Ahmad Jiwani

Special Guest Blog Post written by Jeff Eckel, Director of Product Marketing, e2open   “Dad, why are they out of my favorite cereal?” your 10-year-old asks you at the grocery store, noticing that their favorite breakfast food is missing. The answer is more complex than they could imagine – hurricanes don’t just bring bad weather; they create far-reaching supply chain disruptions that affect everything from food to toys. Each hurricane season often brings catastrophic floods and wind damage. While communities will rebuild after the devastation, supply chains – the force behind keeping stores stocked – also experience powerful shocks beyond the storms’ path. The ripple effect of hurricanes across global trade The impact extends well beyond the immediate devastation. Critical port hubs for global trade close as hurricanes batter coastal regions. Cargo ships carrying essential goods like food, medical supplies, and consumer products must reroute or anchor offshore, waiting for storms to pass. This creates massive supply chain delays. Ports with backlogs of ships trying to dock and unload. Over-the-road and rail transportation networks face fallen trees, flooded roads, and damaged infrastructure that make movement difficult. Inland distribution centers face pressure Inland distribution centers – strategically located hubs where goods…

A shipment delayed at sea can become a financial problem before it ever reaches the warehouse. A routing decision can change exposure to cargo theft. A technology investment can improve visibility while raising expectations for how quickly teams should respond. For supply chain leaders, geopolitical, technological, and economic disruption rarely arrive as separate challenges. They overlap, creating decisions that affect transportation, compliance, customer service, and profitability all at once. In the recent Supply Chain Now webinar, hosts Scott Luton and Jake Barr were joined by Henrik Holm, Vice President of Ocean Freight for the Americas at Apex Logistics International, and Linda Moran, Customs Compliance Senior Manager at Apex Logistics International, to explore how companies can adapt. Their discussion offered a practical perspective on what Barr calls the “never normal”: leaders need strategies that help them operate confidently even when the conditions around them keep changing.   Building Stability Through Preparedness Stability can feel like an ambitious goal when trade policies shift, shipping routes change, and transportation capacity becomes unpredictable. Yet the panel’s discussion suggests that companies can create greater stability through the decisions they make before disruption occurs. Holm emphasized understanding when and where goods are needed, planning earlier, and…