78% of Companies Expect More Years of Chaos: You Still Optimizing for Stability?

Maersk surveyed 900 European companies and found 78% expect geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and trade regulations to impact operations for 12 to 24 months. Four in five recognize supply chain challenges directly limit business growth. Nearly half expressed deep concern about geopolitical climate. The survey confirms disruption is the new baseline, not a temporary condition.

Three out of four companies are diversifying sourcing geographies, up from 53% in 2024. Four in five are strengthening relationships with logistics providers and key suppliers. Three in five invest in visibility and agility tools. Companies stopped waiting for stability and now restructure operations assuming volatility persists indefinitely.

For US companies, the implications mirror European findings. American manufacturers face identical pressures from tariff uncertainty and trade policy shifts. The April tariff announcements left supply chain managers sleepless, affecting US companies as severely as European ones. The response strategies emerging in Europe apply equally to US operations.

Non-US companies selling into US markets confront compounding complexity. They navigate both domestic supply chain challenges and US import uncertainty simultaneously. A European manufacturer faces EU regulatory changes, Red Sea routing disruptions, and US tariff volatility in the same supply chain. The survey's finding that companies diversify sourcing reflects this reality: single-region concentration creates unacceptable vulnerability.

The shift from reactive to proactive management reflects fundamental acceptance that optimization for efficiency created fragility. Companies built global networks assuming stable trade relationships and predictable shipping routes. Those assumptions failed. The jump from 53% to 75% of companies pursuing geographic diversification in one year represents strategic recognition that concentration risk became operational reality. Maersk's customs chief stated waiting is the worst response, and the data confirms companies succeeding are those building resilience through diversified sourcing and enhanced visibility.

Find the full report here: From Uncertainty to Opportunity

In a world of black swans and cascading disruptions, this is what resilience in action looks like.