Global supply chains are entering a period of accelerated change driven by AI adoption, evolving trade policies, rising regulatory pressure, and shifting regional manufacturing strategies. Volatility has become a permanent operating condition rather than a temporary disruption. As companies prepare for 2026, many leaders now view resilience as a necessary foundation rather than the final objective. The next stage of progress involves building proactive, intelligence-driven networks that can sense changes earlier, evaluate them faster, and respond with greater accuracy.
This direction was the focus of our recent webinar, Beyond Resilience: The Future Supply Chain Playbook, featuring speakers from e2open, Goikid, and Kenvue. The session highlighted how global brands are modernizing their supply chain operating models to improve agility, visibility, and collaboration across all tiers. The most important themes from the discussion are summarized below.
The supply chain environment is shifting rapidly
Today’s supply chains are affected by frequent regulatory changes, new compliance requirements, and geopolitical realignments. Manufacturing footprints are also evolving in response to reshoring, nearshoring, and friendshoring priorities. These combined forces reduce the reliability of historical assumptions that companies once depended on for supply chain planning and network design.
“We are in the middle of a big shift in geopolitics globally. The globalization phase… is coming to an end.”
— Simon Aboud, Goikid
“Companies who consciously invest into building resilience
and alternatives, or backup sites, backup suppliers, will
have a strategic advantage in the years ahead.”— Przemek Wierczuk, Kenvue
Why supply chain resilience now means readiness
In the past, supply chain resilience was measured by how well a company recovered after something went wrong. Recovery remains important, but it is no longer enough. Modern operating models require readiness, which involves identifying signals earlier, coordinating cross-functional decisions, and acting before a disruption becomes severe.
“We’re past resilience. We’re already starting to talk about sovereignty with some of our customers, which means we
hear terms of friendshoring and nearshoring.”— Goikid
How scenario planning and artificial intelligence support proactive decision-making
Supply chain AI is becoming a practical tool for supply chain planning as complexity increases and conditions change more frequently. Organizations are using AI to improve forecast accuracy, surface exceptions earlier, and analyze patterns across large volumes of data. When combined with scenario planning, these insights help organizations evaluate potential outcomes and understand trade-offs before disruption occurs.
Leaders are also applying discipline to how AI is used. As discussed in the webinar, AI works best when it supports human judgment rather than replacing it. It provides probability-based insights that still require business context and experience to apply effectively.
“AI is very powerful… but you cannot blindly trust it.
All AI is just mathematics, it’s probability.”— Simon Aboud, Goikid
By pairing AI-driven insights with shared, real-time data across planning and execution, you can test scenarios, anticipate risk, and respond earlier. This approach improves decision quality and helps organizations move from reactive responses to proactive supply chain management.
Network collaboration is becoming a competitive advantage
Most disruptions affect more than one link in the supply chain. When suppliers, logistics partners, and customers experience delays or shortages, the effects ripple across the network. If these stakeholders do not have access to the same information at the same time, they cannot coordinate an effective response.
“The power of the network is the answer to the structural challenges we’re going to face. If you want good AI, you need
good data, but not only the data you have at home… you need
to enable those collaboration processes.”— Simon Aboud, Goikid
How e2open supports future-ready supply chains
As supply chain leaders look beyond resilience, e2open provides the connected intelligence and network collaboration needed to thrive in a volatile world. Our platform unifies data from hundreds of thousands of partners, enabling real-time visibility, scenario planning, and AI-powered decision support across planning, logistics, and global trade.
With e2open, organizations can move from fragmented, siloed systems to a single, connected platform where information flows seamlessly between planning and execution. This empowers teams to simulate outcomes, anticipate risks, and pivot quickly, turning uncertainty into strategic advantage.
The following capabilities illustrate how e2open empowers supply chain organizations to operate with greater agility and intelligence:
- Connected visibility: Aggregated data from suppliers, carriers, and partners gives planners and logistics teams a unified view of the supply chain.
- AI-enabled intelligence: Embedded artificial intelligence helps teams detect patterns, forecast demand, and identify exceptions before they escalate.
- Network collaboration: By connecting all tiers of the supply chain, e2open fosters collaboration across organizations, improving supply assurance, service levels, and cost stability.
- Global trade readiness: Navigate regulatory shifts, manage compliance, and optimize global trade operations.
E2open processes billions of transactions annually, providing the scale and intelligence needed for proactive, future-ready supply chains. The platform is designed for agility, enabling manufacturers, retailers, and brand owners to unify planning and execution, strengthen collaboration, and make smarter decisions—no matter how the environment evolves.
Preparing now helps position supply chain leaders for what’s ahead in 2026
Manufacturers, retailers, and brand owners who begin adapting today will be better prepared as the supply chain landscape continues to change. The most successful companies will unify planning and execution, strengthen collaboration across their ecosystems, and use intelligent insights to guide decisions.
“Supply chains that succeed in 2026 will anticipate shifts
rather than respond to them. By enhancing planning with
predictive intelligence, strengthening collaboration across
the network, and building agility into core processes, companies
can navigate complexity with greater certainty.”— David Strauss, e2open
Our recent webinar, Beyond Resilience: The Future Supply Chain Playbook, explores these themes in greater depth and includes real-world examples from leaders who are preparing for 2026. To learn more about how organizations can strengthen their networks and improve decision-making, watch the full discussion.
