Mark Judson

written by Chris Cunnane with InterSystems   Supply chains have never been more complex or more exposed to disruption. From geopolitical instability and extreme weather to labor shortages and shifting demand, organizations are operating in a constant state of uncertainty. In this environment, basic visibility is no longer enough. Companies need the ability to monitor products in motion, understand their history, and act quickly on reliable data. That is where track and trace becomes essential. Track and trace technology enables organizations to follow products across the supply chain in real time and trace their full history from origin to destination. It connects data from barcodes, RFID tags, IoT sensors, telematics systems, and enterprise applications into a unified view. When supported by a modern data platform, this information becomes more than operational detail. It becomes a foundation for smarter decisions.   Move from Visibility to Action Many organizations have invested in visibility tools, but visibility alone does not solve problems. Knowing that a shipment is delayed is useful; knowing how that delay will affect downstream production, customer commitments, and inventory levels is far more valuable. Track and trace capabilities, when paired with analytics and decision intelligence, help companies shift from reactive…

Special Guest Blog Post written by Philip Vervloesem   If your supply chain planning still runs on a monthly cycle, 2026 will be uncomfortable. We are operating in a polycrisis where change is constant, and responses need to be fast enough to keep up. From customer conversations, industry research, and leadership discussions at the Gartner supply chain conferences, a clear pattern has emerged: the organizations pulling ahead are not planning more often. They are embedding agility, intelligence, and speed into the way they make decisions. Here are five predictions shaping supply chain excellence in 2026 – our “bingo card” for what’s now table stakes.   1. Continuous, always-on planning is a must Monthly or quarterly cycles are no longer enough. The organizations that outperform treat planning as a continuous capability embedded in daily operations, and make it part of their governance and operational excellence. Imagine this: a sudden surge in demand hits or a supplier flags a delay. Instead of waiting for the next planning cycle, teams immediately evaluate options, share insights across functions, and adjust course. Planning stops being a calendar exercise and starts shaping real-time decisions.   “By shifting from process-centric to decision-centric planning, we now run hundreds…