Sage’s State of Supply Chain Report noted how many companies and midmarket leaders aren’t ready for supply chain disruption gaps. The lack of preparation makes companies vulnerable to major losses and downtime because they lack the information and ability to respond in real-time. With demand and customization increasing along with unpredictable global events, companies can’t afford to be caught on their heels.
Companies can adjust, but they also need to be honest with their strengths and especially their shortcomings. Rodney Manzo, Sage’s senior director of supply chain intelligence, talked more about the report’s findings. He addressed how Sage is addressing problems in their own company along with how others can and must do better and the role ERP systems can play in improving operations.
ERP Today: How do you see first‑mile visibility and connected systems directly influencing your team’s confidence in handling 2026 disruptions?
Manzo: Confidence heading into 2026 is less about optimism and more about capability. We see that operators with stronger first‑mile visibility and connected systems are more confident when disruption hits. When teams can see production progress, shipment status, and cost exposure early, they stop reacting late. That visibility gives everyone a shared view of what’s happening, which leads to faster, more decisive action.
ERP Today: In your organization, where are the biggest blind spots between risk awareness and actual ability to act with precision?
Manzo: The biggest blind spots tend to sit downstream. Visibility into supplier inventory, production status, and in‑transit shipments is often still limited or delayed. Many teams understand risks like tariffs or transportation delays in theory, but without real‑time data those risks stay abstract. When visibility is limited, exposure is easy to underestimate, and response slows when action is required.
ERP Today: How are you currently measuring “system maturity” in your supply chain, and how does that correlate with disruption readiness?
Manzo: We tend to measure system maturity by how well data actually flows across ERP, supplier management, and visibility tools. Teams with connected systems, centralized data, and stronger first‑mile visibility consistently feel more prepared for disruption. If those systems don’t work together day to day, maturity is mostly theoretical. The other factor is if they have systems or rely on manual processes and tools like excel and email.
ERP Today: What practical steps are you taking to improve upstream visibility without over‑engineering processes for midmarket supply chain teams?
Manzo: The focus is on strengthening foundations, not adding complexity. That means prioritizing connected systems, standardizing supplier data, and improving visibility into key upstream milestones like production and shipment status. For midmarket teams, it’s less about layering on process and more about moving away from spreadsheets and email toward shared, reliable systems everyone can use.
ERP Today: How do quality and compliance considerations shape your nearshoring decisions more than traditional cost or lead‑time trade‑offs?
Manzo: Effective supplier audits do not change whether they are off or near shore. Operators who prioritize quality and compliance are more likely to nearshore than those focused mainly on costs, tariffs or lead times. However, some industries can achieve benefits from all of these. Reliability and oversight matter more than geography alone. Without strong supplier management and visibility, proximity by itself doesn’t deliver better outcomes.
ERP Today: What are the main barriers preventing you from moving AI pilots into live supply chain workflows at scale today?
Manzo: The biggest barrier isn’t interest; it’s readiness. Only a small number of teams have AI running live in supply chain workflows today, and adoption closely tracks visibility maturity. Without strong first‑mile visibility and connected, clean data, AI doesn’t have reliable inputs. Teams hesitate to scale AI if it’s filling data gaps instead of building on systems they already trust.
ERP Today: How do cost‑reduction pressures inside your business constrain long‑term supply chain modernization and technology investment roadmaps?
Manzo: Cost pressure is nearly universal heading into 2026, even for highly optimized supply chains. Efficiency and margin protection tend to come first, ahead of large transformation efforts. Modernization hasn’t stopped, but investments need to show near‑term impact. As a result, teams focus on what improves cost control and execution today, not large transformation programs.
ERP Today: Given Sage’s findings on uneven preparedness, what capabilities will most differentiate resilient brands from reactive ones in 2026?
Manzo: Resilient brands stand out because of execution visibility, connected systems, and disciplined supplier management. What we consistently see is that confidence follows capability, especially strong first‑mile visibility and system maturity. Teams that see risks earlier and operate from shared data respond faster and more decisively. In 2026, resilience is really about operational readiness, not intent.
