I am Dr. Muddassir Ahmed — Supply Chain Digitalization Expert, Top 10 Global Supply Chain Influencer, and Founder &amp; CEO of SCMDOJO, the world’s largest supply chain learning and capability-building platform with 73+ courses, 41+ best practices, 19+ eBooks, and 135+ global experts.With 19+ years of international leadership experience across the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Asia—Bridgestone, Eaton, Doncasters, Volvo Cars—I specialize in End-to-End Supply Chain Strategy, Digital Transformation, S&amp;OP, Inventory Optimization, Procurement Capability Development, Lean &amp; Six Sigma, and Supply Chain AI applications.Recognized as:Top 10 Supply Chain Influencer (Supply Chain Digital)Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in Supply Chain (Rank #16) – Thinkers360 2025Top 50 Logistics &amp; SCM Influencers (Rank #4 MEA) – FavikonMy work has impacted 15,000+ professionals, 1,200+ paying customers, and brands across manufacturing, logistics, automotive, and industrial sectors. SCMDOJO content generated 16.1M+ impressions in 2024, becoming the industry's most engaged supply chain knowledge ecosystem.★ What I DoI help organizations build world-class supply chain capabilities through:✓ Digital Transformation Advisory✓ Competency &amp; Skills Assessment ✓ Corporate SCM Training Programs✓ S&amp;OP, Inventory &amp; Forecasting Optimization✓ Procurement &amp; Logistics Strategy &amp; AI Adoption✓ Lean &amp; Continuous Improvement✓ SCMDOJO Academy for Business (Team Learning + Analytics)★ Who I ServeVP Supply Chain, COO, Directors of Procurement, L&amp;D leaders, and companies undergoing ERP, transformation, or capability-building initiatives.★ My MissionTo help supply chains thrive by democratizing world-class supply chain education and making digital transformation accessible, practical, and ROI-driven.If you're looking to elevate supply chain capability, improve performance KPIs, or bring expert-led learning to your teams — let’s connect.For speaking opportunities, collaborations, events, and consulting please email support@scmdojo.com

Muddassir Ahmed

Can a Sourcing Manager become the CEO of a $25.81 billion company?

The answer is yes.

A powerful example is Revathi Advaithi, the CEO of Flex.

Flex employs nearly 148,000 people across more than 30 countries and, as of late 2025, has a market capitalization of over $26 billion with total assets of approximately $18.38 billion. Formerly known as Flextronics, Flex is one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturing services companies and ranks third globally by revenue.

While I have never met Revathi personally, I had the opportunity to work under her leadership during my time at Eaton.

Her career is inspiring for many reasons, but two aspects stand out to me in particular.

First, she graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and went on to build a career all the way to the top. For many of us who leave our home countries, this is exactly the kind of journey we aspire to achieve.

Second, the way Revathi strategically navigated her career — moving between companies within the same industry vertical (electrical and electronics manufacturing) — shows that choosing your next role and company is a strategic decision and should be made thoughtfully.

So, for sourcing and procurement professionals looking for inspiration — here it is.

Have a great weekend 🙂

Dr. Muddassir Ahmed

I'll be honest: I said yes to this one immediately.

On March 12, 2026, I'm taking the stage at Summit X Rotterdam – and I couldn't be more excited.

My session: "Supply Chain Talent Needs in the Age of AI"

Here's what I'll be talking about: We obsess over tools. We forget about talent. We chase automation. We ignore imagination. 

But AI doesn't run itself – it needs people who can see what's possible. People who can bridge technology and strategy. Leaders who think differently. This isn't another conference full of slides and buzzwords. Lobster Summit X brings together supply chain leaders who are actually building the future – with real data foundations, real AI applications, and real conversations.

Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam. One day. No fluff.

If you're navigating the shift from fragmented systems to AI-ready operations – or if you've ever wondered why so many digital transformations stall before they scale – I'd love to see you there.

Grab your seat: [https://lnkd.in/dvYPm6tN]

See you in Rotterdam?

As an entrepreneur I have learned one thing first hand in last 4 years.

If it doesn’t feel right, it is most likely will not be right.

Trust your gut feelings

I help SMBs Cut Costs 20-30% & Digitally Transform in 6-12 months I My Moat: Supply Chain Leadership + Entrepreneurship + AI/Digital Transformation + S&OP I Creator of the Largest Supply Chain Academy I Speaker I Author

Most supply chain leaders obsess over procurement savings and demand planning accuracy. Meanwhile, their warehouse quietly bleeds margin — through poor layout, undertrained staff, outdated tech, and safety shortcuts nobody wants to talk about.

This edition changes that.

View newsletter:  The Supply Chain Show™

Hi Folks, Most supply chain leaders obsess over procurement savings and demand planning accuracy. Meanwhile, their warehouse quietly bleeds margin — t

Open article: Most warehouses are designed for 2005. Is yours? by Dr. Muddassir Ahmed • 4 min read

Most warehouses are designed for 2005. Is yours?

Being a Demand Planner, I am trained to notice patterns, seasonality and cycles.

