Articles by Samir Saci
The AI Was the Easy Part: What Is a Forward-Deployed Engineer in a Supply Chain?
the Harvard Business Review called the data scientist “the sexiest job of the 21st century.” Every company suddenly wanted one. More than a decade later, the title everyone is chasing now is the Forward Deployed Engineer. This engineer is embedded inside a company’s operation to make AI models or optimisation algorithms actually work in their messy reality. Unfortunately, few operations are messier than a supply chain. I learned it the hard way when I became Supply Chain Data Scientist.
The AI Was the Easy Part: What Is a Forward-Deployed Engineer in a Supply Chain?
iPhones 1 hour ago New leaks cover iPhone Ultra timing, iPhone Pro’s design next year 9to5Mac - Ryan Christoffel • 1h Apple has two substantially unique iPhone designs launching in the coming year: iPhone Ultra this fall, and its 20th anniversary Pro models next year. Leaker Fixed Focus Digital has just shared updates on both products. iPhone Ultra gets encouraging update, while 20th anniversary report points to … Latin America 2 hours ago Which Countries Produce the Most Food in the World?
How Spreadsheets Quietly Cost Supply Chains Millions
ran a national TV campaign for its best-selling apparel line. The demand planner updated the forecast on a Tuesday morning. But the supply team only found out eleven days later, in the monthly meeting! By then, the factory lead time had expired, and two outlet stores had empty shelves for the first week of the campaign. VP of Marketing: Tens of thousands of dollars in lost campaign revenue due to insufficient inventory! The marketing budget was spent. The traffic showed up. The product did not.
I Simulated an International Supply Chain and Let OpenClaw Monitor It
, I published an article showing how an AI agent could help a fashion company analyse failures in its distribution chain. The idea was to connect Claude Opus 4.6 to transportation data to investigate supply chain failures (a store not receiving products on time) and identify the root cause. Why was a Shanghai store delivered with a 45-hour delay when every team supposedly hit their target?
How ElevenLabs Voice AI Is Replacing Screens in Warehouse and Manufacturing Operations
A picking operation is the process of collecting items from storage locations to fulfil customer orders. It is one of the most labour-intensive activities in logistics, accounting for up to 55% of total warehouse operating costs. Example of warehouse layout where operators need to pick in multiple locations – (Image by Samir Saci) For each order, an operator receives a list of items to collect from their storage locations.
Can AI Solve Failures in Your Supply Chain?
chain is a goal-oriented network of processes and stock points that delivers finished goods to stores. Imagine a luxury fashion retailer with a central distribution chain that delivers to stores worldwide (the USA, Asia-Pacific, and EMEA) from a warehouse located in France.
Why Supply Chain is the Best Domain for Data Scientists in 2026 (And How to Learn It) | Towards Data Science
, my LinkedIn inbox is full of data scientists reaching out. Same questions. Same concerns. Is supply chain data science the right move? After 10 years in supply chain data science, including five years writing on this blog, I have developed strong views on this question. These first articles were published in this blog more than 5 years ago. – (Image by Samir Saci) Supply chain is an exceptional playground for data scientists.
How I Use AI to Convince Companies to Adopt Sustainability
than convincing someone of a truth they cannot see in their own data. Data science and sustainability experts face the same problem: our concepts may be too abstract and theoretical, making them difficult for decision-makers to relate to. I learned this the hard way while developping my startup! When I published a case study on Green Inventory Management on TDS in 2024, I thought the logic was solid and convincing, but the impact was limited.
Deploy Your AI Assistant to Monitor and Debug n8n Workflows Using Claude and MCP
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How to Connect an MCP Server for an AI-Powered, Supply-Chain Network Optimization Agent
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From Python to JavaScript: A Playbook for Data Analytics in n8n with Code Node Examples
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From Python to JavaScript: A Playbook for Data Analytics in n8n with Code Node Examples
Vibe Coding Gains Traction Via Users Writing Prompts That Spur AI To Automatically Generate Usable Software Code In today’s column, I closely examine the relatively new field of vibe coding. If you aren’t familiar with what vibe coding is or possibly only vaguely heard about it, no worries, since I am going to bring you entirely up-to-speed. The keystones will be presented. Tradeoffs are identified. The future …
How to Build an AI Budget-Planning Optimizer for Your 2026 CAPEX Review: LangGraph, FastAPI, and n8n
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AI Agents for Supply Chain Optimisation: Production Planning
, when combined with analytics products, can transform into powerful tools for supply chain optimisation. In manufacturing, the real challenge is not producing goods, but deciding when and how much to produce. This quote is from a plant director who contacted us for the implementation of an algorithm to improve their Master Production Schedule (MPS). The objective was to generate production schedules that balance economies of scale with minimal inventory.
