The Biggest Challenges for Manufacturing Companies & Supply Chain Management in 2026

Current Challenges in Procurement & Supply Chain Management – Key Takeaways

• Increasing time pressure: Product life cycles continue to shorten, while quotation and development processes in many companies – including smaller ones – take too long.
• Growing supply chain risks: Corporations and large SMEs increasingly rely on multi-sourcing and early warning systems to mitigate geopolitical risks and disruptions.
• Lack of cost transparency: Prices and manufacturability are opaque; fragmented manufacturing markets make quotation comparisons difficult – often the most efficient supplier is not selected.
• Rising quality management (QM) risks: Inspection reports are missing; QM responsibilities and certifications are unclear. Manufacturing topics such as tolerances and surfaces are clarified too late.
• Unclear project status: Without digital tracking, order processes remain intransparent. Delays are communicated too late.
• Lack of technical consulting: Suppliers too often act purely as contract manufacturers without advising on design, materials, or application.

What Are the Biggest Supply Chain Management Challenges in 2026?

The new year 2026 will confront procurement in manufacturing companies with profound changes. This applies in particular to the growing supply chain management challenges – ranging from global dependencies to massive planning volatility. The most significant challenges include:

1. Increasing time pressure
2. Unstable supply chains
3. Lack of end-to-end transparency
4. Rising cost pressure
5. High quality and documentation requirements
6. Missing technical consulting

More details in the sections below.

1. Time Pressure Due to Shorter Product Life Cycles

Product life cycles are becoming shorter, while many quotation and procurement processes are outdated. Time-consuming manual coordination, a lack of automation, and lengthy internal approval steps delay quotations, lead times, and production releases.

To address these challenges, companies are increasingly adopting scenario simulations and automated forecasting processes to better plan tooling and material capacities and optimize procurement processes.

2. Supply Chain Risk & Resilience Pressure

Large companies today expect supply chains not only to cope with disruptions but to actively anticipate them. Key developments include:

• Multi-sourcing instead of single sourcing
• Early warning systems & control towers
• Collaborative supplier models

These trends clearly show that companies must actively address supply chain management challenges to secure resilience and competitiveness.

3. Lack of Cost Transparency in the Procurement Market

In many B2B manufacturing processes, including plastic thermoforming, quotations are rarely directly comparable. Key reasons include:

• Machinery and automation levels (cycle times, complexity)
• Different tooling concepts
• Variable costing methodologies
• Material strategies (purchasing prices, stock materials, in-house extrusion)
• Margin structures depending on current capacity utilization

This lack of price transparency has become an underestimated supply chain management challenge, as it directly affects planning reliability and procurement efficiency. Traditional negotiations are no longer sufficient: companies require data-driven analysis tools, price benchmarks, and manufacturability assessments to make robust decisions.

4. Insufficient Quality Assurance Across the Project Lifecycle

A frequent bottleneck in supply chain management is quality management (QM). Typical issues include:

• Unclear QM responsibilities
• Missing or incomplete inspection reports
• Late definition of critical specifications (tolerances, surfaces, material behavior)
• Lack of early warning systems for deviations

The combination of quality risks and supply chain complexity significantly amplifies SCM challenges throughout the entire project lifecycle. Without end-to-end QM processes, uncertainty arises in production and first article inspection, leading to rework, delays, and increased risks in series production.

5. Intransparent Order Processing

Once orders are placed, they often turn into a black box:

• What is the project status?
• When is the next milestone?
• Have approvals been granted?

Without structured project communication and digital traceability, status information is quickly lost. The result is misunderstandings, delayed deliveries, and high internal coordination effort.

In 2026, transparency in supply chains will be a fundamental requirement: control tower models, tracking tools, and real-time data are becoming essential to make risks visible, increase responsiveness, and resolve critical supply chain management challenges.

6. Little to No Technical Consulting

Many manufacturers see themselves merely as executors of CAD data. Active technical consulting often does not take place. Common consequences include:

• Technical questions remain unanswered
• Special requirements are not reviewed
• Lack of material and design optimization

Yet consulting on material selection, design for manufacturability, and application engineering would be a key lever in addressing current procurement challenges and achieving economically and functionally optimal products.

