Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2025 Barcelona: Day 1 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. 

On Day 1 from the conference, we are highlighting the Gartner opening keynote presentation on turning divergence into advantage, and sessions on the future of supply chain, and Gartner's top strategic supply chain predictions for 2025 and beyond. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

Presented by Lindsay Azim, Director Analyst, Gartner  

Chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) are confronted with generational shifts as disruptions in technology, geopolitics, trade and the economy converge. In the Opening Keynote session, Lindsay Azim, Director Analyst at Gartner, highlighted the key strategies CSCOs can leverage to thrive in a world vulnerable to divergent outcomes.

• “75% of CEOs perceive supply chain as their biggest risk, but also view supply chain as their top strategy for delivering resilience.” 

• “Despite supply chain data visibility being prioritized as a top capability, it is the lowest funded supply chain technology initiative; this needs to change.” 

• “While 88% of supply chain leaders agree on the positive impact of scenario planning, just 19% are fully integrating it into their supply chain strategies.”

• “CSCOs need to build dynamic supply networks that respond to continuously changing conditions and brand partnerships that immerse the supply chain in product and customer outcomes to better shape the strategies that drive profitable growth.” 

• “To accelerate innovation, identify your organization’s unique tech adoption profile, invest in a diverse portfolio of innovations and enable your team to lead the transition.” 

  
  Learn more in the Gartner press release “Gartner Says Supply Chain Leaders Should Prioritize Advanced Data Visibility and Scenario Planning to Drive Competitive Advantage Amid Global Uncertainty.”

Presented by Suzie Petrusic, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner  

Supply chain leaders strongly agree on the capabilities needed for future preparedness, even as a majority are struggling to deliver fully on today’s objectives. In this session, Suzie Petrusic, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, highlighted four pathways to future success and their implications for supply chain leaders’ investment priorities over the next three-to-five years.

• “Leaders are currently investing in talent, and they have yet to adopt the most advanced technologies and make very focused investments aligned to their strategic profiles.”

• “There are four pathways to achieve supply chain future readiness: Deferment, Durability, Decision-making and Design.”

• “Leaders can be found among all four profiles, but most often originate from the design profile, suggesting the importance of strong business model capabilities.”

• “Supply chain leaders seeking future readiness should start by identifying their profile, benchmarking current investment priorities and aligning future investments with their profile.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.

Presented by Tom Enright, VP Analyst, Gartner  

Gartner’s top strategic supply chain predictions suggest that future operations may look very different by 2030 than they do today. In this session, Tom Enright, VP Analyst at Gartner, shared predictions that show how humanoid robots, autonomous AI, and the changing role of the chief supply chain officer (CSCO), among other trends, will change global supply chains in the coming years.

• “By 2028, 60% of supply chain digital adoption efforts will fail to deliver promised value due to a lack of investment in learning and development.”

• “By 2030, the result of automation in supply chain planning decisions will reduce the need for human planners by 30%.”

• “By 2027, 30% of large global supply chains will adopt Customer Effort Score as CSCOs play a more leading role in driving profitable growth.”

• “By 2027, some humanoid robots will verbally receive and respond to human-prompted work instructions via AI agents.”

• “By 2028, 15% of day-to-day supply chain decisions will be made autonomously by AI agents, freeing up humans to focus more on critical decisions.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Justin Lavelle at justin.lavelle@gartner.com.