December 2025
The December issue of Supply Chain Management Review presents our annual Best of SCMR, spotlighting 2025’s most-read articles on supply chain leadership, AI adoption, digital transformation, sourcing resilience, and end-to-end visibility. This edition revisits the stories that shaped global supply chain strategy in 2025 and features two special reports: a recap of the NextGen 2025 Conference in Nashville and an in-depth look at digital twins for navigating volatility. We close with five hopes for 2026, including stronger talent investment, smarter AI, sustainable operations, resilient sourcing networks, and tighter C-suite alignment across global supply chains.
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1
Looking back, moving forward
Our annual Best of SCMR issue revisits the year’s most-read stories, the innovations that inspired change, and five hopes for a stronger supply chain in 2026.
3
Speak financially, get results: Revisited
To elevate S&OP from tactical to strategic, supply chain leaders must speak the language of finance—and involve finance early and often.
The special demand optimization team
Prior S&OP planning assumed supply was plentiful, and that forecasting could be done using historical demand. Thus, I realized that at least two special planning teams would…
8
Better AI does not always mean bigger
The advent of AI as a widely available business tool has given rise to numerous applications that are proliferating at a dizzying pace. As we strive to stay current with the…
12
Augmenting human capabilities and driving future supply chains with Agentic AI
Agentic AI systems embed intelligence at every node of the supply “NETWORK,” thereby driving actions, decision-making, and self-learning.
24
How supply chain leadership drives business growth, competitive advantage
No longer considered just a cost center, the supply chain now plays a pivotal role in generating new revenue opportunities and ensuring companies meet the rising demands of…
24
SCM for everyone: Making your business understand the supply chain
Supply chain decisions affect—and are affected by—nearly every function in a firm. Yet sales, R&D, or finance often act without realizing the impact that their decisions…
24
The rumble in the supply chain: Knocking out the barriers to true SC costing
Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer, but he also learned tough lessons along the way about being just “good enough.” Supply chain managers can take valuable lessons from…
32
To make or buy the supply chain?
Decisions on how deeply to manage your supply chain require in-depth analysis and discussion, and even mirror classic make-or-buy decisions. The question is: Which approach is…
Green transportation and logistics: Strategies for sustainable supply chains
The transportation and logistics industries are a cornerstone of economic growth and global trade, facilitating the movement of goods and services across borders and continents.…
42
Paying for it: 4 ways to reduce equipment lease expenditures
Smart sourcing, rigorous contract management, and competitive lease evaluation can cut equipment leasing costs by approximately 20% while preserving flexibility and access to…
Making innovation a measurement priority
To ensure precision and efficiency, supply chain organizations look for the right measures to track their performance. These efforts focus on identifying key performance…
54
Why supply chain cybersecurity still falls short and what leaders must do next
Cybersecurity is vital for supply chains to execute effectively and maintain trust with partners and customers.
60
A reordering of the COO and CSCO logistics agenda
Persistent volatility from tariffs, inflation, high borrowing costs, and geopolitical shocks has made disruption the operating baseline. Rate disparities, capacity swings, and…
60
NextGen 2025: Where supply chain innovation came to life
Industry leaders met in Nashville for the NextGen Supply Chain Conference to share lessons, explore emerging tech and strengthen collaboration across the global supply chain.
68
Using digital twins to master supply chain volatility
A digital twin gives supply chain planners a safe way to test ideas and see how change affects performance in a largely unpredictable business environment.
