The logistics landscape is evolving faster than ever, driven by automation, AI, and a push for adaptability & resilience. This week’s news highlights how the industry is modernizing, with deep dives into new tech solutions and smarter energy practices. Here is what is changing the game in supply chain management this week.
The News for the Week:
Descartes MacroPoint & Intersystems Team up to Deliver AI-Enabled Decision Intelligence
DecartesMacropoint announced a new feature that integrates AI-enabled decision intelligence with real-time shipment visibility and Trace Cloud Service. This integration unlocks continuous in-transit visibility and risk monitoring within the InterSystems Supply Chain Orchestrator data platform. By combining the Descares Global Logistics Network with InterSystems’ advanced analytics, supply chain teams gain a connected view of shipments and intelligence to anticipate disruptions, model scenarios, and enact informed actions in real time. The system continuously monitors in-transit conditions and applies advanced analytics to help plan for issues such as congestion, dwell time, or labor constraints through built-in, API-enabled integrations that make setup straightforward.
With this connection, teams can:
Detect and resolve shipment issues earlier
Optimize routes and resources in response to live conditions
Maintain compliance and traceability across global partners
From Cost Center to Growth Lever: Why CFOs Should Prioritize Direct Spend
CFOs are increasingly recognizing that direct spend deserves more attention at the executive level. According to a recent Coupa Strategic CFO survey, 39% of CFOs still view direct spend as a challenge or basic cost center, while about 60% acknowledge it as strategic but in need of better alignment with business goals. A crucial element in bringing focus to direct spend is financial translation – the ability of procurement leaders to frame their initiatives in terms that resonate with CFOs and finance teams. Procurement may inherently understand the operational value of, say, qualifying a second-source supplier or negotiating longer payment terms. But to get full C-suite buy-in, those efforts must be expressed in financial outcomes like margin improvement, risk reduction, or cash flow enhancement. In other words, procurement needs to speak the CFO’s language.
Why Adaptability (Not AI) Will Decide the Next Supply Chain Leaders
Disruption isn’t new. What has changed is that it is no longer temporary; it is structural, woven into the daily fabric of how companies operate. A single policy change can shift sourcing overnight, while a viral trend can empty store shelves faster than a forecast can catch up. With technology advancing rapidly, the conversation about Artificial Intelligence intensifies daily. AI has become the defining accelerator of adaptability, not its driver. In a world of constant geopolitical and economic turbulence, companies can’t afford to chase hype or experiment in isolation. The real differentiator will be how effectively they orchestrate intelligence across the enterprise, turning data into continuous, connected decisions that convert volatility into advantage.
How Delta is Leveraging External Risk Intelligence
Delta’s procurement footprint is vast; its annual spend exceeds $30B and is organized across several distinct domains: technical procurement (aircraft and bolted-on components), fuel procurement, and corporate procurement (the “long tail” of suppliers, including onboard products, corporate services, healthcare benefits, hotels, and large IT portfolios). Delta recognized that near-real-time external intelligence, continuous monitoring, and multi-tier mapping could not be built solely in-house. Interos.ai was selected (and the relationship dates back to 2019) to augment and leverage Delta’s internally owned data, workflows, and performance repositories. One of the biggest outcomes of Delta’s transformation is the shift in onboard product sourcing. Interos.ai enabled intelligence and internal strategy supported decoupling and material changes.
Costco Sues Trump Administration for Tariff Refund
Costco joined Revlon Consumer Products, Bumble Bee Foods, and other companies seeking tariff refunds based on arguments similar to those made earlier this year by seven small businesses and a dozen states challenging the legality of Trump’s tariffs. Costco is asking the USCIT to issue an injunction preventing the administration from imposing further IEEPA duties. The company also seeks a full refund of the tariffs it has already paid and those it will continue to pay, and said it will file for a preliminary injunction to suspend impending tariff payments. The total amount of IEPPA levies collected this year by the U.S. was expected to reach $108 billion by the end of October, according to an analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Song of the week:
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