Tariffs, AI and centralization key trends for supply chains in 2026, says KPMG report

Supply chain leaders should brace for another year of sustained disruption in 2026, with KPMG releasing its six emerging trends expected to reshape strategy, technology adoption and risk management across global supply networks.

According to the new outlook on supply chain operations, organizations are likely to move beyond a narrow focus on resilience toward delivering “Total Value,” a concept that emphasizes enterprise-wide value creation rather than simply mitigating disruption. The approach integrates performance, experience and operational outcomes across the business.

The report also points to the growing integration of supply chain functions into Global Business Services (GBS) models, following earlier consolidation of finance, HR and IT. Centralizing supply chain operations is expected to help large organizations drive cost efficiencies, scale analytics and improve end-to-end visibility, risk governance and decision-making. Over time, this could include standardized planning, integrated logistics control towers, e-commerce and self-service capabilities.

Artificial intelligence is expected to move beyond pilot projects in 2026, becoming embedded in core platforms such as source-to-pay, planning and risk management systems. More advanced organizations are forecast to reach “connected intelligence,” linking AI across supply chain, procurement, finance, ESG, HR and customer systems to create increasingly autonomous operations.

Procurement is also expected to undergo significant change through the use of agentic AI. These systems are beginning to autonomously manage tasks such as issuing requests for proposals, evaluating suppliers, monitoring risk, managing contracts and executing pre-approved negotiation playbooks as procurement platforms evolve toward extreme automation.

Measurement frameworks are also expanding, as traditional supply chain metrics give way to broader indicators tied to visibility, resilience, AI decision accuracy, digital twin performance, human-machine collaboration, cybersecurity, ESG compliance and multimodal transportation performance. The report notes that these metrics reflect the growing strategic importance and complexity of modern supply chains.

Finally, continued tariffs, protectionism and trade disruption are expected to remain a persistent challenge in 2026. KPMG advises supply chain leaders to prioritize agility by diversifying suppliers, adjusting production footprints and using digital tools such as tariff-management platforms and AI-driven scenario modelling to better understand landed costs and policy impacts.

The outlook concludes that while instability is likely to remain a constant, sustained investment in strategy, technology and data will be critical to strengthening supply chain performance and business value.

Visit here for the full report.