What Supply Chain Practice or Belief Would You Declare Dead ?
Is just-in-time no more? Time to put globalization norms to rest? Our readers share the supply chain practices that should be deemed defunct and the strategies that are approaching obsolescence.
JIT, Rest In Peace
Manufacturers relied on just-in-time (JIT) for years. The pandemic revealed weaknesses. Now, agile supply chain management using inventory buffers for critical items and diverse sourcing methods enables companies to quickly adapt and respond to market changes and disruptions.
–Stephen Dombroski
Director, Consumer Markets
QAD
Alternatives like just-in-case, hybrid models, and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and machine learning can offer more resilient solutions.
–Johann Grassi
Global Leader-Consumer Industries
Syntax
JIT’s reliance on precise timing makes supply chains vulnerable to disruption, and without buffer stock, companies risk production halts. A balance between JIT and maintaining strategic inventory reserves is needed.
–Richard Lomazzo
Senior Director, Operations
DP World
Super-strict JIT inventory is dead. We need more flexibility now, with some extra stock on hand to handle unexpected bumps in the road.
–Roslyn Ellerbee
Founder & CEO
Express Errands & Courier
The JIT model must go. Supply chains must be resilient and able to handle complexity and disruption. Organizations need flexible solutions that manage inventory, forecast accurately, and support disruptions.
–John Carrico
Vice President, Product Management
Epicor
Operating in silos. Supply chain practices that embrace collaboration across departments, suppliers, and partners tend to be more agile, responsive, and capable of adapting to disruptions.
–Lorena Camargo
CEO
PearlTrans Logistics
Relying on China as the factory of the world. Factors killing this practice: The rise of India and Mexico, the decline of the United States as a hegemon and the rise of China, the trade war between the United States and China, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, COVID, nearshoring, reshoring, the rise of Vietnam and BRICS, China’s desire to replace the U.S. dollar as the world’s currency, China’s regional and global hegemony, and President Biden’s tariffs on May 14, 2024.
–Omar Kazzaz
Founder and CEO
Kazzaz Advisory Group
The notion that supply chain visibility is simply about tracking. Relying on only tracking leads to excessive logistics expenses, suboptimal inventory management, and higher customer turnover. We need to redefine visibility as the practice of building high-velocity supply chains—shifting from a single, static view to visibility into inventory in motion regardless of transportation mode.
–Lindsey Bonfiglio
VP of Product
project44
Utilizing only load boards on everyday shipments. If you are not building a strong carrier base based on previous carriers and how they perform, it could cause more issues down the line. Load boards also have a lot more downtime then you want to believe, a.k.a. low reliability.
–Debra Smith
Freight Broker
Dee Dee Logistics
Suppliers just supplying. With today’s product complexity and regulatory requirements, suppliers must become stronger partners. They need to understand more than what they are delivering, and why. They are now responsible for supplying the critical data integrated directly into an OEM’s digital threads.
–Bruce Bookbinder
Product Marketing Manager
Aras
My $60 1988 Rand McNally laminated Trucker Atlas that I begrudgingly sold at a garage sale recently because technology has absolutely replaced it.
–Mark McEntire
CEO
Princeton TMX
The belief that scalability requires massive fleets. Efficiency and reach are increasingly achieved through innovative logistics models, tapping into underutilized resources for rapid, sustainable delivery solutions.
–Dennis Moon
COO
Roadie
Considering in-person meetings superfluous. Virtual meetings have their benefits, but experience has shown me the vital benefits of personal, face-to-face interactions for supply chain business reviews, onboarding, and more.
–Art Van Der Stuyf
Director of Supply Chain Strategy
iGPS Logistics
Thinking sustainability and efficiency are mutually exclusive. Modern supply chain platforms have proven that, by implementing responsible practices, retail businesses can actually enhance efficiency, reducing costs and lead times as they markedly improve their brand image with customers.
–Lilian Bories
Chief Marketing Officer
TradeBeyond
Focusing on cost reduction as the main driver of competitiveness. Companies made decisions based solely on minimizing costs, even at the expense of quality and reliability. Ironically, this often led to higher costs in the long run.
–Alan Silberstein
Co-founder
ShipLab
Transactionally managing supplier relations. Transacting is necessary, but it is no longer the relationship’s basis. Collaboration is. Today, we need suppliers more than ever. We need their best work, ideas, products, and information. A transactional mindset brings friction.
–Costas Xyloyiannis
CEO
HICX
The paper Bill of Lading (BOL). In this day and age, the inability to decipher what is on a pallet, in a case, or on a truck is a non-negotiable. And using paper creates waste. I hope one day to not see paper flying around.
