Susan Woller

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…

Special Guest Blog Post written by Bernadine Henderson Ms. Henderson, senior director of procurement at Protolabs, lifts the lid on buying in manufacturing and why relationships are central to it.   Simply put, the job of a buyer is really about buying the right thing at the right time for the right price. It sounds simple, but it really is very complicated because everything that’s going on in the world impacts the timing, the availability, and the price of the product. This means that buying has recently got a lot more complicated. World events have very real consequences on global supply chains. Just one example is the way in which buyers have responded to tariffs in the U.S. by re-routing sourcing locations. It takes a certain amount of agility to be a buyer in 2025, and this quick responsiveness is helped along by one key ingredient, and that is strong relationships with suppliers. Relationships Built on Trust A widely held misconception is that buyers are only interested in getting to the lowest price possible. In fact, the most important thing to a buyer is for suppliers to bring solutions that deliver overall value. In my experience, a really strong supplier…