2026 macro-environment workshop: industry-specific crisis response strategies
A field-focused scenario analysis workshop at the Daejeon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Today, the Daejeon Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a ‘Macro-Environment Analysis Workshop’ to forecast changes in each industry ahead of 2026 and explore response strategies.
Joined by professionals from a range of industries, including gas, valves, feed, machine tools, and refinery plants, we analyzed everything from global risks to supply chain restructuring and raw material flows, and discussed scenario-based solutions.
Hearing industry-specific concerns and changes firsthand
The biggest takeaway from this workshop was hearing directly from people on the front lines.
We heard firsthand the concerns and preparations of suppliers, manufacturers, and exporters facing a changing global environment.
"What matters most in our industry right now is long-term strategy,
not short-term volatility." As this comment from the field shows, each industry
Responses varied widely.
How do political and economic risks affect your business?
Geopolitical risks and shifts in major economies’ interest rate and exchange rate policies are having a major impact on corporate profitability and investment plans.
For export-focused companies in particular, exchange-rate swings alone can whipsaw profit margins, making short-term cash flow management a key issue.
Energy market uncertainty and industry-specific responses. Supply risks in the Middle East and pressure to shift to green energy have left the energy market facing unprecedented uncertainty.
In response, gas suppliers and refinery equipment manufacturers were considering restructuring their cost structures and expanding long-term contracts.
This was the keyword that energy-industry participants all pointed to.
Category Key keywords Short-term strategy demand
Predictive, flexible production systems; long-term strategy; securing diversified energy sources. Supply chain restructuring is now reality. The push to diversify supply chains, which accelerated after the pandemic, is no longer just a strategic option. It has become a survival strategy.
The valve and pipe industry, which is highly sensitive to parts sourcing, and distributors of lubricants for machine tools were especially focused on finding alternative suppliers and designing dual domestic and overseas supply chains.
Raw material price trends are more than just trends
The problem wasn’t simply “rising prices.” It was “volatility.”
A representative of a feed company said, “Corn futures prices move more than 20% in a single month,” noting that an unpredictable market slows corporate decision-making.
That is exactly when you need scenario-based response strategies.
The era when everyone walks the same path is over.
Scenario-based strategy planning in practice. In this workshop, participants practiced building a strategy that fits their own company in three steps: ▲ classifying risk factors ▲ defining the scope of impact ▲ deriving KPIs for each scenario.
Below is a table summarizing some of the discussion.
Scenario Type Key
Risk / Response Strategy. Prolonged high oil prices: cost pressure; expand fixed-price contracts, consider alternative energy. Sharp interest rate hikes: higher financing costs; conservative investment strategy, cash liquidity management. Supply chain disruption: risk of production stoppage; secure domestic alternative supply chains, strengthen inventory strategy. Industry insights and execution. Concerns in the field varied, but one thing was common to all.
Strategy alone is not enough.
In the end, what matters is on-the-ground execution.
Once the analysis is done and the direction is set, how do you build it into internal systems and connect it to real decisions?
That ability to execute will be the standard that decides success in 2026.
In 2026, a company’s future depends on a “tailored strategy”
No two industries have the same answer.
As in today’s workshop, a strategy tailored to each industry and company’s situation matters more than ever
has become critical.
We will keep working alongside companies on the ground to create actionable insights.
Have a great weekend!
Tomorrow I’m heading to my family home in Daegu to make kimchi for the winter.
It looks like it will be a real test of endurance.
