Pressure on profitability, the generalized increase in costs and the difficulties in obtaining transport are consolidating as the major risk and challenge areas for supply chain managers, according to the study "Perspectivas para la cadena de suministro 2026", presented at the 16th Aecoc Supply Chain Congress.
The document indicates that 68% of companies place the profitability of operations among their top priorities, ahead of the adoption of new technologies and digitalization, with 64%, and the improvement of service levels, with 57%.
Even so, six out of ten companies admit that they do not achieve their service objectives, which highlights the complexity of gaining efficiency without deteriorating operational quality.
72% of organizations consider the difficulty of finding transport as one of the main risks to the stability and proper performance of the supply chain, followed by inflation and the increase in costs, cited by 70%. In addition, 49% mention absenteeism at work and 45% geopolitical instability and obstacles to international trade.
Given this scenario, companies are reinforcing the idea of working more closely with all links in the chain. Thus, 70% see improving collaboration with suppliers as the most relevant lever to reduce risks, ahead of the development of automation solutions, cited by 51%, and strengthening supply chain visibility, with 41%.
Transport is consolidating as the cost that more companies perceive as rising, with 81% of responses. Next are personnel and labor, with 47%, and energy, with 38%. This trend contrasts with the data from 2025, when personnel and labor headed the list, with 87%, compared with the 69% that mentioned transport.
Looking ahead to the next three years, companies anticipate a volatile international context. 80% believe that international armed conflicts will have a notable effect on their supply chain, while 52% point to tensions on key maritime routes and 49% to tariffs and new trade barriers.
ABSENTEEISM AT WORK GROWS
Added to these problems is the advance of labor absenteeism, which continues to increase for three out of four surveyed companies. Half place their absenteeism levels between 6% and 10%, and 25% locate them between 11% and 15%.
In 2024, the days lost to absenteeism stood at 7.56% in warehouses and at 6.46% in transport, compared with the national average of 5.94%. Since 2018, absenteeism has grown by 69% in storage activities and by 49% in transport.
The study also reflects differences in the type of leaves. In warehouses, short-term absences are especially repeated, while long-term ones are growing, whereas in transport the leaves are fewer in number but tend to last longer, with a notable increase in long-term cases.
The report also notes that technological transformation is gaining prominence on corporate roadmaps. Three out of four companies continue increasing their investment in technology in the logistics and operations areas, seeking to improve their capacity to anticipate and respond to possible disruptions.
Among the main lines of action, 50% are opting for technologies to anticipate incidents, 42% for automation and robotization and 38% for the development of contingency plans.
Artificial intelligence is also advancing positions, as 85% say they apply it in the logistics field, compared with 30% recorded in 2025. Its use is concentrated in demand forecasting and planning and in process automation. However, implementation is not uniform: 62% report occasional use, while 38% have extended use.
As for the strategic priorities for the next three years, business growth tops the list, with 63% of responses, followed by digitalization (59%), cost reduction (49%) and resilience and risk management (41%).
The regulatory framework is also emerging as a decisive factor for the future of the sector. 76% of companies identify the European packaging regulation as one of the rules with the greatest expected impact over a three-year horizon, while 67% highlight the Sustainable Mobility Law and 58% the European emissions trading system applied to road transport, known as ETS 2.