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Resilient Supply Chain — How Leaders Keep Business Moving

Resilient Supply Chain is for supply chain, operations, procurement and technology leaders who need practical ways to manage disruption, reduce risk and keep business moving.

Each Monday, technology and sustainability analyst, keynote speaker and former SAP Global VP Tom Raftery speaks with the executives, operators, founders and innovators redesigning how goods, information and decisions move through global supply chains.

These are candid conversations about what works in practice—not polished PR narratives or vague predictions. Guests explain how they are responding to supplier failures, geopolitical shocks, volatile costs, capacity constraints, changing regulations and rising pressure to improve both performance and sustainability.

The podcast examines:
Faster planning and decision-making under uncertainty
Supplier risk, sourcing strategy and business continuity
AI, automation, visibility and operational intelligence
Warehousing, logistics and fulfilment performance
Scope 3 emissions, circularity and responsible sourcing
The systems, incentives and organisational changes needed to turn data into action

The central question is simple: what helps a supply chain withstand disruption, adapt quickly and continue serving the business?

New episodes are published every Monday at 7am CET. Resilient Supply Chain+ subscribers also receive bonus analysis, highlights and briefings on emerging industry trends.

Follow Resilient Supply Chain for practical lessons from the people solving real operational problems—and building supply chains that perform when conditions do not go to plan.

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Resilient Supply Chain — How Leaders Keep Business Moving

Batteryless Tracking Could Change Supply Chain Visibility

June 23, 2025 • Tom Raftery • Season 2 • Episode 73

0:00 | 46:20

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What if you could track products across your supply chain without relying on batteries or manual barcode scans?

In this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I speak with Eric Biel, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Powercast, about how wireless power and RAIN RFID are unlocking smarter, more sustainable logistics. Eric explains how ambient RF energy can power sensors and tags over the air, eliminating battery waste, reducing maintenance, cabling, and enabling real-time environmental monitoring.

We explore how batteryless RFID can support compliance with the EU’s upcoming Digital Product Passport regulations by providing lifecycle transparency from factory floor to disposal. We also cover how Powercast is helping companies like Samsung cut e-waste at scale, and how this same tech is being used in places as unexpected as commercial ovens.

Key takeaways:

Why barcodes and battery-powered sensors are limiting supply chain visibility
How RF-powered tags offer low-maintenance, long-life alternatives
The surprising impact of passive wireless charging on emissions and operations
What supply chain leaders should stop doing if they’re serious about sustainability

This is a conversation about turning regulation into innovation, and making sustainability practical through smart design.

🎧 Listen in to learn how wireless power might quietly reshape your supply chain.

If disruption hit tomorrow, would you know where your supply chain was most exposed? In 15 minutes my free scorecard helps you assess 27 resilience statements, calculate your score, and turn the result into three priorities and a 30 day action plan. You can download the scorecard free at tomraftery.com/scorecard.

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🎤 Looking for a keynote speaker on supply chain resilience, AI, and sustainability?
I help leaders understand the forces reshaping global supply chains, from geopolitical disruption and climate risk to AI and real-time decision-making.

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