International Journal of Production Research

Reconfiguring Global Supply Chains Amid Tariffs and Trade Tensions

The global business landscape and supply chains have grown increasingly unstable, driven by the resurgence of geopolitical tensions and the rise of protectionist policies (Ali et al. 2024), including heightened tariff regimes and trade disputes. Such developments frequently trigger ripple effects across interconnected supply networks, disrupting production flows, inflating operational costs, and revealing structural vulnerabilities. These trade-induced shocks pose significant threats to the resilience and continuity of business operations (Dolgui and Ivanov, 2021). A notable example occurred in April 2025, when the U.S. administration implemented sweeping tariffs, introducing a baseline 10% levy on all imports, with elevated country-specific rates reflecting perceived trade imbalances and unfair practices. Specifically, imports from Vietnam faced a 46% tariff, while goods from the European Union were subjected to levies ranging from 10% to 20% (Friesen, 2025; Rankin, 2025). Additionally, a 25% targeted tariff was imposed on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports, covering key sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, electric vehicle batteries, and rare earth minerals (WSJ, 2025; Reuters, 2025). In retaliation, China escalated tariffs on over $200 billion of U.S. goods, starting at 34%, increasing to 84%, and eventually reaching 125% by mid-April 2025 (NPR, 2025). These countermeasures significantly impacted high-value U.S. exports, including soybeans, beef, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and aerospace components (Mitchell, 2025). As the trade conflict deepens, uncertainty continues to mount across global supply chains, compelling firms to revisit sourcing strategies, reconsider production locations, and reassess market access in the face of rising costs and persistent volatility.

The European Union promptly criticized the tariffs imposed by the United States and initiated the development of counteractions, indicating the potential for a prolonged trade dispute across the Atlantic (Reuters, 2025a). Likewise, after Brexit, the United Kingdom found itself facing a 10% tariff on its exports to the U.S. and began engaging in talks about possible retaliatory measures, complicating its trade policies further (Politico, 2025). At the same time, Australia, despite its historically close relationship with the United States, was also affected. The implementation of a 10% tariff on Australian beef exports provoked a backlash from producers and criticism from officials, who deemed the move inconsistent with long-standing economic collaboration between the two nations (Reuters, 2025b; Kollewe, 2025).

These cascading protective measures have led companies worldwide to rethink and implement strategic approaches, including diversifying suppliers, reshoring, nearshoring, and investing in digital supply chain technologies to bolster supply chain resilience (Dubey et al., 2021; Papadopoulos et al., 2021; Ivanov, 2024; Suali et al., 2024; Wall Street Journal, 2025). Amid the rising uncertainties, Dolgui et al. (2020) emphasized reconfigurable Supply Chains (RSCs) or X-networks that build on a multi-layered integration of organisational principles, decision-support systems, and enabling technologies to enhance adaptability, visibility, and responsiveness. However, despite these widespread adaptations, there exists a notable knowledge gap in the academic literature regarding the long-term effects of tariffs on global supply chains and effective reconfiguration strategies. In particular, there is a lack of understanding related to the deeper structural consequences for supply chain configuration, resilience, and policy formulation (Xiong et al., 2025). Grossman et al. (2024) point out that sudden tariff increases disrupt established supplier networks and necessitate expensive adjustments, ultimately diminishing the efficiency of supply chains. Additionally, although discussions surrounding supply chain reconfiguration and resilience increasingly emphasise approaches such as blockchain technology (Dolgui et al. 2020; Liu et al., 2024), as well as redundancy, flexibility, and multi-sourcing (Ali et al., 2021; Wu et al., 2024), there remains a scarcity of empirical studies that investigate how these strategies are applied across different sectors and regions in response to tariffs.
A dedicated special issue on the strategic, operational, and policy-level responses of supply chains to tariff-induced disruptions will address this research gap and make a timely contribution to both theory and practice in supply chain management. By bridging scholarly and practitioner insights, this initiative can inform more adaptive, resilient, and globally integrated supply chains in an era of mounting geopolitical and economic uncertainty. We invite high-quality submissions, including empirically grounded studies, analytical modelling, machine learning models, theory-informed case research, and conceptually robust papers that offer novel insights into the strategic, operational, and policy implications of tariff-induced disruptions in global and multi-tier supply chains.

Topics of interest

We invite a wide array of contributions that explore, but are not limited to, the following subjects:

• Strategies for enhancing global supply chain reconfiguration and resilience in the face of tariffs and trade policy uncertainty.
• Examination of how tariff and trade tensions trigger ripple effects across supply chains, with a focus on identifying structurally vulnerable configurations and formulating effective response strategies under different disruption scenarios.
• Empirical analysis of strategic sourcing, reshoring, friendshoring and supply base diversification in response to tariff shocks.
• Multi-tier supply chain reconfiguration under ongoing geopolitical and trade policy uncertainty.
• Adaptive risk management strategies in globally dispersed supply networks affected by tariffs.
• The role of data analytics and real-time visibility in mitigating tariff-related supply chain volatility.
• Cross-border procurement and supplier relationship challenges under protectionist trade regimes.
• Governance and coordination mechanisms in extended supply networks navigating tariff and trade policy shifts.
• The impact of tariffs on supply chain performance, agility, and responsiveness across regions.
• Comparative case studies of tariff-driven supply chain redesign in critical sectors (e.g., agri-food, electronics, automotive, apparel)
• Deployment of digital technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, big data analytics) for enhancing supply chain resilience amid trade tensions.
• Policy responses and institutional interventions to support supply chain adaptation and continuity.
• Integration of ESG and sustainability imperatives in reconfigured supply chains post-tariff implementation.

References
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Ali, I., I. Golgeci, and A. Arslan. 2023. “Achieving Resilience through Knowledge Management Practices and Risk Management Culture in Agri-Food Supply Chains.” Supply Chain Management 28 (2): 284–299.
Dolgui, A., and D. Ivanov. 2021. “Ripple Effect and Supply Chain Disruption Management: New Trends and Research Directions.” International Journal of Production Research 59 (1): 102–109.
Dolgui, A., D. Ivanov, and B. Sokolov. 2020. “Reconfigurable Supply Chain: The X-Network.” International Journal of Production Research 58 (13): 4138–4163.
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Friesen, G. 2025. “Trump’s Tariff Shock: What It Means for US Consumers.” Forbes, April 3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/garthfriesen/2025/04/03/trumps-tariff-shock-what-it-means-for-us-consumers/
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