According to DP World’s latest research, supply chain disruption is now a constant feature of global trade
Global trade is operating under permanent strain, with new research showing that companies in parts of the Global South are losing months of productivity, millions of dollars and long-term customer trust as supply chain disruption shifts from episodic shock to a defining feature of today’s operating environment.
The Without Logistics report from DP World, based on a global study of 680 senior logistics and supply chain decision-makers across eight industries and nine regions, finds that disruption is now commonplace. However, its impact is deeply uneven, with firms in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the Gulf (GCC) experiencing the longest downtime, the highest costs and the most severe customer fallout.
In these regions, disruption routinely wipes out more than a month of operational capacity every year. The study shows that 83% of firms in SSA, 72% in MENA, and 61% in the GCC lose more than a month of operational time in years affected by major logistics disruption, compared with 50% of firms in North America, 41% in Germany and 36% in the UK.
The financial consequences are equally stark. High-value disruption is concentrated in the same corridors, with nearly half of companies in the GCC (47%) and more than four in ten in MENA (43%) reporting annual disruption costs of $1 million or more. These regions also sit at the top of the range globally for customer complaints, lost business and brand damage, underlining how logistics challenges are now directly eroding commercial performance and reputation.
Beat Simon, Chief Operating Officer – Logistics, DP World, said: “This data shows that supply chain disruption is no longer a temporary shock, it is a recurring drain on growth, profitability and customer trust. In some regions, businesses are effectively planning around the loss of weeks or months of productive time each year.
“What is striking, however, is that the regions under the most pressure are also responding with the greatest urgency. In Sub-Saharan Africa and the GCC, more than nine in ten businesses expect to increase investment in logistics over the next year, and it’s 86% in the Middle East and North Africa. That reflects a clear understanding that resilience is now a competitive necessity, not an optional upgrade.”
The findings also expose two distinct disruption realities across global industries. High-volume sectors such as retail, healthcare and perishables are operating under near-constant turbulence, with retail and healthcare businesses each experiencing around 18,000 disruption events every year.
By contrast, automotive companies face fewer incidents, but when disruption hits, the impact is far more destructive. The average cost per disruption in automotive approaches $1 million, with annual losses estimated at $13 billion, and recovery times stretching far longer than in high-frequency sectors.
The research further shows that resilience is not driven by technology alone, but by the breadth of investment across the supply chain. Companies that strengthen multiple logistics capabilities, from factory logistics and inbound flows to warehousing and digital coordination, report dramatically lower disruption costs than peers with a narrower investment strategies. In consumer goods, firms investing in four or more logistics areas report disruption costs around 76% lower than low-investment competitors.
Customer pain is now close to universal. Across most regions and sectors, 80% to 95% of respondents say logistics disruptions have led to increased customer complaints. However, the study shows that lasting reputational damage is concentrated in specific markets, with Sub-Saharan Africa and France reporting some of the highest levels of brand impact, while firms in North America and the UK report rising complaints but relatively more resilient brand perceptions.
Despite the scale of the challenge, the research finds rare alignment across boardrooms and operations. More than 80% of respondents expect logistics to become a more strategic focus at board level, and nearly 90% agree that businesses with resilient supply chains will significantly outperform their peers in the years ahead.
Overall, the findings point to a clear conclusion: as disruption becomes a permanent feature of global trade, companies that fail to build end-to-end resilience risk falling structurally behind, whilst those that invest decisively stand to protect growth, customer trust and long-term competitiveness.