Elena Griggs

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…

Get Ready to increase your supply chain IQ! We’ve got all the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams right here from Supply Chain Now this week. On Saturday, Supply Chain Now hosts Scott Luton, Greg White, and Jamin Alvidrez share their perspective on the industry, top business challenges, and what their priorities are.   On Monday, Fred Tolbert, Principal at Southeast Demand Solutions in Marietta Georgia, joined the Supply Chain Now team for a recent livestream to discuss the pandemic, the latest supply chain industry news, and what new developments we can expect to see going forward.   On Tuesday’s podcast episode, Stephanie Stuckey of Stuckey’s Corporation joined us for our Full Access series to share her professional journey.   On Wednesday, Scott welcomed Shan Muthuvelu and Steffanie Ness with UCBOS to talk about the convergence of retail and eCommerce supply chains as well as the importance of metadata   On Thursday, David Shillingford with Resilience360 joined us on the Supply Chain Buzz to discuss the top news in supply chain with Scott & Greg.   And our final episode this week Polly Mitchell-Guthrie and Patrick Van with Kinaxis join us too talk about what true supply chain resilience looks…