At its peak, iRobot generated nearly $1.6 Billion in annual revenue, and by 2022 Amazon believed the company was worth $1.7 Billion. By just a few years later, the company that pioneered consumer robotics would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The company that ultimately took ownership of iRobot wasn't Amazon or another Silicon Valley tech firm or even a U.S. competitor. It was the company's own overseas contract manufacturer.

How does a company go from being a pioneering leader in robotics to being owned by the very supplier that once built its products?

The answer is a story about regulation, supply chains, debt, competition, and unintended consequences.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers:

• The rise of iRobot and the creation of the Roomba line of vacuums
• Amazon's $1.7 Billion acquisition attempt — and why global regulators blocked it
• How financial pressure, debt, and supply chain decisions reshaped the company, right into the ground
• And how iRobot ultimately ended up owned by its largest manufacturing partner

Links:

• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
• Art of Supply on AOP
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

"There are a lot of different ways to hold all of the conspirators who are involved in the effort to intentionally smuggle counterfeit goods into the U.S. and into U.S. systems accountable."

Most modern supply chains are complex, sprawling beasts. Their global scale is highly strategic, but it also creates opportunities for criminal organizations to threaten companies, the Federal government, warfighters, and first responders.

The Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit (GSCIU) was created as the result of a 2022 Congressional request for Homeland Security Investigations to address concerns about the risk of counterfeit components finding their way into U.S. military supply chains. Since then, they have operated as a task force, analyzing interagency information to identify and combat threats to relevant supply chains.

Brian Andersen is a supervisory special agent at Homeland Security Investigations Global Trade Division, part of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, and the Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit, which he had the opportunity to help build from the ground up.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Brian and Kelly Barner discuss:

• The priorities of the Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit
• How they partner with other agencies and private businesses to root out risk within the supply chain and hold criminals accountable
• What procurement and supply chain professionals should be on the lookout for as warning signs that they have acquired or encountered counterfeit products

Links:

• Brian Andersen on LinkedIn
• National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center
• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
• Art of Supply on AOP
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement

How could a company worth about $3 Million wipe out more than $17 Billion in transportation market value in a single day?

On February 12th, a press release from Algorhythm Holdings, a company that started its life as a karaoke machine manufacturer, announced that its AI-enabled freight platform SemiCab could reduce empty truck miles by more than 70 percent.

By midday, major logistics firms were down as much as 20 percent. C.H. Robinson, Landstar, J.B. Hunt, railroads, and airlines all felt the shockwave.

If SemiCab's technology works as described, it could reduce waste, lower emissions, and save shippers billions. At the same time, it could compress margins, erode pricing power, and expose just how much excess capacity the freight market really has.

In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers:

• The sequence of events: how a small-cap AI announcement triggered a historic sell-off
• The claims behind SemiCab, and how Algorhythm evolved from karaoke to freight tech
• Why reducing empty or "deadhead" miles (which sounds like unqualified good news) could actually hurt incumbent logistics firms

Links:

• Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
• Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
• Art of Supply on AOP
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement