The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major disruptions to businesses, supply chains and economies alike. The negative effects of the pandemic are yet to be fully realised. In this study, we aimed to reflect on and explore strategies for supply chain sustainability in the face of business downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of this study is the heavy engineering industry in South Africa as it relies on a global supply chain network. The paper begins with a brief introduction of negative effects of COVID-19 on supply chains followed by the research questions that drives this study. We used a literature review to select the critical success factors which were further refined using experts’ opinion. These factors subsequently, were used as input to an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique. The ISM model yielded some interesting findings that can aid organizations in building resilient supply chains that are sustainable in nature. We conclude that organizations need to develop a culture of collaboration; since greater collaboration among value chain members is required to create a more resilient supply chain.