1. The World Faces Network-Scale Challenges
Today's most urgent global issues are accelerating at an unprecedented pace, Smith emphasized to the room of industry leaders. From trade wars and tariffs to great power competition, climate change, and the emergence of artificial intelligence, these challenges are reshaping the economic and security landscape.
"The tectonic plates are shifting beneath our feet. We're seeing a total refactoring of the security and economic order," he said. Yet he stressed something of utmost importance to Directions attendees: They are not mere observers but actors with "the power to shape the outcome."
2. Globalization Needs Fixing, Not Abandonment
Altana's mission, as Smith described it, is "crazy ambitious" and not to retreat from globalization or abandon its promise, but by rebuilding it to be "stronger, more resilient, more fair and more sustainable." He recalled how previous years of Directions had charted the collapse of globalization and made the case for a shared map. This year, Directions marks a progression from diagnosis to action, from understanding problems to building solutions together. 3. Our Challenges Are Fundamentally Network Problems
Smith emphasized that today's major challenges are network problems by definition. "The supply chain is a network, the distribution chain is a network. The trading system is a network," he explained. As these systems break down, failures cascade across interconnected systems and "cannot be managed in isolation." He illustrated this with examples ranging from US-China competition and climate change to tariffs accumulating "like plaque on the arteries of global commerce."
4. Network Solutions Require Network Visibility
There are several network solutions that could transform global trade, including a "global entry or TSA Pre-check for goods" where customs agencies would have visibility into product value chains before shipping, enabling pre-validation and more efficient processing. He envisioned buyers and suppliers communicating across multi-tier value chains, with their data interconnected to adapt to tariffs, reduce carbon emissions, and respond to supply interruptions, creating something akin to "virtual vertical integration."
5. Product Passports Are the Future of Trade
The keynote culminated with the announcement of the Altana Product Network, a business network with active members online — but instead of merely connecting people, the connections in Altana are drawn across products, how they're sourced, how they're produced, and how they're moved. Central to this vision are Product Passports that serve as digital representations of a product's entire journey.
Using smartphones as an example, Smith explained how these passports would trace components from raw materials to finished products, illuminating labor practices, carbon footprints, security considerations, and value chain resilience. Most importantly, these passports would enable communication between all parties in the value chain, from customs officers to importers, manufacturers, suppliers, and logistics providers.
6. We Must Make This Change Together
The keynote concluded with a call to action, inviting attendees to "learn from each other, to engage and connect with each other and even to dream together," emphasizing that rebuilding globalization to be "more resilient, more secure, more sustainable and more fair" is within reach if stakeholders across public and private sectors collaborate effectively.
The Directions Summit continued throughout the day with panels featuring experts from companies like UPS, Maersk, L.L. Bean, and Kuehne+Nagel, exploring tariff challenges, supply chain resilience, and the transformative role of AI in global trade. Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also joined for a fireside chat on trade, geopolitics, and the shifting U.S. political landscape. 
