Chain Reaction Ep. 3: Tariffs, Chaos, and Tactical Supply Chains

Chris Clowes, COO of FLOX, reflects on what happens to supply chain strategy when external shocks arrive with no warning. Tariff announcements change overnight. Trade rules shift. Supply sources become unreliable. When uncertainty escalates from manageable to chaotic, long-term planning becomes almost useless. Supply chain leaders shift to tactical survival mode - making decisions based on today's reality rather than three-year plans. Chris's observation from running FLOX operations is that this shift is permanent for many operators. The predictability that enabled multi-year supply chain plans has eroded. Smart operators are building for volatility rather than stability. That changes investment decisions, supplier relationships, inventory strategies. For supply chain leaders navigating current uncertainty, Chris's perspective on what tactical supply chain thinking actually means is valuable. The conversation covers how operators are adjusting strategies to assume higher baseline uncertainty. What gets preserved from traditional planning and what gets rebuilt for volatility. Understanding how uncertainty changes supply chain thinking helps you make better decisions in conditions where planning horizons have shortened.