WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How digital twins reduce CapEx before construction begins
• How to move AI from pilot to enterprise-wide deployment
• How to cut corporate red tape for rapid pilot execution
• How to design KPIs for objective pilot success measurement
• Why 50% pilot failure is a healthy innovation benchmark
• How to productize AI use cases for warehouse scale
• How to avoid “pilot purgatory” in logistics transformation

HIGHLIGHTS

• 00:00–02:00 | AI Fatigue & The Shift to Production
• 02:00–05:00 | Scaling Digital Twin Across 100+ Buildings
• 05:00–07:30 | CapEx Reduction & Engineering Simulation ROI
• 07:30–10:00 | Run-State Optimization & 20% Throughput Gains
• 10:00–14:00 | The PepsiCo Labs Pilot Framework
• 14:00–18:00 | Designing a Culture That Celebrates Failure
• 18:00–23:00 | Quantifying Innovation & Moving to Production

TOP QUOTES

• [00:06:00] “Here you can simulate and debug everything before you've invested your first CapEx dollar.” - Anna Farberov
• [00:08:00] “So I think we were able to demonstrate 20% throughput increase in a pick rate.” - Anna Farberov
• [00:12:00] “By design, we want 50% of our pilots to fail.” - Anna Farberov
• [00:18:00] “Move to production. Don’t just test.” - Anna Farberov

ABOUT THE GUEST

Anna Farberov is GM of PepsiCo Labs, where she leads PepsiCo’s global engagement with technology companies—from breakthrough startups to the world’s largest enterprises. In this role, she partners with senior executives and innovators to identify, test, and scale technologies that are transforming how PepsiCo operates across data, AI, manufacturing, supply chain, agriculture, and commercial functions. Her work powers growth, efficiency, and resilience across one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies.

Beyond PepsiCo, Anna is recognized for building innovation models that bridge corporations, technology providers, and investors—accelerating adoption of cutting-edge solutions at scale. She has worked across industries to help leaders translate complexity into clarity, align technology with strategy, and move with speed and impact in times of disruption.

A frequent speaker at global conferences, Anna shares insights on how leaders can harness innovation ecosystems, build future-ready organizations, and lead with clarity and purpose in an era of rapid technological change.

LINKS MENTIONED

Pepsico Labs: https://www.labs.pepsico.com/

Anna Farberov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-farberov/

Subscribe and Keep Learning!

If you’re a logistics leader looking to scale sustainably, don’t miss out! Subscribe for more expert strategies on tackling modern supply chain challenges.

Be sure to follow and tag the eCom Logistics Podcast on LinkedIn and YouTube

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why retail is now a demand chain, not a supply chain
• How AMRs deliver 6–12 month ROI in high-variability e-commerce
• Why robotics-as-a-service changes peak capacity planning
• The real bottleneck in AI adoption: structured WMS data
• Why dashboards are dying and exception-based orchestration is rising
• How consolidation will reshape 3PL economics
• Why operational excellence remains the ultimate differentiator

HIGHLIGHTS

• 00:01–00:12 | Consumer expectations and the “fast + free + cheap” reality
• 00:12–00:15 | AMRs, ASRS, RaaS, and 6–12 month automation ROI
• 00:15–00:16 | Buy vs build: what’s commodity vs “secret sauce”
• 00:16–00:19 | Agentic AI in warehouse ops: labor planning + execution
• 00:19–00:22 | AI proof, case studies, and demand planning as the next frontier
• 00:22–00:24 | Dashboards vs operators: turning analytics into actions
• 00:24–00:28 | Operator advice: efficiency, mechanization, and competition shifts
• 00:29–00:31 | Manifest trends: retail channels evolving + tech-driven 3PL future

QUOTES

[00:04:10] “One of the biggest changes is you used to have a choice. You could either have it fast, you could have it free, or you could have it cheap. The consumer today wants all three.” – Jeff Wolpov

[00:05:10] “We as logistics supply chain companies need to lean in and figure out how to do more with less. Today it's a necessity.” – Jeff Wolpov

[00:07:30] “You need automation... We need to be faster and more flexible. Peaks have gotten much higher.” – Jeff Wolpov

[00:16:00] "The hard part isn't building AI or using AI. It's what do you do with the results?" - Gary Allen

[00:16:50] “Operators shouldn't hunt dashboards, they should get alerts, exception-based triggers. AI takes analytics to the next level.” – Gary Allen

[00:23:00] "Reporting is the death of analytics." - Gary Allen

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Jeff Wolpov

Jeff Wolpov is Senior Vice President of E-commerce and Ryder Last Mile at Ryder System, Inc., where he leads the vision and strategy for omnichannel fulfillment and big & bulky home delivery.

