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Supply chains continue to operate in an environment shaped by constant change. As they grapple with global trade shifts, extreme weather, labor pressures, and rising cyber risks, leaders are working to balance efficiency with the ability to adapt.
A new report from management consultancy Oliver Wyman highlights several practical ways companies can reinforce that balance. The emphasis is less on sweeping overhauls and more on building flexibility and visibility into everyday operations. In Industry Execs Reveal How To Boost Supply Chain Resilience, the company says the results of its 2025 supply chain risk and resilience survey, “Navigating Supply Chain Resilience Through An Uncertain Future,” reveal a striking paradox: While the nature of disruptions have changed, organizations have maintained a strong focus on supply chain risk and resilience.
“Their strategies have paid dividends,” the company says. “80% of respondents now consider their supply chains to be very resilient. Yet despite this confidence, only 4% plan to increase their resilience budgets, and more than a third expect to reduce them.”
Expressing Concerns
Companies are also expressing “major concerns” over their supply chain resilience going forward, Oliver Wyman adds, “suggesting that the decline in spending may not simply be a sign that they’re content with their current standing.”
Here are some other key report findings:
- Only 5% of survey participants said they have a comprehensive resilience strategy in place, which represents a sharp decline from 2024.
- 65% of survey participants described themselves as “vulnerable to very vulnerable” to future risks.
- 98% of companies are willing to invest profits in supply chain resilience.
- 77% of companies plan to take a more proactive approach to supply chain risk as a result of events of the past six months.
“The frequent disruptions of the past few years have made it clear that neither quick, reactive measures nor crisis management are good enough to shore up supply chains,” the report states.
“This year, pivoting to becoming more proactive and transparent has become the norm,” it continues. “By prioritizing risk identification and implementing scenario planning, creating organizational units dedicated to managing risks, and defining business continuity plans, companies can better anticipate and mitigate risks before they affect operations.”
5 Steps to Better Resilience
Here are five practical steps that companies can take now to improve their supply chain resilience:
1. Diversify suppliers rather than regionalize. The executives surveyed say pulling away from global markets is not the best response to disruption. Instead, companies are diversifying international supply chains by adding alternative sources in different regions. Oliver Wyman says this approach reduces dependence on any single location and helps companies comply with rules that require certain products or components to be sourced locally.
2. Take incremental steps. Smart organizations are taking small actions like adding nodes, expanding secondary capacity or securing backup suppliers. Oliver Wyman notes that these incremental moves create flexibility without the costs or disruption of a major realignment.
3. Conduct end-to-end assessments. The consultancy tells companies to evaluate supply chains in full, from sourcing through distribution. These reviews identify weak links and help leaders target investments where they will matter most. Companies that complete assessments are better positioned to respond when the next disruption occurs.
4. Prepare for shifting disruption. The nature of disruption has changed. While the pandemic and material shortages dominated in prior years, current risks include trade conflicts, tariffs, labor challenges and climate events. Oliver Wyman stresses the importance of scenario planning that accounts for multiple possibilities, and not just the crisis of the day.
5. Treat resilience as a discipline. The companies making the most progress combine near-term flexibility with longer-term structural improvements. They build continuity planning and regular reviews into everyday operations. The companies that prioritize resilience will be better prepared for whatever comes next.
