Why Traditional Supply Chain Data Sharing Is Broken

For decades, global transport and logistics have relied on a familiar formula: move goods from A to B, with information passed along in small bursts between each actor in the chain. A shipper updates the carrier, the carrier informs the forwarder, the terminal notifies the trucking company, and so on. This bilateral model has sustained the industry for generations — but it is increasingly showing its cracks.

In today’s volatile and interconnected world, disruptions are no longer exceptions. Pandemics, labour strikes, port congestion, cyberattacks, and extreme weather events have become constant threats. Yet the way most actors share data still resembles a fragmented patchwork, leaving companies “starving for data but lacking insight.”

The Three Shortcomings of Bilateral Data Sharing

1. Fragmentation. Each participant sees only a narrow slice of the bigger picture. The shipper may know where the cargo left, the carrier may know where it sits at sea, and the terminal knows when it arrived. But none see the full panorama.

2. Inefficiency. The same information is often sent repeatedly across multiple links. This duplication creates discrepancies, redundant work, and wasted resources.

3. Latency. In fast-moving disruptions, actors often don’t have access to timely data. By the time a strike is reported or a storm reroutes a vessel, downstream stakeholders are left reacting rather than anticipating.

The outcome is predictable: delays, blind spots, and missed opportunities to coordinate responses.

Why Fragmentation Hurts Today’s Supply Chains

The problem is no longer just operational inconvenience. Supply chains now operate on razor-thin margins and just-in-time expectations. A delayed container can ripple into factory shutdowns, retail stockouts, or lost customer trust.

Moreover, fragmented data makes it nearly impossible to calculate sustainability metrics or carbon footprints accurately. Companies are under growing pressure to account for emissions and demonstrate resilience — yet the traditional model leaves them blind to critical information.

The Case for Change

The status quo may have worked in an earlier, more predictable era, but it is increasingly unsustainable. Global supply chains generate immense amounts of data — every scan, every transaction, every movement — but when these signals remain siloed, they create noise instead of insight.

Breaking free from bilateral data exchanges is not simply a matter of efficiency. It is about resilience, competitiveness, and trust. Without a new approach, supply chains risk remaining fragile in the face of growing volatility.