Overview: Key Challenges in Procurement and Supply Chain Management 2026

Which Companies Are Most Affected by Current Supply Chain Risks and Procurement Challenges?

Manufacturing companies particularly affected include those with:

• High product variant diversity
• Short product life cycles
• International supply chains
• High quality and documentation requirements

This includes sectors such as mechanical engineering, medical technology, electronics, automotive, and industrial manufacturing.

How formary Systematically Solves These Challenges in the Procurement of Plastic Thermoformed Parts

These procurement challenges are particularly evident in plastic thermoformed parts: missing data, a fragmented supplier market, and major price differences complicate fast and secure decision-making. Rather than applying isolated solutions, formary digitizes and structures the entire procurement process for plastic thermoformed parts.

Accelerated Processes and Reduced Time-to-Market

formary fully digitizes inquiry, quotation, and project execution:

• Structured inquiry configurator with CAD upload
• Complete requests without manual follow-ups
• Quotations within 24 hours
• Integrated design-for-manufacturing analysis

As a result, project timelines are significantly shortened. Time-to-prototype is reduced from 6–8 weeks to 2–3 weeks, and overall project duration decreases by up to 70%.

Transparent Costs and Reliable Comparability

formary creates cost transparency through:

• AI-powered supplier matching
• Direct manufacturer pricing without hidden markups
• Uniformly structured quotations in the customer portal

Procurement teams gain reliable decision-making data and reduce project costs by up to 30%.

End-to-End Quality Assurance from the Start

Quality assurance is an integral part of the formary process:

• Exclusively audited, ISO-certified partner network
• Digital DfM analysis with simulation of critical geometries
• Complete QA and inspection report documentation
• Clear responsibilities throughout the entire project lifecycle

Errors are detected early—before they become costly in tooling or series production.

Transparent and Controllable Order Processing

Through the formary customer portal, companies retain full visibility at all times:

• Real-time project status
• Digital approvals of CAD data and prototypes
• Delivery and shipment tracking
• Centralized storage of all project documentation

This makes order processing predictable and traceable.

Technical Consulting Instead of Pure Contract Manufacturing

formary acts as a single point of contact and assumes technical responsibility:

• Consulting on materials, design, and feasibility
• Combination of digital tools (such as the 3D tray generator), DfM analysis, and manufacturing expertise
• Support from prototype to series production (see: Project Planning in Thermoforming)

Benefits of formary in the Procurement Process

Frequently Asked Questions About Supply Chain Management Challenges & Thermoformed Part Procurement

What are the biggest supply chain management challenges in 2026?

They include increasing time pressure, unstable supply chains, lack of end-to-end transparency, rising cost pressure, and high quality and documentation requirements.

Why do supply chain management challenges become a competitive factor in 2026?

Companies that fail to evolve their procurement and supply chain processes lose speed, planning reliability, and cost efficiency.

Why is traditional procurement no longer sufficient in 2026?

Because it is too slow, too intransparent, and too reactive to manage complex supply chains effectively.

What does time-to-market mean in procurement?

It refers to the time from product design to series readiness. Delayed quotations and lengthy coordination extend this time and reduce competitiveness.

Why is cost transparency important?

It enables comparable quotations, better partner selection, and reduces unexpected costs through clear pricing and manufacturability insights.

What role does quality assurance play in procurement?

Quality assurance ensures compliance with specifications. Missing reports and late tolerance definitions increase error and rework risks.

How does digital traceability improve order processing?

Digital systems provide real-time status, prevent information loss, and reduce internal coordination costs.

Why is technical consulting relevant?

Technical consulting optimizes material selection and design early on. Without it, economic and functional potential often remains untapped.

Conclusion – SCM & Plastic Parts Procurement Must Be Rethought in 2026

Procurement processes in 2026 are characterized by increasing time pressure, lack of transparency, and insufficient quality assurance. At the same time, digital project transparency and technical consulting are often missing.

formary demonstrates how digital, technically sound, and transparent procurement of plastic thermoformed parts can look today—faster, more reliable, and more economical.

Send us your inquiry or contact us directly with any questions!