Find your Dream Job in Supply Chain Analytics — Create your Portfolio
Advice, insights, and ideas from the Medium data science community Follow publication A practical guide for aspiring data scientists to create impactful, real-world supply chain analytics projects using case studies shared in this blog. In 2025, global supply chains face unprecedented challenges. From climate-related disruptions to geopolitical uncertainties, companies face escalating costs, emerging trade regulations and intensifying sustainability requirements.
How I Built Business-Automating Workflows with AI Agents | Towards Data Science
and automation are no longer just a trend — they are transforming how companies operate. In a previous article, I shared several case studies of AI Agents supporting the sustainability roadmaps of small, medium and large companies. This is part of a 4-month exploration of how agentic AI can drive business digital transformations. It all began when I discovered no-code tools like n8n, which allow you to design and automate powerful workflows with just a few clicks.
AI Agents for a More Sustainable World
for sustainability weakens, the need for long-term sustainable practices has never been more critical. How can we use analytics, boosted by agentic AI, to support companies in their green transformation? For years, the focus of my blog was always on using Supply Chain Analytics methodologies and tools to solve specific problems. At LogiGreen, the startup I founded, we deploy these analytics solutions to help retailers, manufacturers, and logistics companies meet their sustainability targets.
Create Your Supply Chain Analytics Portfolio to Land Your Dream Job
Supply chains are under pressure like never . From climate-driven disruptions to geopolitical shifts, businesses must adapt to rising costs, new trade barriers and growing sustainability demands. In this new world where supply chains face uncertainty, Supply Chain Analytics is essential to keep resilient operations. Samir, can you advise me on how to build a supply chain analytics portfolio with actual projects?
Automate Supply Chain Analytics Workflows with AI Agents using n8n | Towards Data Science
Why build things the hard way when you can design them the smart way? As a Supply Chain Data Scientist, I’ve explored various frameworks like LangChain and LangGraph to build AI agents using Python. The illustration above is from an article I wrote at the end of 2023, titled “Leveraging LLMs with LangChain for Supply Chain Analytics — A Control Tower Powered by GPT.” At the time, I was exploring how to use LangChain to build an agent acting as a Supply Chain Control Tower.
Simulate the challenges of a circular economy for fashion retail
Rental Model for Fashion Retail — (Image by Author) The concept of a circular economy includes models aiming to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency. Simulate a Circular Economy — (Image by Author) Some fashion retailers have implemented a subscription model with customers paying a regular fee to rent a product for a specific period. Have you ever considered renting your clothes?
Data Science to Reach Carbone Neutrality
Member-only story Samir Saci · Follow Published in Data Science Collective · 11 min read · -- How can you use data science to support your organization's sustainability roadmap? What is Carbon Neutrality — (Image by Author) Carbon neutrality is achieved when an entity balances its greenhouse gas emissions with an equivalent offset, resulting in net-zero emissions. This entity could be an individual, your organization or even an entire country.
Sustainable business strategy with data analytics
Use data analytics to help companies design and implement strategic sustainability roadmaps to reduce their environmental footprint. Sustainable Business Strategy with Analytics — (Image by Samir Saci) Consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually. This quote captures a critical issue many companies face during their strategic green transformation: aligning diverse objectives across teams and departments.
Supply Chains need your Analytics Skills — Here is how you can help
Samir Saci · Follow 7 min read · -- Learn how to use analytics to optimize supply chains for cost reduction and sustainability with 70+ real-world case studies and source code. Supply Chain Analytics Applications — (Image by Samir Saci) Supply chains are under pressure like never before. From climate-driven disruptions to geopolitical shifts, businesses must adapt to rising costs, trade barriers, and sustainability demands.
Sustainable Business Strategy with Data Analytics
Use data analytics to help companies design and implement strategic sustainability roadmaps to reduce their environmental footprint. Consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually. This quote captures a critical issue many companies face during their strategic green transformation: aligning diverse objectives across teams and departments. Sustainability Team: “We need to reduce emissions by 30%”.
