From Train Tracks to Trade Shows — And Why Integration Is So Important

Hi, I’m Clint, founder of C-Sure Consulting. This week’s edition of C-Shorts looks at why system compatibility counts, from trade show takeaways to train track trouble... This week’s blog is a day late – I usually try to get these out on a Wednesday, but I was at the Multimodal Expo at the NEC Birmingham all day yesterday, and by the time I got back... well, let’s just say writing a blog wasn’t top of the list.

🚆✈️🚢🚚 Why Multimodal Makes Sense First off, for anyone not already familiar with the term, a multimodal supply chain is basically one that uses a mix of transport modes (road, rail, sea, air) to get things where they need to go in the most efficient way. Done well, it gives you flexibility, helps cut emissions, and can actually make your whole operation more resilient. There’s a reason so many businesses are leaning into this right now.

🎯 Multimodal 2025: Highlights from the Hall

The expo itself was brilliant. Loads of really good chats with exhibitors and other visitors. I always find these events really useful, they give you a snapshot of what’s happening in the industry, what challenges people are facing, and what new ideas are being developed to tackle them.

One of the best things about the day was the people I met on the cyber security stands, some really interesting conversations that could hopefully lead to some collaboration further down the line. Watch this space...

There were 275 exhibitors altogether, a real mix of the big names (Freightliner, Maersk, MSC, DHL), some newer startups and SMEs doing smart stuff, and everything in-between. One standout moment was at the MSC stand as they had a full-on darts competition going, which definitely pulled in a crowd. Way more engaging than yet another stand offering coffee and biscuits! Goes to show, if you want to stand out, you’ve got to think a bit differently.

💫 AI Is Everywhere

AI was a big theme (no surprise there!). Everyone seems to be looking for ways to work smarter. There’s a lot of talk about what AI might be able to do, but I’m more interested in what it’s already doing, especially around things like route planning, forecasting, and data crunching.

There are so many tools now available either free or for a relatively small cost so there's no reason not to give it a try and see what works for your business. I also think it’s worth training someone in your team to become your AI go-to person, someone who can stay on top of what’s out there and spot how it could benefit your business. AI is evolving so fast, and it’s too easy to fall behind.

On the drive over to Birmingham, I was listening to an interview with Antonio Bustamante, CEO of bem, on the Supply Chain Now podcast. What really struck me was how practical their approach is. They’re not trying to force companies to change how they work, they use AI to bring all your messy, manual, off-platform data into one place, clean it up, and make it usable without having to change the way they do things. That’s the kind of thing that actually helps people, rather than just giving them another tool to learn. ⛓️‍💥 Integration Irritations

That all ties in with something I’m seeing more and more, businesses wanting to move forward but feeling stuck because their systems don’t talk to each other properly. Sometimes it’s because they’ve been patched so many times over the years that no one really knows how to unpick it safely, and often the people who originally built or updated the system have long since moved on.

I once heard about a pretty extreme example of this: a company installed a new process control system, and when they switched it on, the machinery ran backwards. It caused major damage and completely derailed the project. Just goes to show how quickly things can unravel when key areas are overlooked during the design stage.

The tools worked fine in isolation, but without proper compatibility checks and a clean system to start with, problems with the integration were inevitable. Needless to say, some very valuable lessons were learned.

🚂 Railway Riddle

Speaking of backwards systems, here’s a random but strangely relevant fact I picked up from one of my favourite podcasts, No Such Thing As A Fish: back in the 19th century, some different regions built their railways using different track gauges (that’s the distance between the rails).

In fact, Australia still runs on three different rail gauges, which means both goods and passengers often have to switch trains multiple times on a single journey. It’s a brilliant analogy for business systems that don’t talk to each other — inefficient, clunky, and too many changeovers.

New Zealand, by contrast, faced exactly the same challenge in the 1870s but chose to standardise. That one decision paved the way for a more joined-up network and smarter innovations like Centralised Traffic Control, introduced 20 years ahead of Australia, and electrification of key routes in the 1980s (while Australia passed on federal support and fell further behind).

It’s a simple but powerful message: compatibility matters. If your systems aren’t built to align from the outset, you’ll end up paying the price in time, money, and missed opportunities.

🛤️ HS2 Headaches

While we’re on the topic of train tracks, I got stuck in HS2 roadworks traffic on the way out of Birmingham when, quite coincidently, the news came on the radio about the latest delays to the project. The government’s now confirmed the opening will be pushed beyond 2033, and they can't even say exactly when it will open.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called it an “appalling mess,” saying the cost has ballooned by £37 billion and deadlines have been missed left, right and centre.

To me, HS2 feels like a textbook case of rigid planning gone wrong. In long-term projects you’ve got to be willing to pause, rethink, and adjust when new tools or information becomes available. Otherwise, you can end up stuck on a track with no destination in sight. So, from darts at trade shows to 19th-century rail blunders and modern AI tools, there’s a clear thread running through it all this week:

• Integration is key – across transport, tech, and teams.

• Collaboration gets better results – whether you’re planning a railway or your supply chain.

• And flexibility beats fixed thinking – every time.

Remember: You can still keep pushing for smarter, more connected ways of working without throwing out the good stuff you’ve already got!

🤝 Let’s Keep Connected

What challenges are you seeing right now in your own business?

Are you struggling to synchronise your systems? I’d love to hear from you — comment below or get in touch with us directly. Until next time...

💡 C-Sure Shortcut of the Week

Don’t bolt on, build in.

Quick fixes create long-term chaos. Plan for proper integration from the start to avoid costly setbacks down the line.