Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2026. Read them in this 18th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Frank Kenney, Senior Director, Industry Solutions; Robyn Hyra, Director, Industry Solutions – Logistics; and Jacob Olson, Senior Director, Solutions at Cleo
AI has continued to grow in every sector over the past year, and 2026 will see it further establish its presence within supply chain orchestration operations. It will actively facilitate the movements of goods, influence how decisions are made using historic information, and handle disruptions in real time. To achieve this level of success, supply chain organizations must leverage intelligent automation, human judgment, and measurable execution. Looking ahead to the next year, Cleo’s experts have compiled the following predictions:
In 2026, the leading supply chain organizations will be those who harness AI to handle the complexity while they focus on scale.
By 2026, the familiar question “Dude, where’s my truck?” will evolve into a simple prompt that will set off an intelligent chain reaction. Behind the scenes, AI-driven systems will automatically reschedule dock appointments, update delivery timelines, and-if you’re lucky-help you avoid costly chargebacks tied to late deliveries. Emerging AI agents will identify missed scans, detect route delays caused by weather, and trigger proactive recovery actions long before a human even notices. In this new era, knowing an hour before “on time” becomes the real competitive advantage. Manual processes, on the other hand, will quickly turn into operational dead weight-unless they’re powering white-glove, always-on customer experiences.
From a product and services standpoint, 2026 won’t be about reinvention. It will be about refinement and scale. Logistics and 3PL providers will double down on the basics, including faster onboarding, real-time KPI visibility, and SLA transparency.
And here’s the bottom line: If your systems aren’t digitized, integrated, and automated by 2026, you’re already behind. Shippers will flock to whoever can move fastest, prove performance, and adapt in real time. It won’t be another 2021-style surge, but it will be miles better than the freight recession of 2023 and 2024. Volume is climbing, cost per node is recovering, and capacity is tightening again. This points to a shifting market and a “make money” year in 2026. This will be the year when operational precision meets commercial payoff, and the players who can orchestrate both will dominate the field.
Human-Centered Organizations Supported by AI Will Define Competitive Advantage.
Many organizations are stuck between a rock and a hard place: Automate or hire. Alternatively, they start seeing the efficiency benefits of AI as a sign to keep driving cost savings by cutting staff. As AI takes over repetitive, low-value tasks that once consumed logistics teams, the companies that win will be those that bring people back to the center of the business. People will have the space to return to what they do best: deepening customer relationships, developing talent, and building real expertise. This will enable companies to cut through the noise, not the people. The leaders who don’t rethink how their people create value in an AI-powered organization will face higher employee attrition rates than peers. But here’s the kicker: They won’t just lose people – they’ll lose the wrong people. And the ones that are left won’t be ready to scale, adapt, or lead.
By the end of 2026, the logistics industry will split into two camps: companies that use AI to orchestrate outcomes and those still reacting to disruptions after they happen.
Supply chains just aren’t predictable anymore, and 2026 will be a defining moment for logistics leaders. From extreme weather and global trade instability to labor shortages, disruptions are hitting harder and more often. The next major shock isn’t a question of if, but when.
The gap between leaders and laggards is about to get a lot wider, and the divide will become clear. Companies are either orchestrating the outcomes they want with the help of AI or they’re reacting after damage is already done. The reactive companies will keep relying on fragmented, siloed systems running on inconsistent data, and every disruption will be a make-or-break scramble. But the ones that pull ahead will be those using AI intentionally. They will deploy AI and autonomous agents as a strategically critical part of how the business runs, embedding them directly into how they plan, execute, and adapt. These orchestrators will be ready, no matter what the next disruption brings.
Manufacturers will move beyond experimenting with AI and look for return on investment.
In 2026, mid-sized manufacturers will gain ground as shifting market dynamics create new competitive operations. As a result, the next era of AI will be one of supply chain orchestration: Using intelligence to vanish away data siloes, unify fragmented processes, and elevate real-time insights into action. Manufacturers who connect the dots between systems, partners, and data will finally unlock AI’s full value throughout the entire enterprise, from procurement and fulfillment to finance.
As larger, more sluggish competitors continue to rely on legacy systems, this will be the competitive edge for mid-sized manufacturers that lean on orchestrated supply chains and business process automation to move faster, scale smarter, and meet enterprise-grade expectations. This advantage comes at a time when large buyers are shifting sourcing strategies and reshoring operations, allowing the smaller organizations to step into roles others can’t fill.
What will separate winners from laggards in the coming year won’t be how much AI they have, but how well they use it. Given that disruption these days is a constant, speed and precision will define success. AI won’t just help manufacturers react faster – it will help them lead.
The gap between reactive and orchestrated supply chains will continue to grow throughout the year. Those who bridge that gap will use AI to strategically align teams, processes, and outcomes. Orchestration will be the difference between barely surviving and operationally thriving.
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