New benchmarking framework quantifies different industries’ greatest areas of exposure to global market shocks and how each sector can approach response
MUNICH & CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#economy—Pricefx, the global leader in AI-powered pricing software, today announced the release of its Volatility Exposure Index (VEI) reports for six key industries, providing executives with an essential diagnostic framework to assess their exposure risk and identify how to quickly protect margins in the face of geopolitical conflicts, tariffs, inflation, energy price spikes, and any other disruption.
In a climate where daily market fluctuations have become the new norm, businesses must be agile and better prepared to respond quickly to supply and demand shifts. Pricefx’s VEI delivers an industry-specific scoring methodology to help B2B companies assess where their greatest risks and opportunities lie, and find a path to growth and profitability, with pricing resilience as a key lever. The first series of reports covers the following industries:
- Auto Parts – Aftermarket
- Building Products Distribution
- Chemicals
- High-Tech Manufacturing
- Industrial Manufacturing
- Wholesale Distribution
“Companies today are flying blind when it comes to volatility exposure,” said Garth Hoff, Senior Director & Industry Advisor at Pricefx. “Traditional financial metrics don’t capture the true nature of operational fragility or margin risk. The VEI index and report gives businesses a sharp, actionable view into how shocks impact their industry and what they can do about it.”
A Strategic Lens on Risk and Resilience
The VEI scores each industry on a 100-point scale across five weighted factors: global sourcing exposure, sourcing concentration, price sensitivity, operational agility, and margin control power. Each industry is then mapped to a five-level readiness scale – from “Exposed & Paralyzed” to “Agile & Offensive” – based on its ability to withstand and adapt to market shocks.
Pricefx’s initial findings highlight wide exposure variability between industries. For example, High-Tech Manufacturing, with its complex, Asia-centric supply chains, scores 70/100, placing it in a “Strained & Reactive” posture. In contrast, Building Products Distribution earns a 60/100, categorized as “Braced & Adaptive,” thanks to relatively more domestic sourcing and operational agility.
From Score to Strategy
More than a simple benchmark, Pricefx’s VEI is a catalyst for transformation. The framework helps drive smarter decisions inside businesses, in customer communication, and in market positioning.
“The VEI gives companies a new lever for differentiation and insight,” said Dr. Jan Wieneke, Industry Advisor for Advanced Manufacturing at Pricefx. “Companies can use the Pricefx VEI profile to prioritize sourcing diversification and pricing automation, justify strategic price changes and contractual safeguards, and equip customer-facing teams with insights for consultative selling.”
Teams across the business can use the VEI to align investments with risk. For example, sourcing teams can shift toward diversified or domestic suppliers for high-exposure categories, while pricing teams can identify where margin erosion risk is highest and build pass-through playbooks. Finance teams can stress test forecasts against volatility in high-score areas and executive leaders can set corporate strategy by exposure zone, not static cost models.
“In disruptive times, the winners aren’t those who avoid volatility; they’re the ones who master it,” said Michelle Duffy, Industry Advisor for Distribution at Pricefx. “The VEI helps companies move from uncertainty to opportunity by quantifying risk and identifying the fastest path to fixing their top and bottom lines.”
To download the VEI industry-specific reports, visit:
- Auto Parts – Aftermarket
- Building Products Distribution
- Chemicals
- High-Tech Manufacturing
- Industrial Manufacturing
- Wholesale Distribution
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About Pricefx
Pricefx is the global leader in AI-powered pricing software, offering an end-to-end platform solution that is fast to implement, flexible to configure, and friendly to learn and use. Since pioneering cloud-native pricing technology more than a decade ago, its leading AI price optimization and management capabilities deliver the industry’s fastest time-to-value with activation in 6 months or less and the industry’s highest average ROI of 7,000% in the first 12 months from activation. Pricefx’s award-winning solution is focused on productized industry use cases proven to solve the most common and complex pricing challenges for large enterprise B2B companies in manufacturing, distribution, process engineering, and select other verticals. It is the leading AI price optimization and management platform that enterprises rely on to dynamically Plan, Price, and Profit. Pricefx’s business model is entirely based on fairness, and the satisfaction and loyalty of their customers is recognized by years of leading rankings among customer review forums. For more information, please visit www.pricefx.com.
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