Supply Chain Challenges and Solutions Outlined in Capgemini Report

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The Capgemini Research Institute has released a new report, “New-Generation Supply Chain: Connecting the Links to Reach Common Goals,” that surveyed 1000 senior executives across four key sectors in 13 countries to discover the reasons why supply chain resilience is a strategic imperative amid geopolitical conflicts and shifts in trade policies. Next-generation supply chains that are agile, sustainable, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered were listed as a current top three tech priority for 70% of life sciences organizations polled in the report (1).

Does the report have any significant revelations?

A similar percentage (72%) of organizations said they have made significant progress in transforming their supply chains in the three years leading up to the release of the report (up 18 percentage points from 54% in 2022), and almost as high a percentage as that (68%) said they have set a clear vision and objectives for their supply chain (up 33 points from 35% in 2022) (1).

Another key finding in the report is that AI systems, including agentic AI, are increasingly reshaping company operations. Two-thirds (67%) of the executives surveyed said they believed that agentic AI would increase productivity, with 58% being confident it would transform frameworks for supply chains (1). Already, the report said, nearly 1 in 10 life sciences organizations have implemented multi-agent systems or are using AI agents in some way.

That is a timely statistic; on Sept. 4, 2025, the nonprofit Pistoia Alliance said it would be establishing a new initiative bringing together experts from the pharmaceutical, technology, and biotech industries to help shape certain standards and protocols under which AI agents will be allowed to perform (2).

Where do cybersecurity and sustainability rank as priorities?

While supply chains are named by organizations as a prospective top priority going forward, companies and their executives who were surveyed, overwhelmingly, already include cybersecurity high on their list of concerns. For life sciences, more than three-quarters of respondents cite cybersecurity as a major challenge to their supply chains, the highest percentage of all industries polled (1). More organizations are investing in real-time threat monitoring and supplier diversification.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical climate thus far in 2025 is also something organizations are keeping their eyes on. Many, according to the report, have put tariff mitigation strategies in effect to protect their operations and profit margins in response to the shifting trade policies between the United States and other countries (1).

As organizations adopt various practices, including AI, to become more efficient, sustainability is seen as a key driver. The survey said that 76% of organizations have a comprehensive strategy in place for supply chain sustainability, and a similar percentage agrees that sustainable practices not only reduce costs but also deliver increased value in the long term (1). Nearly as many (71%) feel that the value provided by those sustainability initiatives outweighs the potential costs.

What is necessary to build a future-ready supply chain?

To navigate disruption and build new- or next-generation supply chains, the report suggests that organizations take the following steps:

• make resilience a continual strategic priority
• adopt active risk management to keep ahead of threats
• implement human-centered agentic AI as a means of strengthening governance
• build sustainable, competitive supply chains through collaboration
• leverage AI to establish robust data foundations while implementing cybersecurity protocols
• encourage cross-functional alignment for the purpose of creating solutions alongside suppliers (1).

The full Capgemini report is available in PDF form at this link; a detailed infographic summarizing the key findings can be accessed here.

References

1. Roelofsen, V.; Charpiot, V.; Elasri, I.; et al. New-Generation Supply Chain: Connecting the Links to Reach Common Goals. Capgemini Research Institute, September 2025.
2. Pistoia Alliance. Pistoia Alliance Unveils Agentic AI Initiative and Seeks Industry Funding to Drive Safe Adoption. Press Release. Sept. 4, 2025.