A major industry outlook report highlights tariff volatility, broader adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and organisational centralisation as among the defining influences shaping global freight and supply chains in 2026. Supply chain leaders are being urged to prepare for a year where economic policy pressures and digital transformation drive strategic shifts across sourcing, planning and operations.
Tariff Landscape Remains a Source of Disruption
Ongoing trade uncertainty — including tariffs and non‑tariff protection‑style measures — is expected to persist next year, creating ripple effects on landed costs, sourcing decisions and logistics flows. Leaders are likely to respond by broadening supplier networks, relocating production closer to key markets, and employing digital scenarios and tariff‑management tools to stress‑test supply chains ahead of policy changes.
AI Moves from Pilot to Operational Scale
AI is forecast to shift from experimental deployments to embedded, enterprise‑wide applications across the supply chain — from procurement and planning to execution and risk management. Far from just proving value, supply chain AI is expected to become part of core platforms that support planning, decision‑making and autonomous scenario simulations.
Centralisation through Integrated Services
Another trend highlighted in the report is the move toward centralised supply chain functions under broader corporate structures such as Global Business Services (GBS). This model consolidates transactional and analytical activities — including logistics, planning and sourcing — to improve cost efficiency, analytical scale and end‑to‑end visibility across global networks.
Taken together, these dynamics — tariff pressures, scaling AI investment and strategic centralisation — suggest 2026 will be a year where companies pursue deeper structural resilience while navigating ongoing geopolitical and economic challenges.
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