The Cheapest Supply Chain Could Be Your Most Expensive Mistake

Manufacturers have spent years optimizing supply chains for one variable: purchase price. The logic seemed sound. Lower input costs meant higher margins, and global trade was predictable enough to justify sourcing from the cheapest available supplier. That assumption is now under strain. The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply reports that short-term concern about supply chain disruption stood at 4.95 on a seven-point scale in Q2 2026, down from a record 5.69 in Q1 but still higher than any reading in the previous two-and-a-half years. The easing does not signal stability. It signals a new normal of elevated risk. Procurement…