What Have We Learned Thus Far From AskLora.AI?

Supply chain performance is still being measured by outdated assumptions. Lora Cecere argues that optimizing individual functions for lower cost does not necessarily improve the business. In fact, it can throw the entire supply chain out of balance. Better performance starts with understanding what is actually feasible within an industry, focusing on the metrics that drive value, and recognizing that supply chains are complex systems that cannot be improved one function at a time. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton speaks with Lora Cecere, founder of Supply Chain Insights, and Wael Abdelmalek, CEO at Uthereal, about the research behind Supply Chains to Admire and how that work is being brought into Ask Lora, an AI-enabled benchmarking and advisory platform. They explore why traditional supply chain rankings and generic AI tools can reinforce conventional thinking, how verified research and industry-specific data can create better benchmarks, and why leaders need a more balanced view of growth, operating margin, inventory turns, and return on capital employed when evaluating performance. Lora and Wael also explain how Ask Lora combines 10 years of research and benchmarking data with a private large language model designed specifically for supply chain decision-making. Rather than serving only as a Q&A tool, users are applying it as a trusted peer to benchmark performance, review strategy documents, pressure-test presentations, compare organizational and technology maturity, and challenge assumptions before taking ideas to leadership. Jump into the conversation: (00:00) Introduction (01:14) Meet Lora Cecere, founder of Supply Chain Insights, and Wael Abdelmalek, CEO at Uthereal (04:36) Fearless Friday: career leaps and personal risk-taking stories (08:04) The origin of Supply Chains to Admire and why "best practices" is a myth (14:44) What supply chain leaders still get wrong about cost and performance (19:22) What is Ask Lora? Inside the private LLM built on 10 years of research (21:30) Private LLMs vs. generic AI: accuracy, guardrails, and the Ethereal partnership (28:57) How organizations are using Ask Lora: benchmarking, strategy review, and reports (43:57) Pricing tiers, governance, and integration for Ask Lora (50:33) Vision for Ask Lora's future and how to connect with Lora and Wael Additional Links & Resources: Connect with Lora Cecere: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loracecere/ Connect with Wael Abdelmalek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wwael/ Learn more about Supply Chain Insights: https://supplychaininsights.com/ Learn more about Uthereal: https://uthereal.ai/ Check out AskLora for yourself: https://asklora.ai/ Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://supplychainnow.com/media-kit/ Learn more about Blue Yonder Cognitive Solutions: http://blueyonder.com/cognitive WEBINAR- Operational AI in the Supply Chain: How context empowers agents and humans to operate side by side: https://bit.ly/4x7Vd2Z WEBINAR- Demand Volatility Isn't a Forecasting Problem: How One FMCG Distributor Released Capacity Without Capital: https://bit.ly/4r94YM6 WEBINAR- You Can't Manage What You Can't See: Using Visibility, KPIs, and AI to Optimize Logistics Operations: https://bit.ly/4ql6iem WEBINAR- The Real ROI of AI Analytics in the Supply Chain: Better Answers When Everyone Starts Asking: https://bit.ly/3TpCX6u This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/what-have-we-learned-thus-far-asklaura-ai-1635 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now. For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at [email protected] © 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.