Dr. Madhav Durbha

In a recent conversation, 4flow’s Akhilesh Mohan joined Scott Luton with Supply Chain Now to explore a critical shift underway in global supply chains: the move from siloed functional optimization to truly connected decision-making. The discussion highlights a growing realization across the industry. As organizations continue to invest heavily in digital platforms, Mohan makes it clear: the next wave of value won’t come from adding more tools, but from aligning how decisions are made across the enterprise ensuring those decisions are connected end-to-end.   Beyond Systems: The Rise of Decision Integration For years, companies have digitalized supply chains function by function: ERP systems, planning tools, warehouse management, transportation platforms. While necessary, these investments often created islands of capability rather than a cohesive whole. Despite this investment of technology, Mohan says “in many organizations those capabilities still operate in silos ,” limiting the value companies hoped to achieve. The result? Planning, logistics, manufacturing, and customer service frequently operate with different priorities and incomplete visibility. Mohan emphasizes that the real transformation lies in connecting these decisions: “It is less about having more systems and more about making those systems, processes, and teams work together.” This is the shift from system integration to…

At MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, the energy was unmistakable. With thousands of supply chain professionals gathered, one theme echoed across conversations: uncertainty is no longer episodic. It’s constant and seemingly endless. In a candid discussion with Scott Luton, Pete Blair, VP of Product & Marketing at Pickle Robot, unpacked how organizations are navigating volatility, workforce challenges, and the growing role of automation in keeping operations moving.   Navigating Tariffs and a Moving Target If there’s one word defining today’s global supply chain environment, it’s unpredictability. Blair points to tariffs as a prime example; and not just their presence, but their volatility. “The biggest thing we see… is the chaos of tariffs. It’s not so much that customers have to pay tariffs or not pay tariffs, it’s that they don’t know how to plan,” Blair explains. That lack of predictability is forcing organizations to rethink their networks in real time. Companies are shifting sourcing strategies, standing up temporary distribution centers in new geographies, and even making drastic decisions about whether importing goods makes financial sense at all. What’s particularly challenging isn’t the cost itself. But rather, it’s the inability to forecast. Supply chains, while resilient, aren’t designed for abrupt swings like…