How many fulfilment failures start as “just this once” exceptions?

In this episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, I’m joined by Leo Rodriguez, VP at River Plate Inc., a Southern California 3PL working across e-commerce, retail, warehousing, distribution, freight logistics, kitting, and assembly. We look at fulfilment through the lens of supply chain resilience, risk, data, visibility, and the operational discipline brands need as channels multiply and complexity rises.

You’ll hear how small workarounds can quietly become broken workflows, why inbound setup often matters more than outbound execution, and why clean item data, packaging details, carton markings, EDI, ASNs, and warehouse management systems are not back-office admin. They are the plumbing that keeps customer experience, margin, and retail compliance from falling apart. Glamorous? No. Expensive when ignored? Very.

We also break down why more software does not automatically mean better logistics. Leo explains where AI and automation can remove repetitive decisions, where human judgement still matters, and why the physical operation and the system reality have to run in tandem. You might be surprised to learn that a box designed to fit beautifully in a container can become oversized, overweight, and costly once it hits a retail fulfilment channel. Tiny cardboard decision. Big margin consequence. Supply chain, naturally, finds comedy in the most financially painful places.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Leo Rodriguez and River Plate Inc. help brands build more disciplined, visible, and resilient fulfilment operations.

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