What is the most valuable source of knowledge for supply chain and logistics executives — one that delivers practical insights, applicable guidance, and unbiased advice? Before reading on, take a moment to think about it. I’ll give you a hint: in a survey we conducted several years ago, industry associations (like CSCMP and ASCM) and conferences ranked second and third, respectively. What topped the list? The number one source of valuable knowledge, according to the executive

Sangam Reddy, Group Executive Vice President of Ports & Terminals at DP World Sangam Reddy, Group Executive Vice President of Port & Terminal Systems, on how DP World’s global standards drive efficient, sustainable maritime trade. Innovation in the maritime industry often happens in silos, leading to years of repetitive trial and error across different regions. To overcome this, DP World is moving toward an ecosystem where proven solutions can be applied across vastly differ

Trade regulations and geopolitical turmoil are among the most prominent supply chain risks in 2026, as shifting tariffs, regional conflicts and political uncertainty continue to complicate global commerce. A report from risk intelligence company Everstream Analytics assessed geopolitical fragmentation at the highest threat level of any supply chain risk for the new year, with recent events in Venezuela underscoring the speed at which shipping and trade can shift on a dime. O

Is supply chain visibility a product or feature? To derive business value from visibility, you have to do something with the data and insights collected. It’s the doing, the actions taken to improve your transportation and logistics operations, for example, that ultimately delivers value . This is where enterprise software applications like transportation management (TMS), warehouse management (WMS), and yard management (YMS) come in. In short, even for this new generation of

As we said at the beginning of the year, if the past few years have taught us anything in particular, it is that disruption, turbulence, and change are more the norm than outliers. This has proved true again in 2025. These are what we feel have been the most important stories and trends of the past year: This article on how most businesses are fundamentally restructuring their supply chains to counter disruptions. This article on how better collaboration can ensure supply c

The U.S. is in talks to provide more than $1 billion for two critical minerals and railway projects in central Africa as it seeks to secure supplies deemed crucial for national security. The U.S. International Development Finance Corp. plans to support a new copper and cobalt venture between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Gecamines SA and Mercuria Energy Trading, as well as a rail project linking Congo and other central and southern African nations to Angola’s coast. “ Th

South African port and logistics firm Transnet SOC Ltd. signed a concession agreement with a company headed by Filipino billionaire Enrique Razon to expand the main terminal at the continent’s top container hub in Durban. The signing of what Transnet described as South Africa’s first port privatization deal comes two years after the company awarded International Container Terminal Services Inc. the right to buy almost half of Container Terminal Pier 2 and manage the facility

With tariffs, climate events and regional conflict having kept supply chain leaders on constant alert in 2025, the next year is shaping up to be one where global instability will be accepted as the norm. According to a survey of 250 manufacturing, retail and distribution leaders from consultancy West Monroe, the majority of respondents said that they have been reacting in real time to every economic policy change and tariff announcement in 2025, all while testing out a wide r

While global supply chain anxiety has eased for the first time this year, the Chartered Institute for Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Southern Africa has cautioned that fragility in South Africa’s logistics network, cyber vulnerabilities and tariff volatility continue to threaten growth. The CIPS Q3 2025 Pulse Survey, which tracks procurement sentiment across global industries, has found that short-term supply chain concern fell to 4.36 out of 7, down from 4.57 in Q2, while 12-mo

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