To notice the root cause of those disrupting signals and what causes them, so I can get my forecasting model right and predict future events.

Since January 20, 2025, our supply chains have been more VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous), making it harder to predict what comes next.

But I have a theory that these disruptions are not stopping anytime soon. To understand that there is a timeline of major events in 2025 that have disrupted the global supply chain, which are:

- 1 Feb 2025 — U.S. Trade War Begins
- 4 Feb 2025 — China Tariff Hike
- 10 Feb 2025 — China Retaliates
- 12 Mar 2025 — Global Metals Tariffs
- 27 Mar 2025 — Auto Sector Shock
- 2 Apr 2025 — “Liberation Day” Global Tariff + Market Crash + 90-Day Pause
- 9 Apr 2025 — Tariff Spiral (U.S.–China Peak Rates)
- 4 Jun 2025 — Metals Tariffs Doubled
- Jun 2025 — Middle East Escalation (Oil Spike)
- Jul 2025 — Copper Tariff + Grasberg Output Shock
- 7 Aug 2025 — Reciprocal Tariffs Go Live
- 27 Aug 2025 — Secondary Tariffs on India
- 1 Oct 2025 — Industrial & Pharma Squeeze
- 9 Nov 2025 — Greenland Strategy Emerges (Rare Earth Focus)


2026 Supply Chain Disruption Timeline

- 17 Jan 2026 — Greenland Tariff Ultimatum
- 21 Jan 2026 — Davos De-escalation (Tariffs Suspended)
- 24 Feb 2026 — 10% Global Tariffs Implemented + De Minimis Suspension Maintained
- 17 Feb 2026 — Middle East Tension (Oil Surge)
- 27 Feb 2026 - Middle East Tension Escalated, resulting in Dubai airport being closed for all flights

What impacted me more personally is what happened today. I lived in Dubai for 6 years. I had a house. I have many friends. My brother and sister, and their families, live there.

Dubai, which is proud to be the safest place to live and do business, is now living in fear.

My worry is that every 2nd month, there is a major event which results in these disruptions, making the world and supply chain more VUCA  

What is the root cause? 

I have stated the timeline here...

You are all smart people on LinkedIn to do the maths, when is the next one coming?

And unfortunately, may I dare to predict, these disruptions will last until the end of 2028.

Brace yourself and be safe 💌 

Praying for all brothers and sisters in the Middle East 💔

Is SAAS Dead due to the advancement of AI Agents?

Yes & No!

Yes- In a traditional sense, i.e. human using SaaS.

No- Agents will be using the SaaS endpoint to think, to decide, to perform tasks. So the SaaS companies will evolve their software for AI Agents, as they did for humans.

So SaaS platform won't be dead per se, marketplaces will be :)

#saasisdead

I recently had a great conversation with Mark Francis about my journey from a supply chain practitioner to building SCMDOJO — and where the future of learning and AI in supply chain is heading.

After 17 years in global roles across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, I kept seeing the same challenge:

👉 Most supply chain professionals land in this field by accident, with limited structured knowledge to solve complex problems. That gap is exactly why SCMDOJO was created.

From a $9 blog and YouTube videos recorded on a sofa in Karachi… to a global learning platform with 300,000+ professionals — the journey has been about consistent value, patience, and listening to real problems in the industry.

💡 A few key takeaways from our discussion:

• Audience and credibility are built over years, not months.
• People will invest in learning when it solves real business problems.
• Generic AI will not replace experts — domain-specific AI will augment them.
• Multi-agent AI will transform how supply chains operate and make decisions.
• The biggest barrier to change is behaviour, not technology.
• Focus and speed of execution are real competitive advantages today.

We also spoke about the next big step: SCMDOJO Sensei, an AI-powered supply chain consultant trained on deep practitioner knowledge.

If you are in supply chain, procurement, operations, or digital transformation, this episode is for you.

👉 Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ew-xz5Nj

Would love to hear your thoughts:
What is the biggest skills gap you see in supply chain today? 🚀

What do you do when your inbound shipping cost goes up 6x overnight?

Just got off from a client call, who asked me how we can avoid the "War Risk Surcharge"?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗖𝗖 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 in 🤨 😬 .

The container which used to x is now coming with a $3000 War Risk Surcharge 😱 

Plus, Saudi importers can't import to Dammam; they have to import to Jeddah port, and it costs them extra to move to Dammam 🙄  

This increases your cost of goods sold by 25-30%, and now you are not making any margins.

Can you pass on this cost to customers, probably a few % points, but mostly businesses have to absorb?

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲: 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿

Applied at: Port-to-port leg of the shipment

Description:

The War Risk Surcharge is an additional fee charged by carriers when insurance underwriters classify certain regions as war-risk zones. It applies not only during actual wars (such as invasion or insurrection) but also in areas with escalating geopolitical tensions or high piracy risks.

This surcharge helps carriers recover potential extra costs, including route diversions, higher insurance premiums, and additional security measures.

Sorry for confirming the bad news.

You are not alone 🥰 🤗 

#warrisksurcharge #imports

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