The Hackett Group® Finds Record $1.94 Trillion Working Capital Opportunity Among North America’s Largest Companies
Business Wire•05/10/2026•10:00 ET
0
Key Highlights
- ➤$1.94T working capital opportunity, up 12% year over year
- ➤Receivables opportunity $773B, up 29%, representing 40% of total
- ➤Revenue rose 6% to $17.6T across North America’s largest companies
- ➤Operating cash flow reached 17% of revenue, a 13-year high
- ➤Inventory opportunity rose 6% to $616B amid supply-chain uncertainty
Expert Statements
Gerhard Urbasch, Associate principal at The Hackett Group
“The headline numbers suggest many organizations had a very successful year, but a closer look shows a different story”
Gerhard Urbasch, Associate principal at The Hackett Group
“Companies generated strong growth and profits, yet more cash became trapped in the processes that convert revenue into cash. Receivables have become the largest and fastest-growing source of working capital inefficiency, and the data shows that sustainable improvement requires a broader focus on how revenue becomes cash, not just isolated initiatives aimed at collections or payment terms.”
Kathleen Wiedeman, Senior director at The Hackett Group
“The working capital challenge is increasingly becoming an AI opportunity”
Kathleen Wiedeman, Senior director at The Hackett Group
“Leading organizations are not simply applying AI to existing processes. They are redesigning end-to-end workflows across order-to-cash, forecast-to-fulfill and purchase-to-pay. That’s where we see the greatest potential to improve cash flow, increase productivity and sustain performance gains over time.”
The Hackett Group(®) Finds Record $1.94 Trillion Working Capital Opportunity Among North America’s Largest Companies
2026 Working Capital Survey reveals strong financial performance is masking growing cash inefficiencies, with receivables emerging as the largest source of untapped value
Get started
Create a free account to read the full story.