Supply chain AI leader establishes vertical-specific advisory board with Fortune 500 manufacturing executives

FourKites®, the leader in AI-driven supply chain transformation and pioneer of real-time visibility, today announced the launch of its Manufacturing Customer Advisory Board, a vertical-specific advisory board designed to drive strategic product innovation and strengthen customer partnerships in the manufacturing sector.

The Manufacturing Customer Advisory Board comprises eight influential supply chain leaders from leading manufacturing companies who will provide strategic guidance on product development, industry challenges and emerging opportunities.

"Manufacturing supply chains require precision and agility to support global production networks," said Mathew Elenjickal, FourKites Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "By partnering with manufacturing executives who understand the demands of synchronizing raw materials, finished goods and complex logistics networks, we can build solutions that drive operational excellence."

Brad Blizzard, former Vice President of Logistics and Product Delivery at Bridgestone Americas, serves as chairperson of the Manufacturing Customer Advisory Board.

"Manufacturing leaders need technology that adapts to their operational reality, whether managing just-in-time delivery for production lines or coordinating global distribution networks," said Blizzard. "This advisory board will help ensure FourKites continues developing capabilities that solve the real challenges manufacturers face every day."

Manufacturing Customer Advisory Board Members:

• Brad Blizzard — Chairperson and former Bridgestone Americas, VP, Logistics and Product Delivery (retired)
• Bart Verbeke — First Solar, Head of Global Logistics
• Eric Zillig — HNI Corp., VP of Distribution & Logistics
• Jeff Dudzik — Milwaukee Tool, VP, Supply Chain Transportation
• Kris Wilson — Ardagh, SVP, Global Chief Logistics Officer
• Punit Menon — Medtronic, VP, Global Distribution, Logistics & Trade
• Scott Campbell — LyondellBasell, VP, Global Supply Chain
• Tom France — Trane Technologies, VP of Global Integrated Supply Chain

The board, with over 150 years of collective supply chain experience, will provide strategic guidance on product roadmaps and feature prioritization, industry intelligence on emerging challenges and opportunities, market validation of requirements and use cases, best practices on implementation and adoption, and strategic direction through collaborative feedback.

Partnering with Customers to Drive Innovation

FourKites actively engages with customers throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring its products meet the needs of large, global shippers. Ninety percent of companies that actively use the FourKites app share ideas on the IdeaExchange platform. One in four of these suggestions makes it onto the product roadmap. This teamwork has resulted in over 250 new features.

For example, FourKites Intelligent Control Tower® includes a team of AI-powered digital workers that automate supply chain workflows and were developed based on customer feedback. These AI agents handle tasks ranging from carrier appointment scheduling to document collection to customer service inquiries.

“FourKites allows us to scale effortlessly to support increasing shipment volumes without proportional headcount increases,” said Justin Carder, Logistics Operations Lead at First Solar. “This scalability, combined with our improved cost metrics and working capital management, positions First Solar with significant competitive advantages.”

About FourKites

FourKites, the leader in AI-driven supply chain transformation for global enterprises and pioneer of real-time visibility, turns supply chain data into automated action. FourKites Intelligent Control Tower® breaks down enterprise silos by creating a real-time digital twin of orders, shipments, inventory and assets. This comprehensive view, combined with AI-powered digital workers, enables companies to prevent disruptions, automate routine tasks and optimize performance across their supply chain. FourKites processes over 3.2 million supply chain events daily — from purchase orders to final delivery — helping 1,600-plus global brands prevent disruptions, make faster decisions and move from reactive tracking to proactive supply chain orchestration. For more information, visit www.fourkites.com.

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Manufacturing leaders need technology that adapts to their operational reality, whether managing just-in-time delivery for production lines or coordinating global distribution networks.