–Ann Marie Jonkman
Vice President, Global Industry Strategy
Blue Yonder
Manually collecting and managing data. This is no longer sustainable as production chains grow increasingly complex. Tracking all necessary data points is nearly impossible to do in real time and is further complicated by the need to share information between different departments and locations.
–Katrina Duck
Enterprise Account Executive
Inspectorio
Blockchain use in third-party logistics. High implementation costs, scalability headwinds, and lack of clear ROI have led to minimal adoption.
–Sean Gill
Vice President, Business Solutions
Arrive Logistics
Single sourcing. The disruptions of 2020-2023 showed this strategy carries significant risk. Multi-sourcing is complex to manage manually, but AI and advanced analytics have put it in reach of even the mid-market.
–Brian Rainboth
CEO
SYSPRO Americas
Globalization as We Know It: Defunct
Long-established constructs of global supply chains are inadequate, vulnerable, and fragile, as the pandemic revealed. The U.S. government has historically operated under the assumption that global supply constructs were efficient and in need of little oversight. After 2020, this posture is dead and the current focus is to move policy toward the re-engineering of industry constructs.
–Jeff Wells
Chief Visionary Officer
Metrc
The norms of supply chain globalization are no longer viable. Tariffs, regulations, geopolitics, and logistics costs have altered the landscape. In response, global companies have adopted a hybrid of regional and global models, embracing a mix of nearshoring, technology, cost effectiveness, sustainability, labor access, and regulation compliance.
–Vincent Cellard
VP, Procurement
Flex
The days of “easy globalization” are over. Don’t get me wrong: Supply chains will remain inherently global, but virtually every aspect of strategic sourcing, making, moving, and selling is now permanently more complex and difficult than a decade ago and requires different practices.
–John Lash
Group Vice President, Product Strategy
e2open
Putting all of your eggs in one basket. We’ve seen major disruptions to global supply chains at an accelerating frequency. Not only do these damage the bottom line, the injuries they cause to consumer trust can linger for longer than the disruption. Diversifying a supply chain is going to become much more necessary.
–Bryan Gerber
Founder and CEO
Hara Supply
The belief that supply chain visibility is the solution to effective logistics should on its own be considered dead. Just seeing the problem (like a doctor looking at x-rays) isn’t enough. We need integrated technology throughout the chain, from warehouse storage to deliveries, to improve efficiency and outcomes. Visibility is a helpful side effect, but it’s the surgery itself, not the scans, that brings real progress.
–Doug Ladden
CEO and Cofounder
Deliveright
The belief that innovation equals technology and that it will replace everyone in the supply chain is dead. While tech advances are significant, we’ve seen that human intervention is still crucial. Digitization may reduce the number of people involved, but true innovation requires a holistic approach that leverages both technology and human expertise to handle complexities and drive improvement.
–Ed Sosnowski
Solution Consultant
FourKites
Higher customer service costs more money. A customer centric approach to service comes at the opportunity cost of other engagements. Modern supply chains should automate menial tasks, freeing high-value associates to focus on activities that add true value for customers. This boosts satisfaction while optimizing efficiency.
–Glenn Palanacki
VP Industry Solutions Broker and Forwarder
Descartes Systems Group
The practice of siloed supply chain operations is dead. Traditional silos hinder collaboration and agility. Integrated ecosystems fostering seamless communication and data sharing among stakeholders are now vital for competitiveness, enabling adaptability in dynamic markets and driving innovation.
–Siddharth Priyesh
Vice President & Head, Americas & Caribbean
CrimsonLogic
Confidence, based purely on past performance in supply chain resilience, is dead. Without perpetual vetting of vendors, outcomes are failure prone. Vetting without a solid plan that includes contingencies is risky, logistically speaking. A tactical strategy with viable alternatives to navigate the complexities of global supply chains effectively is a must.
–Eric Allais
President & CEO
PathGuide Technologies, Inc.
Focusing only on cost efficiency. Prioritizing lean operations and cost-cutting over resilience is no longer adequate. Companies are now reevaluating their supply chain strategies to incorporate more redundancy and ensure greater stability.
–Michael Crandall
Vice President of Sales
Gebrüder Weiss
Resistance to integrating technology in inbound logistics. Modern supply chains must adopt AI for real-time monitoring and predictive analytics to optimize routes and reduce waste. Automated appointment scheduling for vehicle allocation reduces idle time, while pick-to-light systems and guided vehicles improve accuracy.
–Puneet Rathor
Director, Supply Chain Practice
WNS
Data silos. First off, with today’s technology there’s no functional excuse for them anymore. Second, the positive results of collaborating and sharing data across partners and platforms are just too powerful to ignore.
–Jessica Windham
CEO
Solving Work
Manual data manipulation. Brands should invest in high-performance, real-time data software to make real-time business decisions to meet today’s fast-paced global market. Gone are the days of downloading spreadsheets to run a business. If you are still manually processing data, the market will move on without you in the time it takes to download and sort through a spreadsheet.
