Center for Supply Chain Research at Lehigh

Lehigh Business Supply Chain Risk Management Index

The LRMI for the first quarter of 2026 indicates an increase in overall risk, with six of ten risk categories increasing. Economic Risk emerged as the highest risk at 77.32, up significantly from 72.29, reflecting renewed concerns about macroeconomic conditions, including inflation pressures, interest rate effects, and currency volatility.

Notably, Technological or Competitive Risk experienced the largest increase among all categories, rising from 62.65 to 70.20, indicating heightened anxiety regarding innovation pressures, competitive disruption, and challenges in technology adoption.

View the LRMI 1st Quarter 2026 Report

One of the advantages of regularly examining supply chain risk is to consider how these risks change over time. The table below shows the changing levels of risk across the 10 different areas of the supply chain this last year. It is also insightful to see that some areas of the supply chain are consistently seen as high risk and other areas of the supply chain are seen as as lower risk over the same 1-year time period.

SAVE THE DATE!

2026 Spring Symposium

April 23-24, 2026

AI and the Future of Work in Supply Chain:

People, Culture and Performance

Featuring:

Keynote: Peter C. Bayer, Jr., Senior Vice President of Operations, Penske Logistics

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Panel: AI Working Group Results from Crayola and Sharp

Join us in the Iacocca Conference Center on Lehigh's Mountaintop Campus as we explore new insights, trends and innovations with industry and academic experts!

We will open with a cocktail reception on Thursday, April 23 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. and follow up with a full day program on Friday, April 24 from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (check-in and full breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m.).

Networking and education will feature prominently throughout the day with plenty of opportunities for interaction and takeaways that can be implemented at your company.

business.lehigh.edu/cscrl