How can companies prepare their supply chain networks against a wave of uncertainty and disruption? Ray DeMelfi, senior vice president of strategic services with Hy-Tek Intralogistics, offers some advice.

The simplest way to describe supply chain networks today is “dynamic chaos,” DeMelfi says. An endless series of disruptions is making it increasingly difficult to forecast significant events. Still, he says, it’s critical that companies anticipate all of the scenarios that could play out, and the right strategies in line with that analysis.

This “scenario-based” approach yields awareness of variables that can be key in building plans that can be adjusted as events occur. Such plans can be tweaked on an ongoing basis as part of a “course-correcting” effort, but they should be overhauled in a major way every two to three years, DeMelfi says.

Tariff pressures in global markets are causing companies to alter their approach to planning, he says. In the last few months, there’s been a shift away from building a business case based on return on investment, to one that emphasizes driving down cost per unit. “That specific metric is becoming the one that CFOs are using.”

What about, though, chief supply chain officers, who might be more intent on building up resilience in the supply base in a way that could cost more upfront, then yield savings later? Their concern isn’t necessarily one of immediate cost reductions. The answer to that apparent source of friction, DeMelfi says, is automation. New systems can deliver a degree of flexibility that satisfies everyone in the C-suite.

That said, the U.S. has been lagging the rest of the world in technology adoption, and is now playing catch-up. DeMelfi says it’s vital that companies adopt systems “that are nimble enough to be able to adapt.” At the same time, no new systems should be introduced without a detailed plan of adoption that bridges functional siloes within the organization.