Uncertainty was the defining theme in the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Global Risks Report, where 50% of the 1,300+ leaders and experts surveyed anticipated a turbulent or stormy outlook over the next two years – a 14 percentage-point increase on last year. The report specifically identified “the weaponisation of supply chains” alongside sanctions, capital restrictions, and regulations as tools of geoeconomic strategy. In this environment there is high pressure to act, but the risks of making an uninformed decision can also cost organisations.
Charlotte Jordan, Executive Director of Supply Chain at TMX Transform, sees this friction play out regularly with clients across retail, manufacturing, consumer goods, and beyond. She says organisations are wanting to know how to cut costs, and how to build the confidence to act.
“Quite often, clients come to us because they haven’t built this capability internally,” Charlotte says. “They need help getting a comprehensive view of their network – and that becomes the foundation for informing their strategy.”
Building the Baseline
For many organisations, that work begins with visibility. A significant number of businesses still lack an end-to-end view of their own supply chain – the data flows, physical network and interdependencies that underpin daily operations. Without that complete picture, organisations are exposed – unable to identify where their supply chain is most vulnerable until a disruption forces the question.
“The starting point is a full end-to-end picture of the supply chain, with the data and information flows that represent the physical network in digital form. That’s where optimisation begins,” Charlotte says.
Simulation technology allows companies to build dynamic virtual models of their operations, such as warehouse configurations, network structures, and automation systems, and test how different variables would play out without committing capital or changing a single physical asset.
“Once you’ve twinned a network and built the baseline, you can run scenarios over and over again – in minutes rather than days or weeks,” Charlotte says. Modelling exercises that previously required weeks of analyst work can now be tested, adjusted and retested within a single planning cycle.
The Business Case for Simulation
Simulation can have an immediate impact on how investment decisions are made internally. Capital allocation is increasingly competitive, with multiple business units vying for limited funding, and boards demanding a higher standard of evidence before committing.
Charlotte describes a recent client engagement in which simulation was used to model different layouts and operating configurations at an existing facility. “By simulating different layouts and operating models, we were able to extend the life of the facility and bridge the gap to their longer-term investment plans,” she says.
“Your sponsor has full confidence because you’ve run every scenario – you’ve not just answered why this option, but you’ve demonstrated reasons not to choose the others. You have the fact base to prove it.”
Rather than presenting a document, simulation allows leaders to demonstrate a living model – showing what a future network looks like in operation and walking stakeholders through how it performs under different conditions. “You move from a business case document to something far more tangible – a simulation tool where you can show clients: here is your future network model, running in real time, what it looks like day to day,” Charlotte explains.
Strategy As a Living System
What is changing, beyond the tools themselves, is the relationship organisations are building with the planning process. Charlotte describes a growing number of clients who are not looking for a one-off modelling exercise, but for an ongoing capability – the ability to revisit, stress-test and update their strategy as conditions evolve.
That ongoing commitment to revisiting and rerunning the models is a form of resilience that Charlotte says will pay off for the businesses who invest in it.
“Everyone says strategy is a living document, but that’s becoming more real,” she says. “Businesses want to build capability, keep revisiting plans, and update assumptions as the world changes.”
