From Fire Drills to Engineered Resilience: Supply Chain Strategy for 2026

After years of operating in constant crisis mode, supply chain leaders finally have an opportunity to shift from emergency response to engineered resilience. In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we explore why success in 2026 won’t come from software alone—but from stronger, more transparent relationships across the supply chain.

Industry experts discuss how intimacy, trust, and collaboration are replacing gatekeeping and transactional thinking. From balancing AI-powered insights with old-fashioned phone calls to rewarding suppliers for resilience instead of just price, this conversation reframes what “edge” really means in modern supply chain strategy.

Key Topics Discussed
- Why supply chain strategy has felt like a constant fire drill—and how to move past it
- The growing importance of supplier intimacy, transparency, and trust
- Shifting from transactional relationships to long-term collaboration
- Balancing AI-driven visibility with proven, human-first communication
- Why gatekeeping information now creates more risk than protection
- How deeper supplier integration supports resilience, innovation, and market share growth
- A powerful mindset shift: managing suppliers as if they were internal divisions


Notable Quotes
“The edge isn’t just better software—it’s better relationships.”
“Transactional relationships are in the past, completely.”
“If your suppliers were a division of your company, you’d manage risk very differently.”

Who Should Listen
- Supply chain and operations leaders
- Procurement and sourcing professionals
- Manufacturing and logistics executives
- Enterprise leaders planning for long-term operational resilience

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