Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY Guest: Per Hong of Kearney on tariffs, Iran, and more; The "pandemic echo” affecting parcel fleets; How Agentic AI impacts hiring
Feb 27, 2026
Per Hong, senior partner and global lead of Kearney Foresight, unpacks shifting tariff strategies, geopolitical risks including U.S.-Iran tensions, and practical supply-chain resilience moves. Short segments explore a “pandemic echo” reshaping parcel fleets and Gartner’s findings on how agentic AI may cut entry-level hiring and force role redesigns.
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Model Tariff Exposure At Component Level
- Move beyond single-rate exposure models and invest in component-level origin traceability.
- Per Hong says bill of materials become risk-management tools and recommends building optionality like dual sourcing and flexible manufacturing.
Use Inventory Only As A Short Term Tactic
- Avoid indiscriminate stockpiling as a long-term response; treat inventory as a short-term tactic.
- Per Hong warns inventory ties up capital, raises obsolescence risk, and recommends structural optionality instead.
Markets Reprice Geopolitical Risk Before Physical Disruption
- Physical closure of the Strait of Hormuz isn't required to disrupt markets; insurance and futures already reprice risk.
- Per Hong notes war-risk premiums rose and shipping operators rerouted, creating real-time market effects.