This is a post about a boring topic: data management. But please, stay with me. I know you’d rather read about AI agents, robots, tariffs, or just about anything else other than data — but like your mom getting you to eat veggies as a kid, you gotta put data management on your plate in 2026. The catalyst for this post was a new study published by IBM last month. “Based on insights from 1,700 Chief Data Officers (CDOs) worldwide, the study highlights a widening gap between AI

Africa has always been rich in minerals, talent and potential, yet for decades our continent played almost no role in the value chains built from our own resources. We produced the raw materials, we consumed the finished goods, but we were excluded from the actual production process. Today, that cycle is shifting. There is a clear and deliberate push to build industries that allow African economies to benefit from what they create, not just what they export. Ports such as Lag

In this discussion, Robert Bowman from Supply Chain Brain speaks with Stijn-Pieter van Houten, chief product officer for supply chain management planning with SAP. In it, he details the state of the art in supply chain planning, which stands to be transformed in the coming years by artificial intelligence. A handful of successful use cases is driving increasing interest in the market for the application of AI to supply chain planning, especially as it relates to scenario simu

For all the technology available to safeguard stock against theft, “shrink” remains a serious problem for fashion retailers. According to the National Retail Federation, shoplifting incidents soared by 93% between 2019 and 2023, resulting in a 90% rise in dollar loss. A recent survey of 250 retailers by Avery Dennison, a provider of software, labels and tags for item identification, found more than 64% of respondents blaming “inaccurate or incomplete” shipping information as

Adheer Bahulkar of Accenture unpacks how AI and frontline innovation are reshaping the 2025 holiday shopping season and retail resilience. For nearly two decades, Accenture’s Holiday Shopping Survey has tracked how consumers think, plan and spend during the most important season of the retail year. The 2025 edition continues that tradition, offering a window into how new technologies and shifting consumer behaviours are redefining the shopping experience. One of the most str

The U.S. Geological Survey has published its final 2025 list of 60 critical minerals vital to the U.S. economy and national security and vulnerable to supply chain disruption, according to a Nov. 7 Interior Department press release. The list adds 10 minerals to an earlier draft based on new data, public feedback and interagency recommendations, the release said. The added minerals include boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and

In the lead-up to Black Friday, many brands are preparing for an extended sales event, while analysts examine consumer trends in the pre-holiday season In recent years, Black Friday has become more than a one-day event, bleeding into the rest of November, with some brands even starting their marketing in October. As consumer shopping for the holiday period starts sooner each year, brands are reconfiguring their strategies, with a focus on building return customers. Brands aro

In this discussion, Robert Bowman from Supply Chain Brain speaks with Mark Hasler, consulting alliance director for North America with AutoStore . He explains why an explosion in product variations has posed new challenges for retailers, distributors and warehouses. He explains how every variation on an individual product — size, colour, flavour, packaging — requires a separate stockeeping unit. And the overall number of SKUs has exploded in recent years. The trend, says Hasl

Last year’s peak season proved what many in e-commerce have suspected: The old “fast or free” debate is over. Consumers are savvier, more deliberate and far less tolerant of guesswork at checkout. The winners in 2024 weren’t the fastest shippers — they were the most transparent ones. Here's what last year’s numbers showed, and what they signal for the season ahead. The Early Surge The 2024 Black Friday weekend lived up to the hype. Across thousands of merchants using ShipperH

Sandvik's eNimon highlights that, without mining, the supply of crucial materials – such as those used in EVs and solar panels – is virtually non-existent Sandvik has showcased the world’s first electric car made without any metals or minerals. But the unique vehicle, called eNimon or the "no mine car", is transparent and doesn’t move. Its purpose is to highlight what happens when mining disappears: the supply of crucial materials, including those propelling the energy transi

https://www.buzzsprout.com/115068/episodes/18064018-bonus-episode-a-conversation-about-decision-intelligence-with-gary-van-tassel-of-inform.mp3?client_source=small_player&download=true On this episode of The SupplyChainBrain Podcast, SupplyChainBrain editor-in-chief Bob Bowman speaks with Gary van Tassel, director of terminal and distribution centre operations at software provider INFORM . They are a software company that provides AI software for the optimization of complex b

According to this article by Supply Chain Brain contributor Vitalii Savryha, when it comes to arranging logistics, small and medium-sized enterprises are at a huge disadvantage: They pay substantially more for identical shipping services compared to Fortune 500 companies, purely due to volume-based pricing structures. While large corporations negotiate directly with carriers using guaranteed monthly volumes, smaller businesses operate in a spot market designed to extract max

Delivery driver experience can be significantly enhanced with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) techniques, particularly where traditional deep learning and machine learning (ML) technologies fall short. GenAI can determine the next, best position in the delivery sequence on the road, much in the way that large language models (LLMs) predict the next word in sentences, even if specific contexts, such as traffic, detours or closed properties, were not present in train

More than 94% of supply chain leaders expect to shift a critical portion of their supply base to other regions within the next six to 18 months as a result of tariffs and other geopolitical pressures. According to a survey of 200 chief procurement officers and chief supply chain officers, conducted for risk management software company Sphera, business leaders are facing a growing pressure to diversify their suppliers to mitigate the impacts of regulatory shocks brought on by

As the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector continues to evolve, manufacturers, retailers and supply chain leaders are expected to go beyond delivering products and to focus on total value creation. This means balancing speed, quality, affordability and innovation with growing consumer demands for sustainability, health and ethical responsibility. For FMCG companies, finding the balance between affordability and quality is an essential part of the total value equation. Cu

Africa’s customs and cross-border trade environment is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by modernisation, regional integration...

Logistics service providers (LSPs) are experiencing their most vibrant and challenging era. A multitude of venture capitalist-backed...

In this discussion, Robert Bowman from Supply Chain Brain speaks with Tom Strohl, president of Oliver Wight Americas . They are a US...

The latest Interim Economic Outlook from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projects global growth...

Do we need breakthroughs in logistics? What type of breakthroughs do we need? How can technology help power these breakthroughs? And how...