The first edition of IN Supply magazine is live now, and it launches with a blunt premise: trade policy is back in the cost model, and anyone still running a network as if the map is flat is going to pay for that assumption — in margin, lead time, and internal firefighting.
The edition leans into the unfortunate reality that volatility has become a persistent operating environment, using landed-cost pressure as a practical example: for UK buyers, even modest freight movement can translate into disproportionate unit-cost shifts.
Our launch edition also features a wealth of expert contributors. Consultus outlines why UK industrial electricity pricing is becoming structurally heavier on non-commodity charges, with forecasts indicating the fixed TNUoS element could more than double from April 2026. When over 60% of a bill trends towards non-commodity components, procurement strategy shifts from price chasing to measurement, flexibility, and exposure management.
Likewise, Transport Exchange Group argues that the constraint is frequently onboarding friction rather than absolute shortage. Its model centres on automated compliance frameworks and real-time validation, with performance claims around two-minute capacity fulfilment and sub-60-minute settlement. The argument is operational: speed with control.
And in our interviews, we dive into compliance. Mark Rutherford, CEO of Alexander Battery Technologies, discusses Battery Passport enforcement ahead of 2027. And in our conversation with Dan Jones, Senior Security Advisor – EMEA at Tanium, he frames endpoint growth and tool fragmentation as drivers of operational uncertainty. When organisations cannot state with confidence which assets are secure and patched, activity pauses.
On the technology side, Know Your Business positions SMEs as active buyers of AI-driven procurement systems by 2026, driven by staffing constraints and compliance load. Tungsten Automation cites research indicating most GenAI pilots fail to deliver positive P&L impact, and focuses instead on trade documentation, where Intelligent Document Processing is linked to measurable handling-time reductions and classification accuracy above 85%.
Issue 1 brings these threads together to paint a clear picture of supply chain operations as we open 2026: it’s messy and complex, but it is full of solutions.
Read a preview of the issue below, or click here to read the full issue.