Sustainable Business Strategy with Data Analytics
Consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually. This quote captures a critical issue many companies face during their strategic green transformation: aligning diverse objectives across teams and departments. Sustainability Team: "We need to reduce emissions by 30%". Imagine a hypothetical manufacturing company with, at the centre of its business strategy, an ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions by 30%.
Are you Aware of the Potential of Your Data Expertise in Driving Business Profitability?
A reflection of a supply chain data scientist who randomly discovered the power of data analytics to help small and large businesses The biggest challenge I faced in analytics projects was estimating the return on investment (ROI) of a solution. What is the ROI of a forecasting engine for sales prediction? This is often the first question a decision-maker asks when you propose designing a tool to solve their operational or business problem.
Simulate the Challenges of a Circular Economy for Fashion Retail
Use data analytics to simulate a circular rental model for fashion retail and understand store operations and logistics challenges. The concept of a circular economy includes models aiming to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency. Some fashion retailers have implemented a subscription model with customers paying a regular fee to rent a product for a specific period. Have you ever considered renting your clothes?
Simulate the Challenges of a Circular Economy for Fashion Retail
The concept of a circular economy includes models aiming to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency. Simulate a Circular Economy – (Image by Author) Some fashion retailers have implemented a subscription model with customers paying a regular fee to rent a product for a specific period. Have you ever considered renting your clothes? In a previous article, I used data analytics to simulate this rental model using an example of a Fashion retailer with ten stores.
How sustainable is your circular economy?
A circular economy is an economic model that aims to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency. It involves designing products and processes focusing on longevity, reuse, and recycling. Some companies have implemented a subscription model where customers pay a regular fee to access a product or service for a specific period. The objective is to reduce the environmental impact along your product's life cycle; a rented product is produced once and can be reused several times.
Business Planning with Python
After 24 months of activity, my friend found a business partner with 25 years of experience in the Food and Beverage industry. My friend: "She brings investment and market expertise with the aim of boosting growth." She estimated the growth they can reach if they follow specific commercial strategies. After analyzing the business model, she proposed to change the pricing mechanism to increase the average basket size.
Business Planning with Python
Now that our model is in place, we can play with the parameters and simulate different scenarios. Each scenario will be assessed using four indicators.
Business Planning with Python — Inventory and Cash Flow Management
How can you use data analytics to help small businesses manage inventory, predict liquidity needs, and maximize profitability? Cash flow management can be defined as the process of monitoring and optimizing the net amount of cash receipts minus cash expenses. After talking with a friend who manages a medium-sized business, I discovered that cash may be the biggest bottleneck to growth.
Supply Chain Process Scheduling with Python
Inbound Operations Optimization for Luxury Products You are the data science manager in the logistics department of this iconic luxury brand focusing on Fashion, Fragrance and Watches. The inbound manager of this distribution centre requested your support in reducing the bottlenecks caused by inefficiencies in the VAS scheduling.
Data Science for Value-Chain Management
How can you leverage data science to optimize operations and boost profitability? Value Chain Management (VCM) refers to the process of organizing activities that add value to the goods or services to achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This method helps organizations to effectively respond to market trends and improve efficiency to boost profitability. As a data sciencist and analytics manager, what impact can you have on your company's value chain?
Data Science for Value Chain Management
Companies constantly search for methods to gain a competitive edge by enhancing efficiency and maximising profitability. Customer: Samir, we would like to reduce the logistic costs by 20%. We want you to redesign the whole distribution network. This is the commonality of most of the projects I've conducted as a Supply Chain Engineer or Data Scientist.
Data Science for Sustainability — Simulate a Circular Economy
Use data science to simulate the impact of a circular model on the CO2 emissions and water usage of a fast fashion retailer. A circular economy is an economic model that aims to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency. It involves designing products and processes focusing on longevity, reuse and recycling. Why not rent your dress instead of buying it?! Several fashion retailers have implemented a subscription model.
Data Science to Implement a Circular Economy Original
How can you use Data Science to support a Fast Fashion Retailer in Implementing a Circular Economy? A circular economy is an economic system in which resources are used, reused or recycled in a closed loop instead of being extracted and discarded as waste. What happens to the old clothes you return to your favourite fast-fashion retail store? The aim is to maximize resource use and regenerate products or materials at the end of each life cycle.
