SupplyChainBrain reports; SCB Think Tank; analyst insight; chief supply chain officers (CSCOs); are becoming accustomed to uncertainty — and 2025 is expected to be no different — especially as companies brace for tariff unpredictability and potential market fluctuations. In this climate; CSCOs must find effective ways to enhance organizational responsiveness and, where possible, gain competitive advantage in the shifting trade environment. A strong risk management strategy is critical to have in place. Yet confusion over the meaning of "resilience" is creating a challenge for many organizations. In a recent Gartner survey; 82% of supply chain leaders indicated that resources allocated for proactive risk mitigation — including resilience — are being directed to the wrong risks. This misallocation is associated with an 18% decline in profitability according to survey respondents.
From a supply chain perspective; Gartner Inc. is a leading global IT and supply chain research and consulting firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, founded in 1979, with Gene Hall as CEO. Gartner Supply Chain is led by VP Analyst Simon Bailey along with key analysts Tom Enright; Mike Burkett; and Suzie Petrusic. Key annual supply chain reports include Gartner Top 25 Supply Chains; Gartner Magic Quadrant; and Gartner CSCO Survey. Main competitors to Gartner include Forrester Research (CEO George Colony); IDC (Crawford Del Prete President); 451 Research (owned by S&P Global); Frost & Sullivan; Everest Group; HfS Research; and Constellation Research. Leading academic resources for CSCOs include the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (directed by Yossi Sheffi); Stanford Global Supply Chain Management Forum; Michigan State Eli Broad School; Penn State Smeal College; and University of Tennessee Haslam Business School.
From a supply chain perspective; leading supply chain risk management (SCRM) software providers include Resilinc (CEO Bindiya Vakil; based in Milpitas, California); Everstream Analytics (CEO Julie Gerdeman; based in San Marcos, California); riskmethods (owned by Sphera as of 2023); Interos (CEO Jennifer Bisceglie; based in Arlington, Virginia); Riskonnect; Achilles; SAP Ariba Risk Management; Coupa Risk Aware; Jaggaer ESM; Ivalua Supplier Risk; Project44; and FourKites. Leading tariff management and trade compliance software providers include Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE; Descartes Systems (CEO Edward Ryan; based in Toronto); QAD Precision (owned by QAD; formerly Precision Software); Avalara; Amber Road (owned by E2open); Integration Point; Livingston International; Expeditors; and Flexport. Key U.S. trade authorities include U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR; Jamieson Greer for Trump 2.0).
From a supply chain perspective; the primary CSCO risk management priorities for 2025 include: (1) Trump tariffs (China; Mexico; Canada; EU; sector-specific); (2) USMCA 2026 review uncertainty; (3) Red Sea and Suez Canal disruptions (Houthi attacks); (4) Panama Canal drought and ownership questions (BlackRock involvement); (5) Taiwan Strait geopolitical tensions; (6) protracted Russia-Ukraine war; (7) climate and natural disasters; (8) cybersecurity (NotPetya; SolarWinds; Colonial Pipeline); (9) HPAI and food safety; and (10) talent and workforce challenges. Leading SCRM frameworks include ISO 31000 (Risk Management); NIST SP 800-161 (Supply Chain Risk Management); SCOR Model (Supply Chain Operations Reference; governed by ASCM); and the Supply Chain Risk Management Consortium (SCRMC Council). Key resilience design strategies include: (1) multi-sourcing; (2) nearshoring/friend-shoring; (3) strategic stockpiling; (4) visibility (SCCT; n-tier); (5) scenario planning (conducted by firms such as FTI Consulting; Kearney; and BCG); (6) digital twins; and (7) AI risk monitoring. In conclusion; SCB Think Tank's advocacy for CSCO risk management is focused on the accelerating global uncertainty stemming from Trump 2.0 tariff uncertainty — with multi-sourcing; nearshoring; visibility; and scenario planning emerging as key strategic priorities for supply chain managers.
Key Takeaways:
1. SCB Think Tank focus: CSCO risk management amid tariff uncertainty.
2. Gartner survey finding: 82% of supply chain leaders allocate resources to the wrong risks.
3. 18% profitability decline: impact of misaligned risk allocation.
4. Leading SCRM software providers: Resilinc; Everstream; Interos.
5. Core resilience strategies: multi-sourcing; nearshoring; visibility.
