Prices keep rising, lead times keep slipping, and yet global trade is still on track to break records. We dig into that paradox and make sense of a year where supply chains fought on multiple fronts: tariffs compounding at every border, inventories ballooning, and returns threatening to swallow margins. I walk through the latest data showing trade flows surpassing 35 trillion dollars in 2025 and why the Q4 slowdown signals a tougher landscape in 2026.

From the shop floor to the boardroom, the real story is how operational reality collides with policy. Tariffs emerge as the biggest drag, especially when a component shuttles across borders for staged processing and fees snowball past the item’s original value. I break down a Canada–US case that turns a 20 dollar part into 60 dollars through repeated crossings, then move into the practical toolbox: duty relief programs, temporary importation under bond, bonded warehouses, inward and outward processing relief, and lawful tariff engineering that reclassifies assemblies to reduce exposure. If you need to cut tariff impact without cutting corners, this is your map.

We also zoom out to the 2026 risk horizon. Geopolitical tension and protectionism, debt and credit volatility, energy transition pressures from AI-hungry data centers, and civil unrest shift the calculus for sourcing and routing. On the supply chain side, cybersecurity and supplier solvency rise to board-level priorities, while climate shocks and ESG mandates force better infrastructure and digital twins for scenario planning. The strategy that holds through the noise: dual-source critical inputs, regionalize where it truly pays, digitize multi-tier visibility, and hedge currency and credit risk with discipline.

If you lead trade, procurement, logistics, or operations, you’ll leave with a clear, actionable brief: reduce border touches, use lawful duty relief, strengthen compliance, and build resilience that survives policy swings. Enjoy the conversation and, if it helps your team, share it with a colleague, subscribe for more grounded insights, and leave a review with the biggest risk you’re tackling next.

Send us a text

Support the show

THANKS FOR LISTENING PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW
You can support the podcast by following the link here. It makes a big difference and helps us make great content for you to listen to. Follow like and share the Chain Reaction Podcast with colleagues and friends on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
News about forthcoming programmes click here
SHARE
Please share the link with others so they can listen too https://chainreaction.buzzsprout.com/share

LET US KNOW
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions then just direct message on Linkedin or X (Twitter)

REVIEW AND RATE
If you like the show please rate and review it. Every vote helps.
About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain Advantage
I have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon...