For the fourth time in a row, Alex Van Breedam – professor and mainly full-time ‘supply chain’ entrepreneur and logistics expert – analyzes the past calendar year in detail, including a look ahead to the near and further future. “From 2025 to 2026 – Supply Chains in a World That Refuses to Stabilize” is the name of the new, extensive ‘Masterclass’, which you can consult since this week on the ISCN.Academy website.
“This is the longest annual review I have made since I started it during the Covid period,” he says. “A lot has happened in 2025. We know that we may be at a geopolitical tipping point, but this also leaves its mark on the ‘supply chains’. One of the most important conclusions is that ‘supply chains’ are increasingly being used as a weapon. As a political instrument. The importance of ‘supply chains’ has only increased.”
“This also means that companies today have to manage the ‘supply chain’ from the boardroom, because it is of strategic importance. This certainly applies to companies that work with rare materials, but also batteries, semiconductors or use a lot of energy. In that case, your ‘supply chain’ is very vulnerable and you should certainly control it from your boardroom.”
“Many conflicts in this world are also related to rare materials, semiconductors and energy. Such conflicts are therefore also dependent on critical ‘supply chains’.”
‘Supply chain resilience’ strategy
In addition, the climate plays a major role. “We are increasingly seeing that ‘supply chains’ are indeed interrupted by climate problems,” adds Alex Van Breedam. “Many ports are already located in vulnerable areas today. All this means that by 2025 we will have seen many examples of where things are going wrong. And the more things go wrong, the better we have to arm ourselves as a company. Our ‘supply chain resilience’ strategy will therefore become crucial. That is not a loose series of initiatives and investments based on disruptions that you are confronted with. No, such a strategy is really a deliberate choice. You must create resilience based on a ‘cost-of-resilience mindset’ to to be able to handle all types of disruptions that come your way, including disruptions that have not yet occurred.”
To increase that ‘resilience’, companies must closely monitor cooperation with their partners. Alex Van Breedam: “There is a tendency to put pressure on your suppliers in the current, shrinking market, because they may be able to deliver cheaper. But is that the right choice? No, perhaps this is the time to enter into long-term partnerships. Because in the event of disruption, your partners can help you overcome it. Because they can add more capacity, deploy other routes or offer other buildings at times of great volatility or disruptions. You only have that with long-term partnerships, where there is a lot of trust between each other.”
Alex Van Breedam also points out the increasing importance of collaboration between people and technology. “That’s about efficiency and smart cost savings. Companies must choose and use the right technology. And they must train their people to improve that collaboration.”
“We do not know what disruptions and unforeseen circumstances will come our way in 2026. That is why we must ensure today that we are strong and resilient to cope with those disruptions later.”
View and/or read the entire Masterclass here: “From 2025 to 2026 – Supply Chains in a World That Refuses to Stabilize”.
