Cloud Services, and our AI portfolio. By collaborating closely with our products division, he delivers automated solutions that create tangible benefits for our customers—reducing costs and improving accuracy and speed. For our services division, Ravi is actively augmenting our homegrown supply chain automation framework using Agentic AI to pioneer new solutions across the supply chain industry.
