Last Thursday, I had the privilege of taking the stage at the Lobster Data Hero Summit X in Rotterdam — one of the most energised rooms I've stood in front of in recent memory.
340 supply chain, logistics, and data professionals. Van Nelle Fabriek. A day of no-nonsense conversations about where this industry is actually heading.
I delivered a keynote on Supply Chain Talent Needs in the Age of AI and opened with a provocation that got a few nervous laughs: "Would you agree most white-collar work will be fully automated by AI within the next 18 months?" The hands that went up — and those that didn't — told the whole story.
Here's the honest truth I shared on stage:
- Sooner or later, automation manages the routine. Humans manage the exceptions. The cockpit is now your laptop — but a pilot still needs to sit in it.
- The workforce built on manual planning, reactive firefighting, and fragmented ERPs cannot process machine-scale complexity.
- But AI doesn't replace human judgment — it raises the stakes for it. Critical thinking, supplier relationships, ethical oversight — these are not soft extras.
- They are what makes a supply chain leader irreplaceable.
After the keynote, I hosted a panel with Lisa Aarsman, Manuel Flubacher, and Karsten Schmidt — three sharp practitioners who brought real-world grit to everything I'd laid out. Honest, direct, no vendor theatre.
The day reinforced what I see constantly: 85% of AI initiatives fail not because the technology doesn't work, but because the data foundation underneath was never fit for purpose.
The organisations that pull ahead won't be the ones who deployed AI first — they'll be the ones who finally built something worth accelerating.
Viktor Vielhaber — what you and the team built was extraordinary. 340 people, a stunning venue, inspired throughout, and sent home with something to act on. That doesn't happen by accident. Well done. Genuinely.
And to Tim Srock and Jethro Borsje — thank you for creating a space where supply chain can have honest, future-focused conversations. More of this, please Patryk Statkiewicz!.
Lastly, it was a pleasure meeting you in person, Marian Temmen, after 6 years of trying!
The supply chain professional of tomorrow is being built today. The question is whether you're building them.
#SummitXRotterdam #SupplyChain #AI #WorkforceOfTheFuture @scmdojo #DataHeroSummit