Supply

Descriptive reporting and dashboards provided historical insight into costs, service levels, and operational performance. While useful, these tools were limited in their ability to support proactive decision-making.

Discover how a digital supply chain control tower helps discrete manufacturers improve visibility, reduce disruptions, and strengthen multi-tier operations.

Discover how modeling and simulations help businesses prepare for disruptions, reduce risk, and make smarter decisions.

What is demand planning vs. demand forecasting? Learn how each plays a role in aligning supply chain operations with demand, and why integrating both empowers strategic decision-making.

What is demand planning vs. demand forecasting? Learn how each plays a role in aligning supply chain operations with demand, and why integrating both empowers strategic decision-making.

What is demand planning vs. demand forecasting? Learn how each plays a role in aligning supply chain operations with demand, and why integrating both empowers strategic decision-making.

Make-to-Order (MTO) businesses are some of the most complex, and most fascinating, supply chains to work with. Every customer order is a new project—often with customized specifications, tight timelines, and dependencies that span multiple suppliers and production facilities. Unlike Make-to-Stock (MTS) operations, where products are built in anticipation of demand, MTO businesses commit to customers before they design the solution, procure components, and begin production.

The moment an order is booked, the clock starts ticking, and every part of the supply chain must respond in perfect coordination. It’s like walking a tightrope where any misstep ripples through to the end result.

What makes this even harder is the fragmented nature of business functions and systems. Supplier procurement might happen in one tool, production planning in another, and fulfillment tracked elsewhere. The result is predictable: delays, misalignment, and a constant scramble to react instead of proactively steering the business by seeing the big picture. That costs time, money, and customer trust—three things no MTO business can afford to lose.

We’re thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 23 e2open clients recognized in the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2025. We believe this recognition highlights and reinforces the commitment of these companies to exceptional, forward-thinking supply chain management that truly delivers on their business purpose.

In today’s world, change doesn’t wait for five-year plans. It arrives overnight, sometimes in the form of sweeping tariffs that redraw the global trade map. For manufacturers, retailers, and distributors, every new trade policy carries a ripple effect that can disrupt sourcing, production, distribution, and profitability.

The recent “Liberation Day Tariffs” sent another jolt through already cautious markets. Companies scrambled, supply chains flexed, and sourcing strategies bent under pressure. With U.S.–China negotiations underway, we can hope for de-escalation but must be ready for anything.

Trade policy moves fast, and hits markets just as quickly. Beneath today’s moment of relief is a fundamental truth: tariffs aren’t the first and won’t be the last cause of volatility. They just remind us how exposed many supply chains really are.

Risk never left, and it’s not going away. The real question isn’t when the next disruption will come; it’s whether you’ll be ready when it does

Supply chains are evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by advancements in technology, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and changing customer expectations. As we move further into 2025, here are five key trends that supply chain professionals and leaders should have on their radar.

Supply chains are evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by advancements in technology, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and changing customer expectations. As we move further into 2025, here are five key trends that supply chain professionals and leaders should have on their radar.

In today’s fast-paced, social media-driven world, viral products are an exciting phenomenon. A product can go from obscurity to global sensation in the blink of an eye, thanks to the power of influencers and online platforms. While it may at first seem like a dream come true for brand owners, viral successes bring a unique set of challenges for the supply chain. What begins as a “good problem” can quickly spiral into a crisis if companies aren’t prepared to deal with the sudden demand surges.