Tompkins Ventures

09/17/2026

Most RFID system purchases follow the same pattern: compare price tags, pick a familiar name, sign the contract. The problems surface later.

One operation asked a different set of questions first – about integration, cost structure, retailer mandates and chain of custody – and moved carton accuracy from 80 percent to more than 98 percent. The system paid for itself in three and a half weeks.

The evaluation matters as much as the technology. See what to weigh before choosing an RFID inventory system.
https://hubs.la/Q04xMDDs0

Most RFID system purchases follow the same pattern: compare price tags, pick a familiar name, sign the contract. The problems surface later. One operation asked a different set of questions first – about integration, cost structure, retailer mandates and chain of custody – and moved carton accur...

09/08/2026

Masayoshi Son says the world needs to invest $5 trillion a year on AI, every year, through 2040. Tompkins Ventures Chairman Jim Tompkins has a different question worth asking: is your company still making the same excuses it made eight years ago?

In his latest blog, Jim explains why those old objections to AI no longer hold up, backed by new data from a 2026 Cisco CEO survey. He also lays out what it actually looks like to move first, from the warehouse floor to the final mile of a global supply chain.

Read the full piece:
https://hubs.la/Q04wX1BD0

Masayoshi Son says the world needs to bet $5 trillion a year on AI. Here's what AI-native leadership looks like for your supply chain.

09/01/2026

McKinsey just admitted its billable-hour model can't survive without a small army of AI agents.

Chairman Jim Tompkins breaks down what that means for you: why keep paying big consulting's markup if AI can do that much of the job? Jim explains the Rentability Threshold and why fractional executives paired with AI orchestration are beating traditional consulting engagements right now, not someday.

Read his full take:
Need Consulting Alternatives? Fractional Executives + AI Win - Tompkins Ventures (https://hubs.la/Q04w2Nm20)

Jim Tompkins breaks down real consulting alternatives: own your AI, hire fractional executives, skip the McKinsey/big consulting markup.

08/27/2026

Most SaaS vendors don't have to compete for your business anymore. They grow by renewing and expanding the accounts they already have.

So when your team wants to renew a WMS, TMS, OMS, planning or visibility platform, vendors have the leverage. And the price you see is what they think you’ll accept, not necessarily what the market can bear.

We examine leverage and what it takes to negotiate from strength.

Read the full breakdown: Build Leverage Before SaaS Contract Negotiations - Tompkins Ventures (https://hubs.la/Q04vvg-s0)

08/25/2026

When should a company use AI, and when should it rely on people? Jim Tompkins, Chairman of Tompkins Ventures, says the answer comes down to three kinds of work.

Head work is the cognitive, pattern-driven work – think finding a trend buried in six months of shipment data – and it belongs to AI. Hand work is physical, hands-on work like preventative maintenance on material handling automation, and it stays with people. Heart work is the coaching, trust-building work that requires judgment about character, and it always needs a person in the room.

Jim’s new paper, The AI-Enabled Enterprise, breaks down the four phases of AI adoption and what he calls the Rentability Threshold.

Read more here: https://hubs.la/Q04v9L_r0

08/20/2026

A single lost contract can hurt a 3PL more than several renewals help.

Cartonization software promises the right box for every order, but that promise only holds if the data fed into the algorithm is accurate. Most 3PLs that run the software have not verified those item dimensions.

The 3PLs that own accurate item dimensions have something to bring to a renewal conversation beyond a lower price: the data behind the partnership’s success. Lose the 3PL and lose the data.

That’s how 3PLs can turn accurate item dimensions into a real advantage at renewal time.
https://tompkinsventures.com/cartonization-software-that-reduces-3pl-churn/

Cartonization software backed by accurate item dimensions gives 3PLs an edge when contract renewal time comes around.

08/18/2026

Chairman Jim Tompkins breaks down microshifting, the next chapter in the remote work debate, and why measuring output matters more than measuring hours.
https://tompkinsventures.com/remote-work-1-ceos-zero/

The remote work debate is over. Microshifting settles the next one: when you work, not just where you work.

08/11/2026

Warehouse design usually starts with a floor plan. Chairman Jim Tompkins says that's backward.

In his latest, Jim explains why warehouse design should start with flow – how inventory, people and information move through a facility. The floor plan – and everything else – should follow the flow.

Read the latest
https://tompkinsventures.com/warehouse-design-should-start-with-flow-not-space/

Warehouse design often starts with space. Jim Tompkins explains why his teams put warehouse flow first for superior intralogistics.

08/06/2026

Two companies hit the same disruption. One keeps shipping on time. The other finds out from an angry customer.

Real-time supply chain visibility explains why. And the best path forward means selecting partners for fit, not convenience.

Our latest breaks down five operational habits that separate high-performing shippers from the rest: https://tompkinsventures.com/supply-chain-visibility-high-performing-shippers/

How high-performing shippers build supply chain visibility, optionality and partner fit before disruption hits, not after.

08/04/2026

AI is changing what companies need to own.

Our Chairman, James A. Tompkins, Ph.D., just published a new perspective, The AI-Enabled Enterprise, breaking down four frameworks for understanding where your organization stands today:

• The Four Phases of AI adoption
• Escape Velocity – the tipping point most companies haven't hit yet
• The Rentability Threshold – when renting a capability beats owning it
• The AI-Enabled Enterprise – what it looks like on the other side

Real examples inside: how one fractional executive placement saved a client $280,000 a year, and how a six-month project got done in six weeks.

Read the full perspective:https://22397439.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/22397439/White%20Papers/The%20AI-Enabled%20Enterprise%20August%202026.pdf