As a supply chain professional, you must constantly adapt to an ever-changing supply chain landscape of new technologies, geopolitical impacts, and fluctuating consumer demands. Only by understanding these business realities, and the equipment and tech that can help, can you build resiliency into your operations. As 2025 begins, refining your supply chain for what lies ahead is more important than ever. Innovation will play an even more pivotal role in determining who survives and thrives in the future.

Companies desiring greater visibility into their supply chains now have another option for tracking their goods. By using IoT sensors that communicate with low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, they can gain new insights into where their products are and the conditions under which they are traveling.

Managers of warehouses and manufacturing plants need to be updated on current conditions so they can address potential problems immediately. Cloud-based conditions-monitoring software offers an effective solution, helping facilities track their assets in real time, measuring factors such as temperature, fluid levels, vibration, power consumption, speed of movements and uptime. 

When managing a supply chain, the ability to anticipate and adapt to change is crucial for long-term success. From navigating new regulations like those surrounding PFAS to harnessing the transformative power of AI, the challenges and opportunities of 2025 demand thoughtful preparation. To help you stay ready for what’s next, we’ve highlighted three insightful podcasts from MHIcast that you can stream today.

For talented students interested in pursuing careers in material handling and the supply chain, there are still several weeks left to apply for a scholarship from The Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI). 

Sustainability has become a critical focus for supply chain professionals. Effectively managing greenhouse gas emissions is essential for complying with emerging regulations. As more companies strive to achieve net-zero goals, demonstrating leadership on sustainability provides suppliers with a significant competitive advantage. To address these challenges, MHI is hosting a Tech Talk focusing on effective strategies for measuring, tracking, and reporting emissions within the supply chain.

Behold, the wonders of the digital, integrated supply chain! The opportunities provided by connected access to data—for greater collaboration, faster decision making, flexible inventory management, more informed planning through data analytics and improved resilience amid unpredictability—appear limitless. Unfortunately, that same interconnectedness also offers cybercriminals limitless opportunities to attack, breach, infiltrate and disrupt operations up and down supply chains. 

When considering your organization’s workforce initiatives, is neurodiversity a part of those efforts? It’s estimated that up to 40% of neurodiverse adults are unemployed. Many organizations are unsure how to create a welcoming environment for autistic or other neurodiverse individuals. 

International trade is of growing concern for supply chains, according to a recent survey. The 2024 Supply Chain Intelligence Report: Escalating Challenges for Global Supply Chain Leaders reported that “48% of respondents identified rising tariffs and trade barriers as their top concern, closely followed by supply chain disruptions at 45% and geopolitical instability at 41%.”