Success in supply chain isn’t about avoiding disruption. It’s about knowing what to pay attention to when disruption inevitably hits. And that starts with knowing the difference between signal and noise.
Most people think resilience in supply chain comes from control. But the longer I work in this space, the more I realize it comes from focus.
Supply chains have always been vulnerable to disruption — that’s nothing new. What’s changed is how much data we now have flying at us in every direction. The tools are better. The visibility is better. But the signal often isn’t.
We’re not short on information. We’re short on clarity.
On a recent episode of the DataStream Podcast, I had a conversation with Andy McKenzie, Director of Supply Chain Operations at King and Prince Seafood. Andy’s been doing this a long time — through financial crises, pandemics, regulatory shifts, and shipping breakdowns. What stood out most wasn’t just his operational expertise, but the mindset that underpins it.
“How do we determine what is really the focus of that data — the signal in that data — versus what’s noise?”
— Andy McKenzie, DataStream Podcast
This question is where everything begins. Because if you can’t answer it, it doesn’t matter how much data you collect, how many dashboards you spin up, or how fast your systems are. You’ll be reactive. You’ll chase noise. And you’ll make decisions based on what looks urgent rather than what’s actually important.
Andy didn’t frame resilience as a tech problem — he framed it as a positioning problem.
“How do we protect ourselves and how do we position ourselves to be successful in those environments that we cannot always control?”
That’s the reality of modern supply chains. You won’t control the environment. You won’t predict the next disruption. But you can design teams, systems, and processes that stay grounded when things go sideways.
From where I sit, that’s the biggest shift happening in our industry: the companies that are thriving aren’t the ones who have perfect plans. They’re the ones who know how to respond quickly when the plan breaks.
They know what matters. They know who’s responsible. And — crucially — their systems talk to each other.
Because the real problem isn’t lack of software. It’s lack of shared understanding. When purchasing, logistics, and planning each operate in their own silo with their own set of tools, no one sees the whole picture. Everyone’s operating in partial reality. That’s a coordination problem, not a data problem.
This is why we started Unity SCM — not to add another tool to the pile, but to connect the ones already in use. So supply chain teams can spend less time stitching data together and more time responding to what’s actually happening.
Andy’s approach reminded me that the smartest leaders in this space don’t chase complexity. They build strong fundamentals. They invest in people who understand processes, not just platforms. They create systems that elevate judgment, not override it.
If there’s one thing to take away from our conversation, it’s this: success in supply chain isn’t about avoiding disruption. It’s about knowing what to pay attention to when disruption inevitably hits.
And that starts with knowing the difference between signal and noise.