–Brian Tu
CRO
DCL Logistics
The practice of relying heavily on email for supply chain was once seen as an advancement: Certainly more productive than fax, paper, or phone. But today, we know that digitization provides far more secure, efficient, and organized capabilities than email for interacting with clients, partners, and other stakeholders.
–Martyn Verhaegen
Chief Technical Officer
Magaya
Belief that high-quality and sustainable hazmat packaging doesn’t exist. But good news: innovative packaging lets businesses ensure shipments comply with government regulations and company standards while supporting corporate sustainability goals. Businesses can even ship large and small damaged/defective/recalled (DDR) lithium batteries using recyclable, reusable, and affordable packaging solutions.
–Mike Cicalo
Director, EV Battery Strategy,
DGeo, The Packaging Division
Labelmaster
We should get rid of systems that don’t talk to each other. Many companies still use these disconnected setups, even with automation, causing delays and problems. To build a stronger/safer supply chain, we need to modernize systems, keep things secure online and collaborate more closely to ensure responsiveness in the face of disruption.
–Sebastiaan Verhaar
CEO
Sana Commerce
Manually unloading trailers and shipping containers entirely by hand. Moving boxes by hand is a physically taxing job that is uncomfortable often resulting in injuries. Instead, mobile robots can take on this dull, monotonous job, allowing warehouse workers to focus on other logistics and operational tasks that require human input. This increases safety and operational agility in the warehouse.
–Alex Perkins
Senior Technical Director and Chief Roboticist, Stretch
Boston Dynamics
Relying on manual tracking and reporting should be declared dead. In auto logistics, real-time visibility and data-driven decision-making are crucial. Solutions incorporating IoT and AI enable precise tracking, predictive maintenance and enhanced coordination across the supply chain. Embracing such technologies reduces errors, improves transparency and ensures a resilient supply chain.
–Vlad Kadurin
Chief Product and Operations Officer
Ship.Cars
Relying on traditional systems and manual processes is obsolete as this approach lacks real-time tracking and predictive analytics capabilities, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs. The automotive industry’s complex supply chains and dynamic demand require more agile and predictive inventory management solutions for long-term success.
–Mike Trudeau
Executive Vice President of Business Development
Montway Auto Transport
That labeling plays a smaller role in supply chain health, rather than being a strategic enabler of supply chain agility. Simply put, when labeling goes down, the supply chain stops. Cloud labeling enables organizations to fulfill diverse product identification needs, integrate with key business systems, ensure supplier and regulatory compliance, and seamlessly output to all supply chain printing.
–Josh Roffman
EVP Marketing
Loftware
That risk management is separate from normal operation. Today, threats to the industry are so prevalent that designing, maintaining, and operating supply chains with resilience and risk management at the forefront can help companies stay ahead and prevent major impacts on their bottom line.
–Tony Pelli
Practice Director, Security and Resilience
British Standards Institute (BSI)
The belief that we must rely on dangerous manual labor should be considered dead. In a time when we have access to so much advanced technology, practices that put humans in danger are both unnecessary and inefficient. Adopting automation, especially in warehouses and logistics yards, minimizes the need for hazardous manual labor, and creates a safer, more efficient, and more reliable supply chain.
–Tom Baroch
Sr. Director, Global Partnerships
Outrider
The concept of a completely linear supply chain is arguably dead. Recent disruptions have shown the brittleness of this approach. Modern supply chains require greater transparency for effective collaboration and risk management. Hence, enterprises are moving to a more adaptable, network-based system that can handle unexpected challenges and complexities.
–Chella Palaniappan
President – Client Services
Trigent Software
The drive for pure efficiency. Supply chains have always had a tension between efficiency and resiliency; the multiple shocks of COVID, wars, canal closures, and other disruptions has laid bare just how fragile we’d allowed them to become.
–Joe Adamski
Senior Director
ProcureAbility
The idea that the supply management process is a “chain” is no longer accurate. Supply management professionals work with so many internal and external stakeholders that the process is not linear, thus not a “chain.” Instead, it is a “supply network” with many interconnections between participants.
–Tony Harris
SVP and Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer
SAP Business Network, SAP
The old-school obsession with cutting reverse logistics costs without caring about user experience. Today’s consumers expect seamless, hassle-free returns, especially since Amazon has set the gold standard. Customers get their refunds the moment they hand over the goods, and it’s all paperless. No one wants to print shipping labels and repackage returns anymore.
–Sylvia Ng
CEO
ReturnBear
The time for logistics that doesn’t prioritize sustainability is over. True leaders are thinking about sustainability proactively — minimizing their environmental impact and promoting ethical sourcing. The late majority doesn’t have much longer. Customers are demanding sustainable shipping, and it won’t be long before it’s established as an irrefutable competitive advantage.
