Dwight Jacobs

A British logistician is credited with coining the term “supply chain management” in the early 1980s, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that the world became familiar with such aspects of supply chain operations as logistics, inventory and supplier management, and procurement. The influence of supply chain leaders also has grown with the understanding of the importance of the supply chain in the global economy. Supply chain management is a complex field with many moving parts, and the need for accurate and reliable information is more crucial than ever. Industry leaders help facilitate discourse and spur innovation to shape the future of the supply chain. In this article, we highlight five of these supply chain leaders, showcasing their extensive expertise and experience in the industry and what they are planning for the future. Making Moves: Five Supply Chain Leaders on the State of the Industry 2024 has been an exciting year so far. The OSRA 2022 ruling went into effect to better regulate demurrage and detention charges; Chinese e-commerce businesses are heating up the airfreight industry; and in dire contrast, the U.S. trucking industry continues to struggle through a lengthened lean patch. In an increasingly volatile ecosystem, the industry…

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…