Supply chain resilience hinges on digital compliance and diversified sourcing, says Samsung SDS

Hitendra Mankani, Regional Director for the MEIA region at Samsung SDS, argues that supply chain intelligence only matters when it can be deployed consistently across complex networks under pressure. That, he suggests, is why compliance has become much more than a regulatory chore: it is now part of the operating model.

Across global logistics, the burden on supply chains has expanded sharply, with businesses facing changing SOLAS reporting requirements, shifting customs regime...

s, sustainability disclosures, cybersecurity expectations, trade screening and free trade agreement obligations. In Mankani’s view, organisations that still treat these demands as a series of isolated checks are courting delay and error. The real advantage, he says, comes from digital systems that standardise data, improve visibility in real time and reduce the friction that turns regulation into a resilience problem.

That thinking is consistent with Samsung SDS’s own broader logistics strategy. At Manifest 2026, the company showcased its Cello Square platform as a global digital logistics tool built around AI analytics, real-time monitoring, risk prediction and more accurate estimated times of arrival. The aim, according to Samsung SDS, is to give shippers better decision-making capability in the face of geopolitical volatility and infrastructure constraints.

Mankani’s comments also reflect a wider shift in supply chain planning since disruptions in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, together with more erratic tariff and trade policies, have made cost-led models less reliable. He says companies are responding by spreading sourcing across more locations, using multiple ports and carriers, holding inventory closer to end markets and investing more heavily in contingency planning. What matters most, he adds, is end-to-end visibility: firms with digital control towers and predictive analytics have been better placed to reroute cargo and rebalance stock than those relying on traditional planning methods.

On critical minerals, Mankani links supply security directly to industrial ambition. India’s push into electric vehicles, electronics, semiconductors and renewable energy, he says, depends on dependable access to materials that remain vulnerable to price swings and geopolitical pressure. He welcomes steps such as overseas partnerships, domestic exploration and recycling, but says long-term resilience will also require diversified sourcing, circular economy investment, strategic reserves and better monitoring of risk before it reaches production lines.

The same logic, he says, should apply to supplier development. Rather than building a narrow vendor list, companies should create a wider ecosystem that combines global suppliers with capable regional small and medium-sized enterprises. That means investing in digital tools, quality systems and transparent collaboration from the start. Samsung SDS’s own sustainability materials stress fair trade, shared growth and supply chain ESG management, while Samsung Electronics and Samsung Semiconductor both say they expect suppliers to meet strict conduct, labour, human rights and responsible sourcing standards.

For Mankani, the lesson is clear: resilience is no longer created by reacting faster. It is built by making compliance, visibility and supplier capability part of the same strategy.

Source: Noah Wire Services