Feature, Freight News, Logistics

Supply Chain Leaders Find Fulfillment, Report

[ August 29, 2025   //   Gary Burrows ]

Supply chain professionals showed confidence in their fulfillment systems for 2025, said Deposco, the supply chain software provider, in its newly released Peak Season Confidence Report 2025: How 26 Percent of Leaders Plan to Outperform the Competition.

The report said 84 percent of respondents expressed confidence in their fulfillment systems. It marked a 28-point confidence swing from 2024, when 70 percent of executives entered peak season confident, but only 42 percent achieved successful performance.

These findings show organizations have evolved from reactive crisis management to proactive strategic development. Only 46 percent expect 2025 to be more challenging than 2024, compared to 77 percent who anticipated increased difficulty last year, Deposco said.

As supply chain leaders shift toward long-term stability, they are prioritizing resilience building and forecasting accuracy over quick fixes, the company said. Strategic investment priorities have fundamentally changed from the crisis mentality that characterized previous years.

The report identifies these top priorities:

• Building supply chain resilience, 34 percent.

• Improving forecasting accuracy, 34 percent.

• Diversifying supplier base away from risk concentrations – at 72 percent, the highest-priority disruption mitigation strategy identified.

Furthermore, 76 percent expect to outperform competitors, while 66 percent anticipate better profit margins despite ongoing cost pressures.

To achieve this, leaders are prioritizing technology investments that have evolved from experimental adoption to strategic integration:

• Prioritize real-time cost tracking and margin analysis leads improvement priorities, 32 percent.

• Focus on multiregion supplier management and risk assessment, 30 percent.

• Prioritize technology integration for data visibility, 30 percent.

“This shift from reactive tactics to proactive strategy extends across all operational areas,” says Josh Lett, senior vice president of customer experience at Deposco. “Organizations are no longer asking ‘How do we survive this peak season?’ but rather: ‘How do we build capabilities that make us stronger regardless of what peak season brings?’ “

While supply chain leaders identify workforce management as a critical area, their strategies have shifted toward sophisticated, multi-faceted approaches rather than simply hiring more people. Companies are emphasizing workforce optimization alongside investments in strategic capabilities:

• Cross-training existing workers for maximum flexibility, 88 percent.

• Hiring seasonal workers earlier to ensure adequate training time, 78 percent.

• Increasing compensation to attract and retain quality talent, 76 percent.

The full report is available for download here: https://bit.ly/41KeDgP.

Tags: Deposco