HOW AUTOMATION BUILDS RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAINS
A utomation is among the top 10 supply chain trends for 2026, according to the Association for Supply Chain Management. One reason is the ongoing quest for supply chain resilience. “Automation is no longer just about driving efficiency. It’s about building a more resilient and scalable supply chain,” says Chris Musson, director, solution consulting with Dematic, which provides supply chain automation solutions. Given continued supply chain disruptions, flexible automation solutions that allow operations to adapt as needs change have become critical. Speed is another key driver, says Kevin Ledversis, vice president of sales with Newcastle Systems, which offers mobile workstations. Orders, especially for ecommerce, increasingly need to be turned around quickly—at times, within hours. It’s difficult to meet these deadlines solely with employees, no matter how capable and dedicated. Labor challenges also are prompting automation initiatives. As consumer demand exploded during the pandemic, many companies found they couldn’t scale or retain the labor they needed, says Keith Moore, chief executive officer with AutoScheduler, which provides a warehouse orchestration platform. So, they turned to automation. Resilience is the new efficiency. As automation touches every supply chain process—from picking to final delivery—future-proof solutions demand clean data, a holistic vision, and the right software backbone to weather any disruption. BY KAREN KROLL
February 2026 • Inbound Logistics 25
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