Disruption is the new operating environment
Supply chain disruption is no longer something you recover from — it is something you must continuously manage.
Pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, climate events, cyberattacks, and trade wars now occur simultaneously and repeatedly. In 2024, disruption incidents rose by 38%. In 2025, alerts increased by another 33%, reaching nearly 59,000 worldwide.
Supply chain resilience is no longer defensive. It is a strategic advantage.
A world of permanent disruption
COVID-19 exposed structural weaknesses
COVID-19 revealed long-standing vulnerabilities:
- Overreliance on single-source suppliers
- Just-in-time inventory with no buffers
- Concentrated production locations
Short-term decisions, such as cancelled semiconductor orders, caused long-term effects. When demand rebounded, many industries lacked critical components.
Efficiency without resilience creates systemic risk.
The Red Sea crisis and maritime disruption
Since late 2023, attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping. By October 2024, over 190 attacks were recorded.
Carriers rerouted ships around Africa, adding 10+ days to transit times and increasing costs. China–Europe container rates rose by 250%, while Suez Canal traffic fell by 50%.
Impacts included:
- Automotive production delays
- Retail delivery warnings
- Component shortages and plant shutdowns
By the end of 2024, 76% of European shippers reported ongoing disruption.
Geopolitics and rising costs
Geopolitical instability continues to reshape supply chains:
- Sanctions linked to the Russia–Ukraine conflict
- Middle East instability
- Escalating U.S.–China trade tensions
In 2025, tariffs of up to 25% increased logistics costs by 10–15% for about 60% of U.S. companies. Global shipping costs rose 12%.
These pressures force companies to rethink sourcing, inventory, and network design.
Climate events and cyber risks
Extreme weather disrupted production and logistics across Europe and South Asia in 2024–2025.
Cyberattacks also increased:
- Automotive plants shut down after attacks
- A major food distributor experienced nationwide stockouts.
Disruption is now continuous and unavoidable.
What resilience really means
Resilience is not about eliminating risk. It means absorbing shocks, adapting quickly, and continuing operations.
Leading organisations embed resilience into daily operations, not just crisis plans.
Proven strategies to build resilience
Diversify suppliers and sourcing
Overdependence on single suppliers or regions is a major risk.
Resilient organisations:
- Qualify alternative suppliers
- Map dependencies beyond tier-1
- Maintain targeted safety stock
Between 2024 and 2025, companies increased strategic inventory buffers by 14%.
Accelerate nearshoring and reshoring
Companies are shifting to shorter, more controllable supply chains.
Benefits include:
- Shorter lead times
- Lower transport risk
- Better quality control
- Reduced emissions
Automation helps offset higher labour costs in local production.
Invest in end-to-end visibility
You cannot manage what you cannot see.
Resilience requires real-time visibility of:
- Inventory
- Shipments
- Supplier performance
- Order-to-delivery cycles
This enables faster, proactive decision-making.
Use AI and digital twins
AI is now widely applied in supply chains.
Key uses:
- Predictive analytics
- Improved demand forecasting
- Digital twins to simulate disruptions
Digital twins allow teams to test scenarios without real-world risk, improving response speed and accuracy.
Process mining: turning strategy into action
Many organisations know what to do, but not where to start.
Process mining analyses ERP and operational data to show how processes actually run.
It delivers 20–40% logistics cost reductions in many cases.
What process mining delivers
- Process discovery: visualise real workflows
- Conformance checking: detect deviations
- Automation and alerts: trigger actions
- AI prediction: anticipate failures
Process mining for supply chains
It enables organisations to:
- Analyse supplier performance
- Optimise inventory
- Enforce procurement compliance
- Improve logistics efficiency
- Reduce lead times
It creates a shared, objective view of supply chain operations.
Example: maverick buying
Maverick buying — purchasing outside approved processes — creates hidden risks.
Process mining helps:
- Reduce cost and risk through compliance
- Identify and onboard alternative suppliers
Prequalified alternatives are critical when suppliers become unavailable.
How Quinaptis helps
Quinaptis combines:
- SAP supply chain expertise (EWM, TM, MM, SD)
- Process mining capabilities
- Implementation experience across the Benelux
We help organisations understand their supply chains, identify risks, and implement targeted improvements without added complexity.
Want to identify your biggest vulnerabilities?
Contact Quinaptis to explore how process mining and AI can strengthen your supply chain resilience.