A wide-ranging report recently issued by Dubai, United Emirates-based global logistics and ports services provider DP World examined the impact logistics disruption can have on the bottom line for shippers’ global supply chain operations.
Findings for the report, entitled “Without Logistics Global Report,” were based on feedback from a global survey of 680 senior logistics and supply chain decision-makers across eight industries and nine regions.
Beat Simon, Global Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Operating Officer-Logistics, DP World, wrote in the report that the responses DP World received for the report paint what he called an unsettling picture of disruption that is no longer exceptional but common.
“The consequences of geopolitics, climate events, labor shortages, congestion and critical infrastructure failures are keeping cargo owners in firefighting mode with little time to recover,” he said. “It’s a pattern of strain that impacts everyone involved and demands a different way of thinking about logistics.”
A key takeaway of the report observed more than half—52%—of global companies stated they lose more than a month of operational time per year due to logistics disruption. Which it noted has become a recurring theme of global trade, as opposed to an outlier, adding that, to counter that, what shippers need to do is plan for disruption as a constant condition.
“Preparation starts with visibility through understanding where goods are, where risks are emerging and how quickly networks can adapt when conditions change,” Simon told LM. “The research highlights the importance of investing across the end-to-end supply chain, rather than focusing on single bottlenecks, and designing networks that can reroute, rebalance inventory or shift modes when disruption hits.”
The report observed that consumer goods sector firms investing in four or more logistics areas see significantly lower disruption costs, at 76%.
“The biggest reductions in disruption costs occur when companies invest across multiple logistics touchpoints rather than relying on single, isolated fixes,” said Simon. “In the consumer goods sector, this typically includes areas such as inbound and outbound logistics, factory-adjacent logistics, warehousing, port and terminal operations, and digital coordination that connects the entire network.”
And Simon added that DP World’s findings suggest that this diversified investment approach consistently delivers lower downtime and faster recovery across sectors, with the same pattern appearing in automotive, retail, and industrial supply chains—even though the specific pressure points differ.
“To drive broader adoption, the report makes clear that companies need better visibility into how logistics investments translate into operational resilience,” observed Simon. “When logistics is viewed as an integrated system, spanning physical infrastructure, services and data, the business case becomes clearer. This is where end-to-end trade enablers like DP World play a role, helping companies move from fragmented logistics decisions to coordinated, network-wide resilience strategies.”
As for some of the most common examples of logistics “disruption events,” cited in the report, Simon explained that the report’s respondents have consistently pointed to port congestion, customs, and border delays, labor shortages, climate-related disruption, geopolitical events, and technology or systems failures.
What stands out, he noted, is not just the frequency of these events, but their compounding effect.
“Many companies report facing several of these disruptions at the same time or in quick succession,” he said. “This reinforces the report’s core conclusion: logistics disruption is no longer episodic—it is a persistent operating environment that requires systemic, long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes.”
