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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, former SAP Global VP and technology futurist 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

Surplus Inventory and Idle Assets Are Draining Margin

February 02, 2026 • Tom Raftery • Season 2 • Episode 105

0:00 | 38:32

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Three corporate jets as “excess assets.”
Absurd? Yes. Rare? Not really. What does that say about how companies handle surplus?

In this episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, I’m joined by Gordon Zellner, CEO and founder of Evergreen Trading, to unpack a problem most organisations quietly struggle with: surplus that turns into risk, waste, and financial drag.

Excess inventory, idle equipment, empty buildings, overbought materials. In uncertain times, these don’t vanish. They sit on the balance sheet, depreciating, distorting decisions, and nudging companies towards the easiest exit. Often landfill. Sometimes a write-off. Almost always value destruction. That matters now, as volatility, sustainability pressure, and capital discipline collide.

In this conversation, you’ll hear how Gordon’s team takes a very different approach. We break down why excess is inevitable, why freezing is the worst response, and how thinking horizontally across supply chain, finance, and marketing can unlock value that traditional disposal routes miss entirely. You might be surprised to learn how media becomes a financial instrument, why Gordon describes his model as “corporate recycling,” and how rerouting value can fund more sustainable outcomes without taking a financial hit.

We also dig into real examples. PPE bought in panic during COVID. Inventory headed for landfill. And yes, the three corporate jets. Not as a stunt, but as a consequence of routine decisions applied at scale. The lesson is uncomfortable, practical, and immediately relevant for supply chain leaders navigating risk, sustainability, data visibility, and resilience.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Evergreen Trading is helping companies turn surplus into strategy, and rethink what resilience really looks like in practice.

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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