At ALSC Global 2026, Volvo Cars’ Jonathan Flores Cortes shared best practises for designing an inbound logistics flow and discussed how effective cross-functional collaboration is key to achieving end-to-end gains.
Jonathan Flores Cortes, head of logistics Americas at Volvo Cars, discussed the topic of future-proofing material flows on stage during a panel discussion at ALSC Global 2026. He sat down with Automotive Logistics on the Red Sofa at the event to discuss how this can be achieved and what role data and cross-functional collaboration plays in this.
“There is no perfect solution,” Flores said, noting that the optimal inbound logistics flow is subjective – it depends on the combination of lots of different variables and trade-offs between these. However, he emphasised that factors like safety, quality and ergonomics are non-negotiable.
Ultimately, making the right calls on these trade-offs requires effective cross-functional collaboration in order to make the best decisions for the whole business in terms of total landed cost.
“Effective collaboration needs to happen within a frame of governance that is enabled by the whole organisation – it needs to be part of a process and a way of working that enables people to make tough decisions and resolve conflicts of interest in an effort to achieve the greatest good,” he said.
But collaboration isn’t just important within an organisation; more and more today it the importance of maintaining collaborative relationships with partners is stressed. Flores shared that when it comes to these partnerships, relationships need to be built on trust and the ability to exchange different points of view.
He argued that to get the most out of a logistics partnership, neither party should be sticking rigidly to the boundaries set out in the contract. Real value comes when a partner goes above and beyond to make suggestions based on what their seeing elsewhere in the market, and the OEM is willing to listen to these suggestions and take them on board.
Flores also highlighted the importance of data and the evolution of data collection ask a key enabler on end-to-end efficiency. The acceleration of the speed at which data can be collected and processed over the past few years has enabled more accurate predictions and scenario-based planning and forecasting, while helping to increase visibility and break down silos.
With the right tools and knowledge in an organisation to tap into these benefits, Flores said that faster data processing can be “a great competitive advantage”.
“All you can do it to improve your data as much as you can as early on in the process as you can, because in automotive logistics particularly, being reactive to changes or not realising something until long after a launch can be very costly and time-consuming,” he said.
Looking ahead over the next five years, Flores identified automation and autonomous materials handling as transformative technologies for supply chain operations, influencing everything from packaging design to material flow planning. He also highlighted AI’s potential in planning, forecasting and execution, alongside the need for greater responsibility and accountability as the industry pursues sustainability.
Watch the full Red Sofa interview with Jonathan Flores Cortes from ALSC Global 2026.
Source: www.automotivelogistics.media
