Strengthening a global supply chain: diversifying into new markets and territories
Navigating international expansion amid rising complexity
Drawing on insights from our 2026 C-suite barometer and expert perspectives across regions and industries, the report highlights how businesses are balancing operational priorities, compliance requirements and rapidly evolving technologies as they expand into new markets and territories.
While the key challenges of international expansion - spanning compliance, tax, technology and a step-change in supply chain complexity - may appear manageable in isolation, they are deeply interconnected. When necessary steps are mistimed or omitted, these factors can quickly increase complexity and risk.
“Agility is everything in supply chains. The best people do not just follow process; they respond to shocks in real time and build up muscle memory through lived experience. You cannot train that instinct overnight, but you can create the conditions for it to thrive.”
—— Matt Dalton, Partner, Forvis Mazars in the UK
Focusing on operations, compliance and technology, the report outlines how organisations can effectively restructure their supply chains to support international growth. It highlights practical approaches that lead to success, the missteps to avoid and the issues that most often require sustained management focus.
- 66% of executives say their top supply chain investment priority is related to international expansion or market diversification
- 48% of companies report increased transparency and reporting requirements as the measure having the most positive impact on supply chains
Key findings from the report:
- Resilience is overtaking cost as the organising principle of supply chains: international expansion is testing cost optimised models, pushing resilience to the centre of operational decision making.
- Operational execution matters more than structural design: supply chain performance is shaped less by redesign and more by how sourcing, inventory and footprints are managed day to day.
- Compliance is becoming part of everyday supply chain management: cross border expansion is making regulation inseparable from routine operational choices rather than a separate control.
- Sustainability regulation is accelerating transparency demands: expanding mandates are driving deeper scrutiny of suppliers and upstream risk.
- Technology is essential for visibility and control at scale: limited insight beyond tier one suppliers is making integrated data and digital
“Geopolitical risk, transport cost variations and climate change are all important. Companies are using strategic inventory buffers and predictive analytics to build resilience into supply chains.”
—— Laurent Caporossi, Partner, Forvis Mazars in France
