Resilience Is the New KPI

The past few years have redefined what it means to manage supply chains.

“It’s been another tough year in operations,” says Sarah Mithani. “But resiliency isn’t just about surviving disruption — it’s about building the systems and teams that bounce back stronger.”

In this interactive session, Jade and Sarah share new research, real-world case studies, and data-driven insights from over 300 brands across North America.

Inside the 2025 State of Supply Chain Report

Sage’s annual report — surveying companies from $1M to $500M in revenue — shows a mixed picture:

• 21% of brands feel extremely confident in handling disruptions

• 41% are somewhat confident

• 38% admit they’re not ready at all

Confidence correlates directly with technology investment.

“The 22% of brands that increased supply chain tech spend this year also ranked highest in resilience,” notes Thomas.

Meanwhile, 43% of brands are still running on manual systems and spreadsheets — creating blind spots, inefficiency, and missed opportunities.

When Visibility Breaks, Customers Notice

Thomas shares a simple but powerful example: a luggage brand that lost holiday sales after stockouts due to poor supply visibility.

“If your first mile fails, your customer experience fails,” she says. “When that product is sold out, they’ll find it somewhere else.”

Resilience, she adds, starts where most brands don’t look closely enough — at the first mile.

From Disruption to Diversification

Mithani introduces a core theme: supplier diversification as a resilience multiplier.

Brands that rely on a single supplier face exponential risk.

“Single sourcing is like walking a tightrope without a net,” she says.

Examples abound:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (2016): Single-source battery failure cost $5B+ in losses.

• Cotton Ban in Xinjiang (2021): Apparel giants like Nike and H&M faced sudden production freezes and PR fallout.

• Semiconductor bottlenecks: Intel’s early dominance slowed PC innovation until AMD and TSMC diversified the market.

Case Study: Cake’s Body

A viral DTC brand selling skincare products faced cascading delays due to reliance on a single supplier.

After implementing Sage Supply Chain Intelligence’s sourcing tools:

• They diversified suppliers in weeks

• Improved capacity by 140%

• Secured better pricing and quality

• Eliminated recurring stockouts

“Their first mile became a competitive advantage,” says Thomas.

Case Study: Native

Even major brands aren’t immune.

Native, now part of Procter & Gamble, was missing POs due to email overload and fragmented systems.

“Every order had a 50-reply email chain,” recalls Mithani.

By integrating Sage Supply Chain Intelligence’s shared dashboard:

• Teams now share live KPIs

• Suppliers and buyers collaborate in real-time

• Annual supplier reviews turned into daily visibility

“It went from us vs. them to let’s solve this together,” says Mithani.

The Five Pillars of Resilient Supplier Partnerships

• Define roles early. Clear responsibilities prevent future conflict.

• Agree on shared KPIs. Transparency turns accountability into partnership.

• Centralize communication. Replace 50 email threads with one source of truth.

• Audit regularly. Build trust through in-person connection and verification.

• Invest in the right technology. Visibility is only as strong as your tech stack.

The Power of the Right Tech

Thomas introduces Sage’s Request for Quote (RFQ) Tool, a first-mile sourcing platform integrating AI-driven bid comparison and supplier insights.

“It’s not a nice-to-have — it’s the backbone of resilient sourcing,” she says.

Brands can now:

• Send and track multiple supplier quotes in one dashboard

• Convert RFQs into purchase orders instantly

• Benchmark supplier performance and pricing

• Automate visibility between procurement, finance, and logistics

From Data to Velocity

The message is simple: connected data drives confident decisions.

“When your tech stack talks to itself, you move faster,” says Mithani.

Resilience isn’t just about flexibility — it’s about visibility that creates velocity.

Key Takeaways

• Supply chain resilience starts in the first mile

• Diversify suppliers to reduce risk and increase innovation

• Technology is the bridge from visibility to velocity

• Supplier collaboration turns cost centers into partnerships

• Confidence comes from connection — not control