Data Science for Sustainability- Green Inventory Management Original
Simulate the impact of store delivery frequency on the CO2 emissions of a fashion retailer Green inventory management can be defined as managing inventory in an environmentally sustainable way. This involves a set of processes and rules reducing the environmental impact of order preparation and delivery. Most retailers use inventory management systems that use a rule-based approach to replenishing stores and covering demand.
Data Science for Sustainable Sourcing
How can you use Data Science to select the best suppliers considering indicators for sustainability and social indicators? Sustainable sourcing is the process of integrating social, ethical and environmental performance factors when selecting suppliers. This includes assessing and evaluating suppliers based on sustainability criteria such as health and safety, environmental impacts or labour rights.
Create GPTs to Automate Supply Chain Analytics
II. Design Approach for this first module I have been using the GPT editor of ChatGPT to create this solution. How does it work? Let me briefly share my experience using this editor if you want to create similar GPTs for other applications. The architecture of the initial prototype doing ABC analysis is very simple.
Leveraging LLMs with LangChain for Supply Chain Analytics — A Control Tower Powered by GPT Original
Build an automated supply chain control tower with a LangChain SQL agent connected to the database of a transportation management system A Supply Chain Control Tower can be defined as a centralized solution that provides visibility and monitoring capabilities to manage end-to-end supply chain operations efficiently. This analytical tool enables a Supply Chain department to track, understand and resolve critical issues in real time.
How Will Data Science Accelerate the Circular Economy? Original
Actionable data science tips to overcome the operational challenges in transitioning to a circular economy A circular economy is an economic system where waste is minimized and resources are continuously reused or recycled. Imagine a world where your waste doesn’t end up in landfills but rather becomes the raw material for new products. The transition from our current linear economy to a more sustainable circular one is a major topic for many companies. What is holding us back?
What are the Sustainable Development Goals? (SDGs)
As a supply chain continuous improvement engineer, my expertise is limited to the operational environment. How Supply Chain Analytics Experts Can Contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals? I have spent years designing and implementing initiatives to improve processes with the unique objective of cost reduction. However, the same tools and methodologies can be used to help companies improve their ESG scores by contributing to these SDG goals. ❓ Do you want to know more about ESG scoring?
What is EDI? Electronic Data Interchange
Explore how Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) facilitates modern supply chain management Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a standardized method of automatically transferring data between computer systems. As the supply chain becomes more digital, effective data exchange has become a must-have for any major company. In the complex network of suppliers and distributors, efficient data communication is critical.
Data Science for Good: Beyond Profits, Towards a Better World
Use the Power of Data Analytics to Drive Positive Change in Your Company while Improving the Profitability. Data science can support business transformations that go far beyond financial gains. It can lead to improved working conditions, reduce inequalities and promote an inclusive working environment. In my experience as a senior supply chain engineer, I’ve mainly used analytics to improve operational performance and cut costs.
What is ESG Reporting?
Leveraging Data Science for Comprehensive and Effective Environmental, Social and Governance reporting of a company Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting is a method used by companies to disclose their governance structures, societal impacts and environmental footprint. As stakeholders are increasingly demanding corporate social responsibility (CSR), ESG reporting has become a critical part of companies’ long-term strategies.
What is Data Quality?
Discover Methodologies to Ensure Accuracy, Consistency and Completeness of Supply Chain Data Data Quality defines how data sets can be trusted, understood and utilized effectively for their intended purpose. In Supply Chain Management, data plays a crucial role in detecting issues and making informed decisions. Ensuring that data is accurate, consistent and fit for its intended purpose is a critical task to ensure smooth and efficient operational management.
What is Greenwashing? And How to Use Analytics to Detect It?
Explore how data analytics can help us to detect and prevent greenwashing to promote genuine sustainability Greenwashing is the practice of making misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or a service to communicate a false image of sustainability. This act of embellishment or hiding falsehood has become a common challenge as companies seek the attention of environmentally conscious consumers.
What Is RPA? (Robotic Process Automation)
RPA stands for "Robotic Process Automation." It refers to the use of software to automate business processes, such as interacting with a computer application, processing transactions, and communicating with other digital systems. The goal of RPA is to help organizations improve efficiency and reduce the need for human intervention in repetitive, rules-based tasks.
What is Business Intelligence?
Discover the tools for data-driven decision making applied to supply chain optimization. Business Intelligence is a process that leverages software and services to transform data into actionable intelligence supporting decision-making. This intelligence helps businesses to gain insights into their operations, improve their process efficiency and create a competitive market advantage.
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