Alpega Releases Trend Report 2026

The global logistics sector is at a turning point. After years of instability marked by geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, increasing regulatory requirements, and a structural labor shortage, it is clear: resilience is no longer a random product, but a designed process. Alpega’s trend report “Designing for Disruption 2026” provides a rare clear insight into how companies need to restructure to survive in an era of permanent uncertainty.

(Dortmund) The decades-long focus on efficiency is rapidly losing significance. Instead, speed, flexibility, and risk minimization are coming to the forefront. More and more manufacturers are relocating production and procurement structures closer to their sales markets – a step that not only shortens transport routes but also makes supply chains more resilient to political and economic shocks. At the same time, the importance of digital transparency systems is growing, sharpening the view on risks, capacities, and real-time data.

The increasing density of regulations – from the EU deforestation regulation to CBAM and stricter customs requirements – forces companies to treat compliance no longer as a back-office issue. Those who do not have their origin data, classifications, or supplier proofs under control risk double-digit million losses today. The report shows: The next few years will reward those companies that strategically anchor compliance rather than just manage it.

Few issues shape logistics as strongly as the labor shortage. Carriers cite it as the biggest risk for 2026. Companies are responding with a paradigm shift: they are designing warehouse and transport networks more strongly according to the available labor potential – while simultaneously relying on scalable automation solutions that provide short-term support and create long-term independence.

AI Becomes the Co-Pilot – Not a Replacement

Artificial intelligence is reaching the operational reality of logistics. AI optimizes load utilization, predicts disruptions, and supports tactical decisions. It proves particularly efficient in load planning: increases of 20 to 30 percent in truck utilization are already a reality in initial projects. At the same time, experts emphasize that AI complements human judgment, rather than replacing it. New role profiles are emerging, characterized by data competence, process understanding, and scenario planning.

With ETS2, rising CO₂ costs, and stricter sustainability requirements, the pressure to systematically reduce emissions is increasing. Leading companies are already integrating CO₂ criteria into tenders, making mode shifts verifiable, and using biofuels or electrification as a competitive advantage. Sustainability is thus increasingly becoming an economic factor – not a moral one.

Readiness Gap: Knowing Sooner, but Not Responding Faster

The report reveals an ambivalent reality: companies have access to increasingly better data and warning systems – yet many lack clearly defined processes to respond quickly in emergencies. Missing incident manuals, weak failover mechanisms, or unclear responsibilities mean that the time to recover in a crisis remains longer than it should be.

Resilience is Created Through Design, Not Hope

The message of the trend report is clear: 2026 will be a year that determines who is ready for the next disruption – and who will pay dearly for it. Companies that modernize their networks, think strategically about compliance, use AI purposefully, and integrate ecological criteria into procurement will emerge strengthened from the change. The time for reacting is over. Now is the time for designing.

Photo: © Alpega