Resilience Is the New Efficiency: How DP World Is Rewriting the Supply Chain Playbook
The global supply chain is undergoing a reckoning. From port strikes to climate-driven disruptions, the world’s most essential networks are being stress-tested like never before. As Glen Clark, CEO of DP World in the U.S. and Mexico, noted in his recent article for the Fast Company Executive Board, “Efficiency may have driven the last era of supply chain strategy, but resilience will define the next.”
At DP World, that future is already unfolding.
From Efficiency to Endurance
Supply chain disruptions jumped nearly 40% in 2024, with companies now facing month-long interruptions every 3.7 years, Clark writes in his article, The Supply Chain Playbook is Broken. The lesson is clear: optimization alone is no longer enough. Businesses must design supply chains that can bend without breaking.
DP World’s approach across the Americas focuses on this very principle – building diversified, technology-enabled, and sustainable networks that anticipate disruption rather than react to it. Whether through automation at our terminals in Vancouver, AI-powered logistics in Mexico, or renewable-energy transitions in Peru, the emphasis is shifting from short-term efficiency to long-term adaptability.
Technology and Talent: The Twin Engines of Transformation
As Clark emphasized, “Every acquisition or restructuring is about culture and capabilities.” Supply chain resilience depends as much on people as it does on systems.
Across our 12-country Americas network, DP World is investing heavily in both.
- AI and Automation: At our Vancouver terminal, the field trial of a hydrogen-powered crane is cutting emissions while improving efficiency. In Chile, automated mooring systems are reducing risk and improving reliability.
- Workforce Development: From technical training programs for the DP World’s future Dominican Republic Special Economic Zone to reskilling initiatives in Ecuador and Argentina, DP World is preparing today’s logistics professionals for tomorrow’s digital operations.
The result: smarter systems guided by empowered teams.
Planning Decades Ahead
Short-term thinking can’t produce long-term stability. Clark’s article points to Tesla and Walmart as proof that resilience requires a long view – and DP World shares that philosophy.
Our regional investments reflect a decades-long horizon. In Ecuador, port and logistics expansions are positioning the nation as a gateway for Latin American trade. In Canada and the Caribbean, port electrification and sustainability programs are reducing carbon emissions while future-proofing infrastructure against climate risks.
Customers as Co-Architects of Change
Clark’s central message - “True transformation begins with the customer” - is at the heart of our model. By integrating customer feedback into logistics innovation, we co-design solutions that are not only efficient but resilient.
In Mexico, automotive manufacturers leverage our intermodal “Cars in Containers” solution to mitigate rail capacity shortages, while in Peru, DP World ensures perishable exports move seamlessly through connected cold chain networks – recently delivering 400 tons of fresh blueberries to the U.S. in under 12 hours. Each solution reflects a partnership mindset, where customers are collaborators in shaping the supply chain of the future.
The New Playbook for Global Trade
The next era of logistics isn’t about returning to normal – it’s about defining what comes next. As Clark concludes, “The leaders who understand this shift will endure volatility and help define the future of world trade.”
At DP World, we’re doing exactly that – building sustainable, technology-driven, and people-centered supply chains designed for resilience.
To learn more, read Glen Clark’s full Fast Company Executive Board article here.
