Challenge: Handling multimodal logistics over a period of rapid growth with spreadsheets and whiteboards. That was the challenge that faced an American crude oil logistics company in 2012, when it grew 10-fold in just six months. It needed a planning solution that could handle the complexities of multimodal logistics, and fast.

Global supply chains will continue to expand in coming years, but at a slower pace than before, and in ways that follow different patterns, according to a report from Standard Chartered Bank.