Dwight Jacobs

This post is written by our friends at e2open. E2open is the connected supply chain software platform that enables the world’s largest companies to transform the way they make, move, and sell goods and services. Moving as one.™ Learn More: www.e2open.com.   Supply chains are entering a pivotal stretch of highway into the future. It’s a route marked by regulatory detours, geopolitical potholes, and rising expectations for speed, intelligence, and resilience. The journey ahead demands connected data, embedded AI, and agile decision-making. Below are the five major “mile markers” defining the road to supply chain transformation, and how e2open helps organizations navigate the way forward with confidence.   1. Tariff and non‑tariff compliance risks: avoiding costly road hazards Tariff volatility and non‑tariff barriers create regulatory road conditions that can change quickly. For cost-focused leaders, this unpredictability can feel like driving through dense fog. One wrong move can result in delays, penalties, or unplanned expenses. Forward‑thinking organizations are installing automated guardrails: integrated trade compliance systems, dynamic landed‑cost modeling, and synchronized import/export workflows. These tools help reduce blind spots and ensure companies don’t veer into costly territory. The e2open Global Trade suite puts the world’s most comprehensive, continuously updated regulatory content directly…

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…