Chain Reaction Ep. 11: Choose Partners, Not Just Providers

Stephen Holcomb, Director of Logistics at Refeyn, makes a distinction that matters for supply chain outcomes: there's a difference between a logistics provider and a logistics partner. A provider transacts on your behalf. They move your goods. They operate by contract. A partner thinks about your business problem and helps you solve it. They suggest alternatives. They warn you about risks. They adjust for your needs. Most companies treat logistics as a provider relationship - find the cheapest option that meets minimum requirements and manage by contract. Stephen's experience suggests that this misses an opportunity. When you work with true logistics partners who care about your outcomes, you can do things operationally that you can't with transaction-based relationships. For early-stage and scale-up supply chain leaders, Stephen's conversation on how to distinguish between providers and partners is valuable. It covers what questions to ask when evaluating logistics capabilities. How to structure relationships that create partnership rather than transaction dynamics. Why investing time in partner relationships pays off in operational resilience and outcomes. Understanding the difference isn't theoretical - it changes how you build your supply chain and what you can accomplish.