Geopolitical and market events promise to make 2019 a challenging year for supply chain and procurement teams, one full of both increased risks and opportunity. Forward-thinking professionals are looking to new technologies to help them make the most of it. Managing geopolitical risk has always been a part of procurement and supply management's job, but as new sources of supply volatility emerge and the threat of tariff escalations increase, managing these risks has become critical. In addition to the standard sources of risk - typhoons, hurricanes, factory fires and labor disputes, world events have created new sources of risk that were unforeseeable a few short years ago. Traditionally a stabilizing influence, U.S trade policy has become less predictable.