One of my first decisions of the day yesterday was whether to go to the hotel gym at 5:00 a.m. Apparently, I was the only one who made that decision — I had the place to myself for almost the entire workout!
It was a great way to kick off the 13th APL Logistics North American Symposium, where later that afternoon I delivered a keynote presentation titled “Supply Chain Leaders: Making Decisions in an Age of Uncertainty.”
Decision-making — and decision science more broadly — is a hot topic right now. In my presentation, I shared insights from academics and other researchers studying how people and organizations make decisions, along with results from a survey we conducted with members of our Indago supply chain research community.
The survey explored how supply chain leaders are navigating this age of uncertainty — with a focus on how decisions are made, what has changed in recent years, and where leaders see the biggest challenges ahead. I’ll share some key takeaways in a future post.
The rest of the symposium was equally insightful, with presentations by Thad Bedard from APL Logistics, Erik Lundh from The Conference Board, a customer case study, and a panel discussion on “Navigating Volatility and Building Resilience” featuring executives from the Port of LA, Union Pacific, and PriceSmart.
Then later in the day, I faced another big decision: Should I have a donut? And if so, which one?
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Moving on, here’s the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- Shipping companies divert vessels around Cape of Good Hope after strikes on Iran (Reuters)
- Ship Owners Question Trump’s Plan to Insure Mideast Voyages (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Judge orders U.S. Customs to process refunds on illegal Trump tariffs (CNBC)
- 24 states sue over Trump’s latest tariffs (Politico)
- How U.S. Businesses Are Shaving Billions Off Their Tariff Bills (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- The United States and Mexico Launch Review Process of the USMCA
- Descartes Expands AI Innovation on Global Logistics Network with AI Agents for Freight Visibility
- America’s Ranks of Immigrant Truckers Find a Roadblock: English Tests (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Us Department Of Labor Proposes Rule Clarifying Employee, Independent Contractor Status Under Federal Wage And Hour Laws
- Kroger taps inventory drones for cold chain distribution operations (SupplyChainDive)
- Home Depot launches real-time delivery tracking for large items (SupplyChainDive)
- U.S. Factory Activity Continued to Expand in February (Dow Jones)
Of course, the war with Iran and its ripple effects on supply chains was the top story this week, followed by ongoing tariff-related developments. More uncertainty, more complexity — which is why making effective decisions quickly is more important than ever.
I’m on my way back from California, so I’ll share more takeaways next week.
In the meantime, have a meaningful weekend!
Song of the Week: “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash
