Almost four in five UK businesses expect demand to outstrip their available capacity within two years, raising questions over how supply chains will respond to growth, according to research commissioned by DHL Supply Chain.
The findings point to potential challenges for transport and logistics operators supporting sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, energy and infrastructure, and data centres, as customers look to expand while facing constraints around skills, infrastructure and technology.
The survey of 200 senior decision-makers found that 78% expected demand to exceed their organisation’s available capacity within two years, while 72% forecast further growth over the same period.
However, only one in 10 respondents were very confident their business could build capacity quickly enough to take advantage of that demand.
More than half (58%) planned to increase capital investment, but the research found that workforce availability, infrastructure pressures and lengthy project lead times were limiting the pace of expansion.
The findings have implications for logistics providers, which may be called upon to support customers’ growth while adapting to changing volumes and operational requirements. The ability to provide flexible transport and warehousing capacity, alongside reliable supply chain visibility, could become increasingly important as businesses seek to scale up.
The pressures vary between sectors. Almost half (48%) of advanced manufacturing businesses identified skills shortages as a barrier to expansion, while 34% of energy and infrastructure respondents cited planning and regulatory delays.
For data centres, technology and IT infrastructure were the biggest constraints, identified by 50% of respondents. In life sciences, technology (42%) and skills shortages (40%) were the main barriers.
Mark Patterson, chief customer officer at DHL Supply Chain UK and Ireland, said businesses were investing and expanding to prepare for growth but remained concerned about their ability to meet demand.
“The evidence shows that businesses are investing and expanding to prepare for growth. Yet most expect demand to outstrip the capacity they can add and are concerned they won’t be able to capitalise on it,” he said.
Patterson said closer collaboration between businesses, supply chains, government and industry would be needed to overcome structural constraints.
The research was conducted in June 2026 by Magnus Consulting, surveying 200 decision-makers, with 50 respondents from each of the four sectors.
