As we settle into 2026 we’ve already seen disruptive events with impacts on supply chains and adjacent organizations. And it looks like the year is likely to continue with more of the same. There are some trends solidifying, however, and we’ve gathered three of the most important ones to look for (and prepare for) in the coming months.
It’s starting to feel like AI must certainly have reached its saturation point by now, and things as bizarre as AI-enabled toothbrushes might not surprise very many people at this point. However, supply chain management (and particularly the S&OP or IBP that supports SCM) is one area where AI tools—the right AI tools—can facilitate growth, reduce risk, enable end-to-end visibility, and build flexibility and resilience in a volatile global market. So, if you’re not yet a believer in AI-enabled supply chain management platforms and tools, it’s starting to become urgent that you do so.
Supply Chain Management Review agrees, and in fact 12 of the 15 predictions they cite from top supply chain leaders either specifically mention or imply AI integration and growth for 2026. Some highlights include:
The past year is likely to be remembered as the year of the tariff in financial and political circles. Rapidly changing taxes on imported goods and materials from various sources had staggeringly volatile impacts on multiple supply chains worldwide. The unpredictable cost and sourcing resulting from tariff rates, which in some cases increased the price of certain goods by 142% or more overnight, wreaked havoc on companies that rely on certain materials or components from heavily taxed countries. Many businesses tried workarounds such as sourcing from alternate suppliers, absorbing the increased costs to their customers using company reserves, and/or developing domestic alternatives. However, many businesses (and consumers) are in serious trouble financially.
In 2026, these tariff troubles are almost certain to continue, despite a February 21, 2026 US Supreme Court decision stating that President Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs are illegal. Uninformed pundits may speculate that the supply chain and market uncertainty caused by wildly varying tariff rates will dissipate as a result of the decision. Unfortunately, this is almost certainly not the case.
As CNN reported the day the SCOTUS decision came down, “President Donald Trump says he’s signed a 10% global tariff on top of the levies already in place after the Supreme Court ruled that his sweeping emergency tariffs are illegal.” Additionally, by statute, the president’s new levies can take effect for a period of up to 150 days, barring congressional approval for an extension. This means that even if Congress eventually refuses to extend these new post-February 2026 tariffs, they may still legally remain in force for 5 months. At that point, there are multiple options that allow a US president to enact additional tariffs under different legal umbrellas.
As Larry Kudlow of Real Clear Politics explains, SCOTUS’s vote against President Trump’s employment of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, nicknamed Ieepa, is essentially a technical one. Ieepa didn’t specifically mention tariffs, so the Justices voted that they weren’t allowed under that act. But that doesn’t mean the president can’t employ various other means at his disposal to retain, modify, and even increase tariff amounts in the coming months. Kudlow writes, “Mr. Trump is going to use Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which will let him levy up to a 50 percent tariff stretching to about 150 days.” As we mentioned, he immediately did so.
Kudlow continues, “Then under that same Nixonian trade law, Mr. Trump does have the option to use section 301, which is based on unfair trading practices, including currency manipulation. And section 232, which is the ability to use tariffs to deal with national security threats. And you bet he will employ both of those. Which he says are even stronger than Ieepa.”
So it seems clear that the volatile environment resulting from tariffs is going to continue well into 2026, and likely longer.
Despite the supply chain insanity we’ve all had to deal with over the past 5-6 years, most business leaders still don’t fully understand the real impact of supply chain disruptions and volatility. Supply chains have never been designed to be flexible as much as they have been designed to be efficient, essentially prioritized toward taking costs out of the system. This is certainly a worthy pursuit, but it can’t be so myopic as to be the exclusive end goal, especially at the expense of flexibility, adaptability, and resiliency in an increasingly volatile environment.
Rather than simply falling back on costly and often ineffective “more inventory buffer” strategies, what SC leaders and teams need instead is the ability to leverage accurate, real-time data and analytics to intelligently forecast, run more simulations/scenarios, and enable more strategic decisions. This is very difficult with outdated tools including legacy ERP/BI systems.
In the face of disruptions and volatility, dedicated S&OP/IBP platforms can enable cross-functional harmony and planning, analytics-supported strategy, and forward-looking decisions based on real-time data visibility, which can feel like a welcome refuge in the eye of an unpredictable storm.
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