Amanda Baldwin

Uncertainty Is the New Baseline At Manifest 2026, Scott Luton spoke with Romain Moulin, CEO and co-founder of Exotec, to discuss how warehouse automation is evolving in an era defined by volatility. “The big trend of last year was uncertainty,” Romain said, reflecting on 2025’s tariffs, economic tensions, and shifting trade dynamics. “Anything that would be done needed to deal with uncertainty.” Rather than waiting for stability, companies are designing operations that assume change is constant. “Anything that is going on now must be projects that are able to reorganize themselves,” he explained. Warehouses must be robust, agile and flexible as to whatever the next disruption brings.   From Conveyors to Configurable Robotics Exotec is known for inventing 3D warehouse robots (Skypods) that move across the floor and climb racks up to 14 meters (46 feet) to retrieve totes and deliver them to operators. But beyond the visual wow factor, the real transformation is simplification. “The time of bespoke complex warehouses tailored to a very specific need is over,” Romain said. Customers are moving toward more generic, adaptable warehouses. Exotec replaces hardware complexity with intelligent software. “We don’t program the solution,” he noted. “We let the software find the best…

Podcasting has become a crowded — and noisy — field. It seems these days everyone has a mic — and a platform. The supply chain really entered the international spotlight during COVID-19, when goods piled up at ports during stay-at-home mandates. The rapid rise in e-commerce kept the focus on the supply chain as consumers demanded to be kept up to date on when all their stuff was going to be delivered. Supply chain-focused podcasts emerged to shed light on shutdowns and disruptions as well as the advancements in moving goods from points A to B — and sometimes C, D, and E. But not all podcasts take a serious look at the supply chain. There was a rash of silly content when an Evergreen container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal, and whenever a critter steals an Uber Eats delivery, the doorbell camera footage airs everywhere. We love a funny squirrel video just as much as everyone else does, but to maximize your supply chain podcast’s reach and impact, you should treat your subject matter with the seriousness it deserves. At Supply Chain Now, we pride ourselves on giving the best and brightest in the industry a voice,…