The world’s supply chains are in an era of structural volatility, according to a World Economic Forum report. According to the WEF, meeting this week at Davos, forcing companies and governments to reevaluate how and where they invest and produce. The report finds that nearly three in four business executives now prioritise resilience investments; near three-quarters, 74 per cent, say they’re viewing resilience as a driver of growth.
Geopolitical fractures, restricted trade flows and chronic shortages may mean moves to localise production, or other ways towards ‘supply assurance’. As for how to do due diligence on suppliers – among the features in the January 2026 edition of Professional Security Magazine – the report suggests that ‘companies now evaluate suppliers through multi-tiered dashboards to monitor performance, financial health, cyber exposure and ESG compliance in real time. Resilience and ethics are weighted alongside price’.
Among national case studies, the report points to Qatar’s national dashboard, made ‘to enhance resilience amid supply chain disruptions driven by regional geopolitical circumstances and climate change’; it tracks 24 essential food items in real time and issues alerts when reserves fall below thresholds.
The report – Global Value Chains Outlook 2026: Orchestrating Corporate and National Agility – made with with the consulting firm Kearney, looks at how companies and governments can remain competitive as disruption becomes a permanent feature rather than a cyclical shock. The document states: “The goal is no longer to restore old equilibrium or absorb shocks, but to build systems designed to master the permanence of disruption. Success now depends on shifting from forecasting to orchestrating the future – aligning supply security, innovation and ecosystem trust into an integrated, adaptive model of advantage that can flex with the forces reshaping the global economy.”
Kiva Allgood, Managing Director of the WEF, said: “Volatility is no longer a temporary disruption; it is a structural condition leaders must plan for. Competitive advantage now comes from foresight, optionality and ecosystem coordination. Companies and countries that build these capabilities together will be best positioned to attract investment, secure supply and sustain growth in an increasingly fragmented global economy.”
The report offers the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Readiness Navigator, a data-driven tool to support decisions and policy. For the 36-page document visit the WEF website.
Photo by Mark Rowe: Tilbury docks, east London.
