Tariffs Rattle Global Trade: ToolsGroup, GenLogs and ParkourSC Share What They're Seeing

The latest wave of U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports is sending another shockwave through already strained global supply chains. For retailers, manufacturers, and freight brokers, the question is no longer whether disruption will happen — but how to survive it. Many are turning to AI-powered technologies to navigate the fallout. Whether these tools are truly transformative or simply stopgaps remains an open question.

"In the face of ongoing tariff uncertainty, there's no room for error," said Kevin Young, EVP of Growth at ToolsGroup. "As product costs rise and consumers become more price sensitive, companies are looking for ways to make smarter, data-driven decisions to regain control." According to Young, AI and machine learning can anticipate fluctuations in supply and demand and adjust inventory strategies in real time — a capability that could help protect margins and preserve customer satisfaction even amid trade turmoil.

But in practice, building supply chain resilience is proving to be a tall order.

GenLogs, a freight intelligence company, believes the solution starts with better visibility. "GenLogs is building a nationwide camera sensor network taking 10,000,000 images per day of trucks traveling across the United States," explained Isaac Winnes, Chief of Staff to GenLogs's CEO. "This proprietary data layer provides what the freight industry has always needed — total freight intelligence."

By offering granular insights into shipping lanes and carrier performance, GenLogs claims it can help clients book new business faster, source more reliable partners, and recover lost or stolen equipment. Winnes cited several case studies: a brokerage cutting its sales cycle by up to 75% with lane-specific targeting, a company saving $200,000 annually by reducing empty trailer miles, and another recovering $5 million worth of stolen trailers within just six weeks of using GenLogs’ asset locator. Still, improved intelligence doesn’t address the more structural instability that the new tariffs are exacerbating.

"What we're seeing is no longer just volatility but a fundamental rewrite of global trade rules," said Mark Talens, EVP and Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at ParkourSC. "Rather than simply reacting after tariff announcements, [clients are] using our graph Supply Chain Digital Twin to develop structured, stress-tested scenarios that examine impacts across strategic, tactical, and operational horizons."

ParkourSC’s platform emphasizes outcome-driven scenarios, allowing companies to model alternatives like “China+1” strategies or nearshoring while quantifying the risks and costs involved. Talens underlined that with razor-thin margins in many distribution channels, even a minor tariff adjustment could destabilize a business — making proactive planning not a luxury, but a survival tactic.

AI-powered visualization, scenario modeling, and mitigation tools help companies tackle tariff-related disruptions. Credit: ParkourSC

Indeed, the growing reliance on AI tools is a symptom of deeper unease. Many of these platforms promise foresight, flexibility, and resilience, but none can fully neutralize the cost shocks and strategic chaos brought on by geopolitical shifts. For companies already struggling with labor shortages, transportation bottlenecks, and consumer unpredictability, tariffs add yet another layer of complexity.

"True resilience means staying operational and economically viable under stress," Talens said, noting that ParkourSC’s LEAP platform enables companies to not only visualize weaknesses but also prescribe mitigation strategies.

In the end, AI may help companies move faster and make better-informed decisions. But it cannot eliminate the fundamental vulnerabilities of a globally entangled economy. Tariffs are likely to remain a feature, not a bug, of global trade for the foreseeable future — and no amount of predictive modeling can change that. For the supply chain world, the real question may not be how smart your AI is — but how much disruption your business model can actually endure.