Over the past few years, companies have started moving away from the just-in-time (JIT) supply chain model. What used to work (basically waiting until you need something and then ordering it) has been replaced with a much more cautious approach: just-in-case (JIC).
We’ve seen a stronger shift towards just-in-case procurement ever since COVID. However, world events make this type of asset management strategy much more popular. For businesses, it’s a way to protect themselves against repeated global disruptions and growing uncertainty in 2025.
This article looks at why that change is happening, what’s making it even more relevant right now, and what companies are doing to adapt.
JIT Worked Okay Until the World Changed
For decades, JIT helped businesses run lean. They cut down on storage costs, held very little inventory, and relied on reliable transport and stable suppliers.
COVID, however, exposed those weaknesses. Then came port closures, the war in Ukraine, shipping bottlenecks, and more recently, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. As mentioned in Supply Chain Dive (April 2025), the companies that suffered most were those who didn’t have buffers in place when those assumptions broke.
Now, instead of only planning for efficiency, supply chains are being rebuilt with resilience in mind.
Why It Matters in July 2025
There are two big developments right now pushing this shift even further:
- Trump’s latest tariffs: As of June 2025, tariffs have been reinstated and expanded on steel, aluminum, auto parts, and goods from China, Mexico, and Canada. According to Business Insider, major brands like Nike and Walmart are already passing those increased costs on to customers. And the OECD recently cut its global growth forecast, citing these tariffs as one of the main reasons.
- Ceasefire in the Middle East: While a ceasefire in the Middle East has been agreed, supply chains through the region are still seen as risky. The threat of the Strait of Hormuz being blocked hasn’t gone away, and as Reuters reported last week, oil prices are still fluctuating because of it. If a key route like that gets blocked, the knock-on effects will reach far beyond the energy sector.
Both situations highlight the same issue: global supply chains remain fragile. And companies who continue relying on everything going right are taking a risk most can’t afford.
What Companies are Doing About It
Instead of betting on predictability, businesses are now doing three things:
- Holding More Inventory
Especially for critical items, companies are keeping more stock on hand. It’s not about hoarding; it’s about having enough to keep going if a supplier falls through or if lead times stretch. This strategy was mentioned in a June 2025 report by Gartner, which found that 62% of supply chain leaders have increased safety stock levels this year. - Diversifying Suppliers
Relying on a single supplier in one region no longer makes sense. Businesses are now working with multiple suppliers across different countries to reduce risk. It’s not always cheaper, but it’s far more secure. - Using Tech to Gain Visibility
IT asset management platforms like Dots, which give companies total visibility over their assets and real-time tracking, allow for a real competitive advantage in times of global turmoil. - Local IT Procurement, Global Warehousing
For companies expanding globally and carrying out remote onboarding practices like global warehousing (where companies can store their assets in locations where they don’t have an office) and systems with multi-vendor procurement mean that companies can act local and avoid cross-border and international logistics issues while serving their global team.
Just-in-Case Doesn’t Mean Wasting Money
One of the common objections to this approach is cost. And it’s true: holding more stock, using multiple suppliers, and investing in better technology isn’t cheap.
But neither is employee downtime, nor shutting down operations because one shipment didn’t arrive. In a world where remote onboarding is becoming the norm, we can’t afford for supply chains to break down.
What’s changing now is how companies calculate risk. Instead of only focusing on cost per unit or storage fees, they’re looking at the cost of failure: losing customers, falling behind on production, or missing revenue targets because they didn’t prepare for disruption.
In Supply Chain Dive’s April piece, they highlighted how companies like FDH Aero are adjusting their inventory strategy. They’re not overbuying everything; rather, they’re analysing which products are worth holding in bulk and which ones aren’t. It’s a more thoughtful approach than JIT ever allowed.
What’s Coming Next
If these past few years have taught us anything, it’s that uncertainty, unfortunately, is the new normal. Whether it’s tariffs, political instability, natural disasters, or price shocks, there always seems to be something.
However, we’re a resilient world, and we know how to keep things running. As cloud systems, AI, and supply chain visibility tools get more advanced, companies will be able to balance efficiency and resilience much better than before.
The companies who’ll do well in the second half of 2025 are the ones who’ve already made this shift (or are making it now).
Still haven’t made the shift? Dots offers simplified IT procurement in 150+ countries and can store your assets worldwide. Book a demo today.
