Five trends that could transform your global supply chain

2018 was a turbulent year, with tariffs, geopolitical uncertainties and new technologies adding further complications to already complex supply chains. As we look forward to the new year, Maine Pointe’s Chief Marketing Officer, Simon Knowles, shares his thoughts on some key trends that will impact global supply chains in 2019 and considers how proactively preparing for the year ahead will give businesses a competitive edge.

In 2018, we saw the dawn of a new era of tariffs, protectionism and trade wars that is already having a significant impact on global economies and supply chains. As 2019 unfolds, these effects will be far reaching and businesses that have thus far been relatively untouched will start to feel the effects. As a result, we will see the resurgence of tariff engineering along with an increase in supply chain complexity.

The complications arising from new tariffs will require leadership to take a more sophisticated, data-led approach to analyzing spend and achieving sustainable cost savings. In addition, businesses will need to understand who their supplier’s suppliers and their customer’s customers are so that they can predict potential disruptions to the supply chain and have alternatives in place. Forward-looking CEOs are already looking to build new relationships with their supply chain to deal with the existing tariffs and prepare for whatever comes their way.