Christine Barnhart

Special Guest Blog Post written by Bart A. De Muynck   The past few years have exposed just how fragile our supply chains can be. From tariff shocks to pandemic disruptions, from inflationary pressures to mounting parcel surcharges, the landscape has shifted beneath our feet. Companies that once managed logistics as a back-office function are now grappling with its role as a front-line business risk.   What’s often missed in this conversation is the role of freight audit and payment (FAP). Long considered a tactical necessity, FAP has quietly become a strategic imperative. And as I explored in the Better Supply Chains Market Radar: Freight Audit & Payment, the companies that treat it that way are the ones best equipped to weather today’s volatility.   Why FAP Has Become Mission-Critical   When tariffs can add 15–20% to input costs almost overnight, or when the elimination of the U.S. de minimis exemption threatens to reshape cross-border e-commerce, companies need more than visibility. They need real-time intelligence and agility.   Traditional FAP approaches—manual audits, siloed spreadsheets, reactive error correction—are no longer sufficient. Modern FAP platforms, powered by AI and advanced analytics, enable shippers to:   Audit with precision at scale, uncovering hidden…

A Shift in the Narrative for 2026 In a recent conversation, Scott Luton spoke with Mark Gilham, Vice President & Head of Global Advisory at Enable, about what supply chain and commercial leaders should expect from the year ahead. While many annual outlooks attempt to forecast the next major disruption, Gilham offered a different lens: 2026 may become the “year of no excuses.” After years defined by a global pandemic, inflationary shocks, geopolitical instability, supply shortages, and the rapid rise of AI, organizations have already endured extraordinary volatility. Businesses not only survived, but in many cases adapted and grew. According to Gilham, that reality weakens the argument that disruption alone explains underperformance. Disruption is not disappearing, he cautioned, but leaders can only lean on it for so long.   Why a Calmer Year Raises the Bar Gilham argued that if external conditions stabilize even slightly, the pressure on leadership actually increases. A less chaotic environment removes convenient explanations and shines a brighter light on internal shortcomings. Process gaps, misaligned incentives, and execution failures become harder to ignore when the world is not on fire. Rather than waiting for certainty, Gilham believes leaders should act decisively. This does not mean radical…