The View from Four Global Supply Chain Getaways

The view from Rotterdam, as told by Aljosja Beije

Aljosja Beije is the co-founder of Blocklab, a blockchain technology company specializing in supply chain management and energy. Based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, he works on state-of-the art blockchain projects with partners such as Samsung SDS, ABN-AMRO and S&P Global Platts. He is also a researcher at Windesheim, University of Applied Science, and co-author of Blockchain and the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies and Practical Applications.” He can be reached at [email protected].

The way I see the global supply chain these days, there are three primary challenges that will directly influence how it will change and run in the future.

The first challenge, of course, is international trade. The second is crossindustry collaboration. And the third is technology and innovation. Taken together, these three challenges will fundamentally change the DNA of the supply chain globally in the next 10 years.

International trade. Let’s start with international trade from a European perspective. Whether you are talking Brexit, China or the United States, international trade is becoming increasingly political. In fact, politics is directly influencing supply chains and how they operate right now. I don’t expect this to be a temporary phenomenon. And exactly where it will go next is more than a little difficult to project—as is true for most international politics. However, we can already see some changes that politics are enforcing on supply chains.

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