–Glenn Riggs
Chief Strategy Officer
Odyssey Logistics
AI and automation have dominated headlines. But if anyone thinks technology is always superior to the human element, I’d like to declare that belief ‘dead.’ It depends on countless variables, from the complexity of the work, to the cost and availability of local labor. Automation has its benefits, which should be considered among many factors, rather than implementing technology for its own sake.
–Cory Lehman
Director of Asset Management
iGPS Logistics
Primarily relying on historical data patterns is an outdated attempt to create resilient supply chains, as legacy data systems often fail to account for modern variables, like pandemics or climate change. Today, more advanced and predictive AI-based modeling is key to adapting to disruptions and ensuring smooth supply chain operations.
–Nirav Patel
CEO
Bristlecone
In today’s interconnected world, supply chain CEOs and business leaders find themselves operating beyond traditional boundaries. They must acknowledge that the era of isolated silos is obsolete. Instead, prioritizing collaboration and integration across all functions of the supply chain is essential for maintaining agility and maximizing efficiency, thereby paving the way for business success.
–Joe Galvin
Chief Research Officer
Vistage
We believe that globalization is in the past. Given the current geopolitical landscape, we’ve made substantial investment to understand our customers’ needs and ensure we’re not vulnerable to the global threats impacting the supply chain. We are able to adapt swiftly to our customers’ ever-changing demands and mitigate the supply chain risks that are accompanied with globalization.
–Tim Dyke
Regional Trade and Logistics Manager
AMMEGA
Automation and robotics integration is meant to replace human touchpoints in the supply chain. While contextually true – it isn’t replacing humans. The integration is supplementing roles that have long been unfillable due to challenges hiring in the marketplace. It is also making the roles that humans perform in the supply chain space more efficient and less laborious. In addition – it is creating the need for more humans in the technician and repairs space.
–Joe Parisi
Strategic Account Executive
Aerotek
Gone are the days when the visibility of products and components during transit set the benchmark for technological sophistication. Visibility is the table stakes for any 3PL or carrier today. The true challenge lies in providing shippers with real-time data for informed decision-making. Seamless integration of this data into operations enhances logistics, production, and customer satisfaction.
–Mike Parker
SVP Industry – Transportation & Logistics
Bridgenext
Disruption is no longer an anomaly, and siloed supply chains can’t be resilient. Today, real-time collaboration and integrated decision-making are crucial for survival. AI-driven platforms with end-to-end supply chain orchestration ensure all stakeholders access the same data, enabling holistic risk mitigation. Transparency and resiliency in supply chains are immediate necessities, not luxuries.
–Daniel Henry
Business Consultant
Kinaxis
The notion that sustainability in supply chains is prohibitively expensive and offers limited immediate returns.
This belief is misplaced particularly given the tangible benefits that sustainable practices bring to operational efficiency, cost reduction, and market accessibility.
For instance, companies that integrate sustainability into their supply chains usually encounter fewer regulatory hurdles. This not only streamlines manufacturing processes but also accelerates the time it takes to bring products to market. Sustainable practices typically demand fewer raw materials and consume less energy, which translates into reduced production costs and minimal waste.
–Michael Stockdale
Group Head of Supply Chain & Logistics
Red Sea Global
The need to rely on spreadsheets. Legacy advanced planning systems weren’t always compatible with an abrupt change to a client’s business plans, which resulted in planners returning to spreadsheets to track real-time changes. Today’s planning platforms are flexible enough to keep up with an always-evolving business environment by modeling changes as needed, allowing a focus on strategic outcomes.
–Chakri Gottemukkala
Co-Founder and CEO
o9 Solutions
The total cost of ownership stretches beyond on-time service and capacity. Many supply chains demand accurate and real-time information from time of booking through delivery. Choosing a provider that simplifies transportation with multimodal options while utilizing best-in-class fraud prevention to guide you through the process results in a lower cost of ownership for the entire supply chain.
–Sean Burke
Chief Commercial Officer
Echo Global Logistics
For retailers with more than 1,000 SKUs, the supply chain practice that is dead is sales forecasting in Excel. With many factors to take into account, such as weather, macro-economic trends, and holiday shifts, sales forecasting has become too complex to do in Excel for high SKU retailers. With many technology solutions to help solve this problem, retailers who don’t adopt them will fall behind.
–Amanda Oren
VP of Industry Strategy, Grocery North America
RELEX
Valuing people and their station in life above price. It’s a sad passing and in some corners of our industry where transportation is more than a commodity, it is still on life-support. Let’s bring this back to make more effective, valuable supply chains!
–Danny Schnautz
President
Clark Freight Lines Inc.