GOODQUESTION Readers Weigh In
What’s One Costly Assumption in Logistics or Supply Chain Management?
× TREATING TURNOVER as a normal expense. Losing skilled people disrupts workflows, slows productivity, and increases recruiting and training costs. A better approach is investing in retention as an operational strategy—strong leadership, clear career paths, and engagement systems. Keeping great talent is far cheaper and helps protect service levels, culture, and supply chain stability. –Rebecca Wilson Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Kenco × YOUR 3PL SOFTWARE has robust cybersecurity. The cost of assuming this can be immeasurable. A provider’s cyber incident can erase visibility of goods and routing, lead to stock spoiling, and trigger disruption that ripples across the business— often without insurance. The answer is preparation, not panic: Build and own a mindset of cyber resilience across your operation. –Kelly Malynn Senior Risk Manager, Beazley × CHASING AI for its own sake. Apply artificial intelligence with purpose. The industry is shifting from technology-first thinking to problem- first strategies, finally recognizing most AI initiatives fail because teams chase tools before defining outcomes. –Beth Hendriks Chief Technology Officer, Infios × A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL approach for Jones Act markets. Shippers who treat them like the mainland often end up with inventory imbalances and service shortfalls. Market-specific strategies built around longer lead times, limited sailing
Look Beyond Past Data
Assuming past data predicts future demand is a costly mistake. Fixed planning cycles leave supply chains vulnerable to disruption. Instead, become a decision-centric enterprise that uses AI to continuously process live signals and better align planning and execution. –Allan Dow EVP/General Manager Supply Chain, Aptean Volatile markets make static forecasts unreliable and limit responsiveness to spikes or disruptions. A better approach is adaptive planning using real- time sensing, dynamic modeling, flexible capacity, and multi‑sourcing so supply chains can pivot as conditions shift. –Will Heywood Chief Customer Officer, DHL Supply Chain
frequency, and agility are a more effective approach.
shared data so decisions are made based on total network impact. –Valerie Blatt Chief Revenue Officer, Supply Chain Management, SAP × BELIEVING THE SALES PITCH. Sometimes it is misinformation, sometimes it is something else, but if we believe the sales pitch, we risk overlooking the value of proven performance by a trusted partner. –Danny Schnautz President, Clark Freight Lines × UTILIZATION EQUALS EFFICIENCY. Pushing for maximum truck usage can lead to longer dwell times, reduced flexibility, and increased missed appointments. Instead, build some intentional slack by leaving buffer capacity in trucks, docks, and labor to absorb variability. Accept partial loads when it improves
–Daniel Datz VP Sales, Odyssey Logistics
× UNDERAPPRECIATING THE VALUE of regulatory compliance, considering its lower share of wallet in the overall scheme of things. Penalties and regulatory holds can have a disproportionately large impact, resulting in loss of business and/or margins. –Siddharth Priyesh VP and Head of Americas, EMEA & South Asia, CrimsonLogic × OPTIMIZING PROCESSES FOR COST optimizes the whole network. In reality, decisions that look good in procurement can increase logistics costs or hurt service downstream. End‑to‑end orchestration connects the buy, move, and deliver processes using
6 Inbound Logistics • April 2026
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