How Supply Chain Leaders Can Turn Fast Decision-Making Into Competitive Advantage

After a decade of supply chain disruption, building resilience has become table stakes for U.S. manufacturers, with more OEMs looking to reshore production and supply chain diversification at record highs.

While tariffs may be the number-one driver behind these mounting efforts, the top benefit of reshoring, according to the 2026 USA Reshoring Survey Report, is one that often went underappreciated in the years when resilience dominated every supply chain meeting: improved speed to market.

In other words, with supply chain resilience now the new norm, speed is the next big differentiator — and cost-saver. Another new report found that 94% of manufacturers saw their freight spend exceed budgets due to disruption in the past year, with an average overrun of 10%.

The financial benefits that come with speed are intuitive: When a port backs up, the company that confirms production continuity within 48 hours can take market share before its competitors. When a new tariff or commodity spike is identified early, preauthorized sources can redirect volume before the cost lands in the P&. And when a supply chain can move quickly, working capital tied up in resilience efforts can be deployed elsewhere.

This story was originally published by SupplyChainBrain. Read the full story at SupplyChainBrain →