Ryan Grabill

Special Guest Blog Post written by Bart A. De Muynck   The past few years have exposed just how fragile our supply chains can be. From tariff shocks to pandemic disruptions, from inflationary pressures to mounting parcel surcharges, the landscape has shifted beneath our feet. Companies that once managed logistics as a back-office function are now grappling with its role as a front-line business risk.   What’s often missed in this conversation is the role of freight audit and payment (FAP). Long considered a tactical necessity, FAP has quietly become a strategic imperative. And as I explored in the Better Supply Chains Market Radar: Freight Audit & Payment, the companies that treat it that way are the ones best equipped to weather today’s volatility.   Why FAP Has Become Mission-Critical   When tariffs can add 15–20% to input costs almost overnight, or when the elimination of the U.S. de minimis exemption threatens to reshape cross-border e-commerce, companies need more than visibility. They need real-time intelligence and agility.   Traditional FAP approaches—manual audits, siloed spreadsheets, reactive error correction—are no longer sufficient. Modern FAP platforms, powered by AI and advanced analytics, enable shippers to:   Audit with precision at scale, uncovering hidden…

It’s time for Supply Chain Now! We’re looking back on the latest episodes, interviews, conversations, and livestreams from this week right here. On Monday, we released 2 new episodes! In this episode of Digital Transformers, powered by Supply Chain Now, hosts Kevin L. Jackson and Kelly Barner welcome Gary Storr and April Harrison with Trust Your Supplier to the podcast to discuss supplier management using blockchain. On This Week in Business History, guest host Nick Roemer with Cibus21 walks us through the history of the COP: the conference of parties, as well as key milestones in actions to address sustainability. On Tuesday, we released 2 new episodes! On this episode of Supply Chain Now, Bobby Holland, Freight Data Solutions team at U.S. Bank and Drew Wilkerson, head of XPO’s transportation group in North America, share the results of the Q1 2021 report with Greg White and Scott Luton, interpreting what they may mean for the economy and the shipping industry in the short and longer term. On TECHquila Sunrise, we looked back on a Classic episode where host Greg White shared the ins and outs of what it takes to get into supply chain tech. On Wednesday, Charles Redding, CEO…