Previously, he served as CEO of Whiplash (formerly Port Logistics Group), achieving nearly 30% year-over-year revenue growth before its acquisition by Ryder in 2022. Earlier in his career, Jeff founded Distribution Solutions, scaling it from a startup into a $50 million regional logistics firm that became the foundation of Whiplash’s national network.

He holds a degree from the University of Michigan.

Gary Allen

Gary Allen is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder, overseeing Solution Design, Continuous Improvement, Data Analytics, and Automation across the supply chain organization.

With more than 32 years of experience, he previously led EY’s logistics consulting practice and held leadership roles at DHL and FedEx in product innovation, solution design, sustainability, and operations.

Gary helped launch and co-author the “Annual Third Party Logistics Study” with Dr. John Langley of Penn State University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Materials and Logistics Management from Michigan State University.

LINKS MENTIONED

Ryder report: https://www.ryder.com/en-us/insights/white-papers/e-comm/2025-ryder-e-commerce-consumer-study

Ryder website: https://www.ryder.com/en-us

Subscribe and Keep Learning!

If you’re a logistics leader looking to scale sustainably, don’t miss out! Subscribe for more expert strategies on tackling modern supply chain challenges.

Be sure to follow and tag the eCom Logistics Podcast on LinkedIn and YouTube

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Why balancing cost, speed, and quality is now table stakes in logistics strategy
• How to design a flexible 3PL platform without hardcoding yourself into rigidity
• The operational difference between supporting enterprise brands vs. high-growth brands
• Why scenario planning still matters in an era of tariffs, snowstorms, and volatility
• How to avoid over-engineering automation that limits long-term flexibility
• What defines a true strategic partnership beyond SLAs and QBRs
• Why solving problems together—not alone—is the real measure of partnership maturity

TIMESTAMPED SEGMENTS

• 00:00 – 01:00 | Balancing Cost, Speed & Quality Post-Pandemic
• 01:00 – 02:30 | Becoming the Customer: Operational Audits & CX Insight
• 02:30 – 04:00 | Agility, Uncertainty & Platform-First Thinking
• 04:00 – 05:30 | Defining High-Growth vs. Enterprise Brands
• 05:30 – 07:00 | Capability-Based Support Models vs. Split Teams
• 07:00 – 09:00 | What Real Strategic Partnerships Actually Look Like

TOP QUOTES

• [00:01:00] “We know the cost of customer acquisition has increased exponentially. So the customer you have is the customer that you wanna keep.” - Laura Ritchey
• [00:03:00] “I think obviously the overused word of agility these days… how quickly can you divert to warehouses that aren't closed or to transportation options that are still running?” - Laura Ritchey
• [00:05:00] “We were doing 10,000 orders a day. All of a sudden we have to do 100,000, and that's really different.” - Laura Ritchey
• [00:08:15] “Are we solving them together, or are we solving them alone?” - Laura Ritchey
• [00:18:00] “The team is looking to us to be the calm in the storm.” - Laura Ritchey

ABOUT THE GUEST

Laura Ritchey is President & CEO of the Americas region at GEODIS and a member of the Group’s Executive Board. She leads nearly 20,000 teammates across eight countries, overseeing contract logistics, freight forwarding, and transportation operations throughout North and South America. With more than 30 years of experience—including 15 years in supply chain leadership across retail and third-party logistics—Laura previously served as CEO of Radial, Inc., driving growth through operational excellence. Her background spans finance, sourcing, distribution, and strategic transformation. She holds a J.D., MBA, and bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.

LINKS MENTIONED

Laura's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-ritchey-55836a8/

GEODIS website: https://geodis.com/

Subscribe and Keep Learning!

If you’re a logistics leader looking to scale sustainably, don’t miss out! Subscribe for more expert strategies on tackling modern supply chain challenges.

Be sure to follow and tag the eCom Logistics Podcast on LinkedIn and YouTube