Future supply chains: rebuilding global trade

For investors, this transformation is creating structural opportunities across infrastructure, energy, automation and industrial technology – the building blocks of future supply chains.

Infrastructure: local heroes

One of the clearest trends to emerge is renewed focus on domestic infrastructure. As supply chains shorten and production becomes more localised, demand for domestic transport networks, power systems and industrial facilities is rising.

This shift will require capital. McKinsey estimates that more than $100 trillion of infrastructure investment will be required globally through to 2040, spanning energy systems, transport and industrial capacity [1].

Companies such as France’s Vinci look well-positioned here. With exposure to construction, concessions and energy infrastructure, Vinci stands to potentially benefit from increased project spending across the world, as governments prioritise upgrading and repurposing critical domestic assets.

Crucially, this is not a short‑term response to disruption. Re‑industrialisation and infrastructure renewal are multi‑year processes, supported by policy initiatives and long‑term capital expenditure plans.

Energy security and diversified supply

Energy security has moved sharply up the policy agenda as countries look to diversify supply and reduce dependence on single providers. Recent developments in the Middle East have accelerated this need.

Cheniere, the largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the US, plays a role in enabling this trend. By connecting low‑cost US natural gas with global demand centres through long‑term contracts, LNG infrastructure supports greater flexibility in global energy markets.

This matters. More diversified energy flows help stabilise industrial production, support manufacturing activity and reduce the risk of disruption caused by concentrated supply.

Beyond producers, opportunities also exist in the infrastructure and technology that keeps gas moving. Take Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT). It provides specialist containment systems for shipping and storage of LNG. As LNG trade expands and shipping routes evolve, demand for specialised vessels and enabling technologies remains a key part of the supply‑chain ecosystem.

Automation: driving reshoring

The pandemic accelerated a global shift towards reshoring. But reshoring production is not simply about relocating factories. To be economically viable, domestic manufacturing must also become more productive. This is where automation and robotics play a critical role, particularly amid rising labour costs and tighter employment markets.

Fanuc, a global leader in industrial robotics and factory automation, exemplifies this trend. It remains the world’s largest industrial robot manufacturer, with around 20% global market share. It has a strong presence in automotive manufacturing where precision and reliability are essential.

Automation is not just a productivity story – it’s an enabler of reshoring itself, helping manufacturers maintain competitiveness despite higher domestic cost bases.

Final thoughts…

What unites these themes is not a retreat from global trade, but a re‑engineering of how it functions. Supply chains are becoming more regional, more resilient and more capital‑intensive, supported by infrastructure, energy systems and technology.

At Aberdeen, our Future Supply Chains strategy is designed to capture this transformation by investing in companies positioned to benefit from the recalibration of global trade – now and into an uncertain future.

Companies selected for illustrative purposes only to demonstrate the investment management style described herein and not as an investment recommendation or indication of future performance.

[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/infrastructure/our-insights/the-infrastructure-moment