• Supply chain disruption is a persistent challenge for North American cargo owners, with 38 percent losing at least US$1 million annually and half reporting more than a month of operational downtime in highly disrupted years, according to DP World. While 71 percent cite increased customer complaints, only 41 percent see damage to brand reputation, and confidence in logistics partners remains relatively high at 83 percent.
• Firms are shifting investment toward resilience rather than cost-cutting alone, with 65 percent planning higher overall logistics spend in the next year and 78 percent targeting AI, automation, and digital tools over three years. High-frequency disruption affects sectors such as retail, healthcare, and perishables, driven by climate events, technology failures, and infrastructure breakdowns, while automotive and technology face fewer but costlier incidents.
• Broad, multi-area logistics investment yields the greatest resilience benefits. Companies spreading resources across warehousing, factory logistics, inbound flows, and digital coordination report significant disruption cost reductions — up to 87 percent in retail — with sustainability initiatives also contributing to lower operational losses.

For North American cargo owners, disruption isn’t an outlier — it’s part of the operating environment. According to DP World’s Without Logistics report, 38 percent of firms in the region report losing at least US$1 million a year due to supply chain disruption. Half say they’ve lost more than a month of operational time during particularly disrupted years.

While disruption levels in North America aren’t as severe as in some regions — notably Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East — the cumulative impact is clear. Delays, downtime, and damage to customer experience are all becoming harder to avoid.

Complaints rise, reputations hold — for now

The report highlights a gap between customer dissatisfaction and brand damage. In North America, 71 percent of firms say disruption has led to increased customer complaints, yet only 41 percent believe it has harmed their brand image. Just over half say their reputation with supply chain partners has suffered.

Confidence in logistics partners is relatively strong. 83 percent of North American cargo owners say they trust their providers to support business needs — a figure higher than in many other regions.

Investment shifts toward resilience

Facing ongoing pressure, many firms are adjusting their logistics strategies. In North America, 65 percent expect to increase their overall logistics spend in the next year. 78 percent plan to boost investment in AI, automation, and digital logistics tools over the next three years.

According to the report, these priorities are tied to a growing focus on delivery reliability and customer expectations, rather than cost-cutting alone. Companies are also investing to build greater domestic resilience.

High-frequency disruption across key sectors

The report distinguishes between two types of disruption: chronic and catastrophic. High-volume sectors such as retail, healthcare, and perishables fall into the first category, dealing with frequent, repeated shocks.

Globally, retail and healthcare firms each report around 18,000 disruption events per year, while perishables companies report the highest recurrence across several disruption types.

– 48 percent have faced climate-related disruption six or more times in the last three years.

– 34 percent report frequent technology or systems failures.

– 29 percent cite repeated infrastructure breakdowns.

These sectors operate in a state of “near constant turbulence,” the report notes, managing persistent operational friction that rarely makes headlines but continuously strains performance.

By contrast, automotive and technology firms experience fewer disruption events, but when disruption does occur, it is more expensive and harder to recover from. In automotive, the average cost per incident is around US$1 million, with estimated annual disruption losses of US$13 billion. About one in five companies in both the automotive and perishables sectors say it takes more than three months to recover.

Broader investment, better results

One of the report’s clearest findings is that resilience isn’t just about buying new technology. Firms that spread their investment across multiple logistics areas — from warehousing and factory logistics to digital coordination — report significantly lower disruption costs.

In consumer goods, companies investing in four or more logistics areas reduce disruption costs by 76 percent.

In perishables, that figure is 69 percent for firms investing across five to seven areas.

In retail, strengthening input planning and factory-level logistics brings cost reductions of nearly 87 percent.

Even sustainability initiatives are linked to resilience gains, with a reported 41 percent reduction in disruption costs.

The report concludes: “There is no single technology silver bullet. The most resilient firms are those that strengthen factory logistics, inbound flows and warehousing, and then use digital tools to coordinate those assets more effectively.”

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