Part 2 of our AI supply chain strategy series with Arizona State University moves into operations. Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden ask Professor Brett Duarte of the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management to be specific about what AI demand forecasting and inventory optimization actually improve.
Brett breaks down the forecasting stack, from extrapolation and regression to machine learning and large language models that pull news, CPI, and sentiment into the forecast. Then he shows how inventory optimization moves off static reorder points: AI agents that spot a demand spike, raise a purchase order, check the supplier contract, and hand the big calls to a human. He closes on multi-echelon inventory optimization and why where you hold safety stock matters.
Part 3 covers logistics. Three parts, one AI supply chain strategy. Subscribe so you catch all three.
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*The Retail Razor: Data Blades S2:E14*
*Released on September 11, 2026*
*Guest info*
*Brett Duarte, Ph.D.* https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettduarte/
*Arizona State University | W. P. Carey School of Business*
*NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management*
_Clinical Associate Professor_
_Senior Faculty Co-Director – MSBA_
wpcarey.asu.edu | research.wpcarey.asu.edu
Brett Duarte is a Clinical Associate Professor in the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management at Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business, the largest business school in the United States with more than 25,000 students. He is senior faculty co-director of the school's Master of Science in Business Analytics program and assistant chair for graduate programs in supply chain. ASU's supply chain management program is ranked #2 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Brett is on the faculty teaching the AI-Enabled Supply Chain Strategy Executive Program this October
*Chapters*
00:00 Teaser
00:27 Show Intro
03:25 Welcome Back Professor Brett Duarte
05:03 Why Forecasting Matters
06:14 The New Era of AI-Driven Forecasting
09:43 Real Time Agents In Practice
10:29 Solving the Inventory Management Puzzle
12:14 Dynamic Replenishment Workflows
13:10 Strategic Inventory Optimization Tactics
14:11 Wrap Up And Next Episode
15:28 Show Close
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