Session Recap: Relationship Management and the AI Inclusion: Key Takeaways from Luiz Barberini at LogiPharma
At LogiPharma 2025, the session “Relationship Management and the AI Inclusion: The Human Factor” featured Luiz Barberini, Operations Manager for External Manufacturing LatAm at Bayer. Barberini shared practical insights on integrating artificial intelligence into supply chain management while maintaining strong human relationships with suppliers and partners. This topic is increasingly relevant as industry leaders navigate digital transformation and the evolving demands of global logistics.
Key Takeaways
1. Building Trust Remains Foundational
Despite advances in artificial intelligence, Barberini stressed that trust, transparency, and collaboration are still the bedrock of effective supplier relationships. Technology can enhance processes, but sustainable partnerships depend on human integrity and open communication—a principle that resonates across the pharmaceutical supply chain sector.
2. Digital Transformation Is a Cultural Shift
Successful adoption of digital culture goes beyond implementing new tools. Barberini highlighted that organizations must change how they think, work, and interact. Embracing digital transformation requires reimagining processes and fostering a mindset open to innovation and continuous learning.
3. AI Is a Tool, Not a Substitute for Human Connection
While AI-driven automation offers efficiency and data-driven insights, Barberini cautioned against viewing AI as a one-size-fits-all solution. The most resilient supply chains balance technological advancements with the “high touch” of human relationships, ensuring that people remain at the center of decision-making.
4. Effective Communication Drives Success
Clear, consistent communication is essential for both digital initiatives and relationship management. Barberini illustrated how misunderstandings can derail even the best-laid plans, emphasizing that aligning expectations and ensuring mutual understanding are prerequisites for successful AI integration.
5. People-to-People Connections Enable Business-to-Business Value
Barberini underscored the importance of personal relationships as the foundation for business partnerships. Starting with genuine, people-focused interactions creates the trust and rapport needed to drive business outcomes and adopt new technologies collaboratively.
Why It Matters
As pharmaceutical supply chains become more complex and digitally enabled, leaders face the challenge of integrating advanced technologies without losing sight of the human factor. Barberini’s insights highlight that digital transformation is not just about adopting AI, but about empowering people, fostering trust, and building resilient relationships. These principles are crucial for navigating regulatory pressures, global disruptions, and the need for agile, collaborative supply networks. For industry leaders, the session reinforced that the future of supply chain excellence lies at the intersection of technology and humanity.
Actionable Insights
- Prioritize trust-building: Foster transparency and collaboration with suppliers before deploying new technologies.
- Invest in digital culture: Encourage continuous learning and adaptability across teams to support transformation.
- Balance automation with empathy: Use AI to enhance, not replace, human relationships and decision-making.
- Communicate with clarity: Align expectations and ensure mutual understanding in every partnership.