Supply chain management: 10 trends and strategies for 2026

Geopolitical tensions, regulatory requirements and volatile trading conditions are leading companies to realign their procurement strategies and increasingly rely on multi-sourcing and nearshoring in order to operate more flexibly and independently.

Paradigm shift in the supply chain

However, the German software company Remira, a provider of supply chain and omnichannel commerce solutions based in Dortmund, sees other significant trends in addition to artificial intelligence: «The supply chain as a whole is facing a paradigm shift. Globalization is increasingly being replaced by localization. Companies are relocating their production closer to the sales markets in order to reduce risks and make supply chains more robust. At the same time, inventories are increasing to counteract market volatility,» says Birger Klinke, Vice President Sales Supply Chain at the company. The harmonization of sales & operations planning processes with the help of real-time simulations is gaining strategic importance, as it enables precise scenario analyses, proactive management and sustainable use of resources. At the same time, AI optimizes planning and forecasting along the entire supply chain, taking into account various influencing factors such as market indices, customs duties or energy prices - from purchasing to the point of sale - and thus ensures more accurate forecasts and measurable economic benefits.

Complex challenges in IT

IT departments in many companies are facing major challenges: from the digitalization of paper-based processes and information via Excel lists to the consolidation of IT architectures and existing redundant data. Business processes must also be simplified and harmonized on the specialist department side. Inevitably, the qualification requirements for the workplace of today's users are changing. In addition, new regulations and high bureaucratic requirements in procurement and along the supply chain lead to high resource expenditure and costs.

In addition, cyber attacks are already the norm, which is why IT security is also a key success factor in the supply chain and logistics. Companies are investing in cyber resilience in order to protect their networks and data in the long term. Finally, many players are focusing on greater cost transparency by using «cost-to-serve» analyses to break down their expenditure granularly by product, customer and route. This allows targeted optimization potential to be tapped and decisions to be made on a sound basis.

Overview of the 10 most important trends and strategies in supply chain management for 2026

1. Data integration in cloud technologies for the use of agentic AI: Artificial intelligence uses agents to support planning and decision-making processes. Companies consolidate data in middleware, data warehouses or data lakes to ensure security, efficiency and real-time access, powered by cloud technologies.
2. Diversification through nearshoring: In order to better counter geopolitical risks as well as tariff and transportation costs, companies are strengthening multi-sourcing strategies and increasingly relying on regional suppliers.
3. ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) & transparency obligations: Sustainability, ethical working conditions and CO₂ reporting are becoming key criteria when selecting suppliers.
4. Modular supply networks: Flexible, reconfigurable networks with regional buffers enable a rapid response to disruptions in the supply chain.
5. Just-in-case« strategic warehousing» instead of «just-in-time»: Against the backdrop of increasing volatility, companies are increasingly building up safety stocks in order to better cushion supply bottlenecks.
6. Risk management before cost optimization: Production and procurement are being shifted closer to consumer and markets; risk management is thus becoming more of a focus than pure cost optimization.
7. Sales and Operations Planning with Real time-Simulation: Fundamental digitalization, integration and harmonization of organization and end-to-end processes to enable more efficient and sustainable supply chains with the help of scenario analysis.
8. AI-supported planning & forecasting: With the help of AI, additional external influencing factors such as indexes can be added to demand forecasts in order to optimize quality.
9. Cybersecurity & resilience: In the face of growing cyber threats, IT security along the supply chain is becoming a strategic priority.
10. The impact of artificial intelligence on the workplace: Companies need to redefine their working methods by automating repetitive planning tasks using AI and qualify their staff to do so - in order to leverage optimization potential in a targeted manner.

Source and further information: Remira