Episode 159: Will AI Replace or Redefine the Supply Chain Workforce with SAP’s David Vallejo

In this episode, SAP’s David Vallejo discusses whether AI will replace or redefine supply chain jobs, and explains how assistants, agents, trust, and reskilling will shape a more strategic future for the workforce.

Download the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (sap-podcast-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/the-future…)

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SAP’s David Vallejo joins us to explore one of supply chain’s biggest questions: will AI replace jobs or redefine them? The conversation covers practical AI use cases, the role of assistants and agents, how to build trust, why reskilling matters, and which KPIs prove business value.

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Guest: David Vallejo, Vice President, Head of SCM Innovations Product Marketing, SAP
His global organization leads strategy and growth initiatives for SAP’s SCM portfolio which encompasses solutions for product lifecycle management, manufacturing, planning, logistics, assets and service management as well as the Business Network. The suite of AI-first solutions enable customers to orchestrate their supply chain with confidence to become risk-resilient, adaptable, and sustainable in their supply chain operations.

David joined SAP in 2014 and has held various leadership positions before attaining his current role. During David’s tenure he drove the successful launch of SAP’s Supply Chain Business Network focusing on direct materials collaboration across the extended supply chain and driving the customer co-innovation program as product owner for SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP).

Host 1: Richard Howells

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Howells⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP 

Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability. 

She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance & Accounting and English Translation, along with a master’s degree in Business Administration and Foreign Trade, specializing in marketing. With her background in digital transformation, Oyku communicates technology trends and industry insights to help professionals navigate the evolving business landscape. 

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Show Links:
Supply Chain Management: 
SAP Supply Chain Management (sap.com/products/scm/solutions.html)
SAP Insights: Supply Chain (sap.com/insights/supply-chain.html)  

Follow Us on Social Media :
David Vallejo: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/vallejodavid)
Richard Howells: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/richardjhowells),
Oyku Ilgar: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/oykuilgar) 
SAP Digital Supply Chain: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/showcase/sapscm)  

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Chapters:

00:00:00: Intro
00:01:18: Guest introduction
00:01:54: Will AI replace supply chain jobs?
00:06:05: Where AI will have the first impact
00:10:01: Building trust and adoption in teams
00:13:58: Assistants, copilots, and job design
00:19:02: Best early use cases for agents
00:22:52: Reskilling supply chain organizations
00:26:28: KPIs that prove AI value
00:29:00 What's the future of the supply chain?
00:31:10: Outro