Supply chains are suddenly under threat. Following years of low inflation and stable trade relations, executive teams in boardrooms across the globe are now grappling with rising inflation, a rapidly changing trade environment and the dire threat of an all-out trade war. Already, pressure is up sharply on earnings, and many leaders fear that traditional cost-saving measures may no longer be enough to avoid a heavy hit.

When companies bring products back from off-shored manufacturing operations, such as China, the processes cannot be simply dropped back into place and configured with the same old machines and process flows from 20 years back. Most re-shoring operations include new and upgraded equipment, software and, in some cases, advanced automation that includes collaborative intelligent industrial robots.

A lean, agile supply chain network is important in the hyper-competitive global marketplace, but this increased reliance on contractors and their subcontractors brings all kinds of increased risk and with it a heightened responsibility to closely vet and monitor supplier performance and behavior.