Alex Saric is the chief marketing officer at Ivalua.
As global supply chain disruptions continue to batter businesses at shrinking intervals, redefining trade, direct sourcing has been forced to adapt. It’s gone from a back-office team to the function that decides whether a business can weather geopolitical storms.
Take the Strait of Hormuz crisis, where Iran has been throttling shipping traffic. When a critical oil trade route is constrained, rising demand and costs ripple across global supply chains. Businesses and suppliers are faced with rising energy, transport and insurance costs. Delays increase across connected supply chains, and weaker vendors can quickly come under financial strain.
The same applies to tariffs, sanctions, export controls and regional conflict. Whenever a new geopolitical shock takes hold, businesses are forced to make high-stakes decisions on cost, continuity, quality and risk at speed.
In this volatile environment, organizations need processes that support fast, informed decision-making.
