Balaji Gopinath

Special Guest Blog Post written by Philip Vervloesem   If your supply chain planning still runs on a monthly cycle, 2026 will be uncomfortable. We are operating in a polycrisis where change is constant, and responses need to be fast enough to keep up. From customer conversations, industry research, and leadership discussions at the Gartner supply chain conferences, a clear pattern has emerged: the organizations pulling ahead are not planning more often. They are embedding agility, intelligence, and speed into the way they make decisions. Here are five predictions shaping supply chain excellence in 2026 – our “bingo card” for what’s now table stakes.   1. Continuous, always-on planning is a must Monthly or quarterly cycles are no longer enough. The organizations that outperform treat planning as a continuous capability embedded in daily operations, and make it part of their governance and operational excellence. Imagine this: a sudden surge in demand hits or a supplier flags a delay. Instead of waiting for the next planning cycle, teams immediately evaluate options, share insights across functions, and adjust course. Planning stops being a calendar exercise and starts shaping real-time decisions.   “By shifting from process-centric to decision-centric planning, we now run hundreds…

National Supply Chain Day (NSCD)® returns on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 with Supply Chain Now, bringing together professionals across the industry for an annual celebration dedicated to recognizing and elevating the people, processes, and innovations that keep the world moving. Established in 2020, National Supply Chain Day® was created as a way to lift the supply chain industry up and propel it forward by spotlighting the stories, leaders, and breakthroughs that shape global commerce. What began as a single-day celebration has grown into an industry-wide movement that continues to inspire pride, visibility, and momentum across the profession. Supply Chain Now will host its annual National Supply Chain Day Livestream, led by SCN’s own Scott Luton (CEO & Founder) and Mary Kate Love (President & the visionary behind the creation of NSCD) with a keynote from Billy Ray Taylor and the announcement of two new award recipients. And, for the first time ever, organizations can officially register both virtual and in-person National Supply Chain Day events on the Supply Chain Now website. From the logistics behind everyday essentials to the complex global networks delivering critical goods worldwide, National Supply Chain Day® honors the professionals who connect the world.   Livestream Registration…