84% of chief supply chain officers now rank resilience and optionality above cost reduction as the primary supply-chain priority, according to DP World's Global Trade Observatory.

The figure comes from the CSCO Pulse Report 2026, built on an August survey of 103 chief supply chain officers across 14 markets and nine industries. It marks a measurable break from the cost-first playbook that shaped networks through the post-pandemic recovery.

"Global trade is not standing still, and neither are the supply chains that underpin it," said Yuvraj Narayan, Group CEO of DP World. "Businesses are responding to uncertainty not by retreating from growth, but by creating more choices about where they source, how they move goods and how they reach customers."

What is changing in how networks are designed?

DP World frames the shift as a move "from optimisation to optionality." Instead of designing networks for the lowest landed cost, supply-chain leaders are building viable alternatives they can switch between as trade rules, tariffs, demand patterns and geopolitics shift.

For shippers, that reopens carrier selection, lane planning and inventory policy from scratch. For ocean carriers, it signals fewer single-lane committed contracts. For forwarders, it raises the value of multi-lane, multi-mode product offerings.

How quickly are supply chains being redesigned?

The survey points to a broad-based retooling already underway:

• 71% of CSCOs plan to diversify their supplier base within 12 months
• 86% say access to alternative and multimodal trade routes is becoming a competitive advantage
• CSCOs are reassessing inventory positioning, production locations and sourcing strategies

The multimodal angle is the most operationally concrete. Shifting boxes between ocean, rail, road and air as conditions change requires intermodal capacity, port hinterland connectivity and real-time visibility — capabilities many networks still have in short supply.

What role are CSCOs playing in growth strategy?

The report quantifies a structural change in the role. 93% of respondents say their influence on business growth has expanded over the past three years, with CSCOs now sitting in decisions on market entry, capital investment and risk tolerance.

"The role of the Chief Supply Chain Officer is changing with that environment," Narayan said. "Supply-chain decisions increasingly shape where a business can grow, how quickly it can enter new markets and how effectively it can respond when circumstances change."

That shift pulls supply-chain data — lane risk, supplier concentration, carbon intensity — into board-level reporting, and the CSCO closer to the CFO and chief commercial officer than to procurement.

What capabilities will CSCOs demand from partners?

DP World highlights three capabilities the survey flags as increasingly critical: digital integration across trading partners, end-to-end shipment visibility, and lower-carbon supply chains. The report treats these as baseline expectations rather than differentiators.

For 3PLs, carriers and forwarders, the operational test is concrete. Customers will expect API-grade integration, real-time container and emissions data, and reporting that meets disclosure regimes in the EU, UK and California. Operators without those capabilities face displacement.

What should shippers watch next?

Diversification and optionality only work if the alternative routes, ports and modes can absorb the volume. The next 12 months will test whether rail, road and secondary-port capacity can scale fast enough for the 71% pursuing supplier diversification — and whether they can do so without inflating landed costs.