Here’s the deal: Winning brick-and-mortar and ecommerce retail today demands a smarter supply chain. Check out this edition of Inbound Logistics for the strategies that will help you survive and thrive.
PORTS SPUR DEVELOPMENT
COLD CHAIN STRATEGIES
Supply Chain Moves to Help Retailers Survive and Thrive
DEVELOPING YOUR WAREHOUSE WORKFORCE PLUS
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BITE SIZED SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS INFORMATION Info SNACKS
$103.5B is what families with college students are expected to spend on back-to-school gear this year. It’s the rst time spending in this category topped $100 billion. K-12 families are also expected to break their previous spend record, coming in at $43.3 billion. –National Retail Federation
OFF THE WALL The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is selling bricks from the Lincoln Tunnel’s retaining walls for $2.25 each. The Art Deco walls, which went up between 1937 and 1945, are coming down to make room for the $10 billion Midtown Bus Terminal. The terminal broke ground last year and is expected to be finished in 2032.
Trucker Path, a navigation app used by more than one million truck drivers, asked users to rank parking availability at public and private locations in every state over the course of nine months. Results revealed WIDE OPEN SPACES Portsmouth International Port has switched on the United Kingdom’s first multi-berth shore power system, letting ferries and cruise ships draw electricity from the grid instead of running their engines while docked. Three of the port’s five berths are connected, and the port expects to power three ships at once later this year. The Department for Transport put $27 million into the project and Portsmouth City Council added $10.2 million. SHORE THING
PRINT RUN
significant regional trends. The states with the least available parking–public or private–were all east of the Mississippi. Several Western and Midwestern states ranked among those with ample parking options.
Beehive Industries, a company that makes 3D-printed jet engines for uncrewed defense aircraft, is investing $70 million to expand its Southwest Ohio operations. The manufacturer holds a $29.7 million Air Force contract covering its Frenzy engine family, including the 200-pound-thrust Frenzy 8. It ordered 30 EOS metal printers for its Colorado and Tennessee plants and bought two Greater Cincinnati machine shops for finishing work. It is tracking toward its goal of building more than 8,000 engines a year.
A European Union ban on PFAS in food-contact packaging took eect August 12, 2026. The rule caps any individual PFAS compound at 25 parts per billion and the combined total at 250. Grease-resistant packaging such as pizza boxes and heat-safe products like coee cups tend to have the WRAP SHEET
BITE CLUB
Mimikai brought the first new EPA-registered insect repellent active ingredient to the market in more than 25 years. The compound, undecanone, occurs naturally
in wild tomato plants and was developed across five years of field trials. DEET has been the category standard since the 1940s, with picaridin entering the scene in the 1980s. Insect repellent market size is expected to top $10 billion by 2035.
highest levels of these “forever chemicals.” The rule also applies to imported packaging, and there is no sell-through period.
August 2026 • Inbound Logistics 1
CONTENTS 30 14 SUPPLY CHAIN MOVES TO HELP RETAILERS SURVIVE AND THRIVE FEATURES AUGUST 2026 | VOL. 46 | NO. 8
INFOCUS 1 INFO SNACKS 12 NOTED 14 TAKEAWAYS 58 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 60 IN BRIEF 64 LAST MILE
Winning retail today demands a smarter supply chain, including dynamic stores, flexible distribution, total inventory control, and a rock-solid returns strategy.
INSIGHT 4 CHECKING IN 3PL contracts evolve into 4PL solutions 6 GOOD QUESTION What’s one thing to do now to ensure your company will be in business in 5 years? 8 10 TIPS Building a strong warehouse workforce 26 FREIGHT FRAUD How to stop freight fraud before it starts 27 RETAIL RETHINK The cost of disconnected systems 28 RISKS AND REWARDS Hard-to-insure risks pressure cash flow INFO 56 SUPPLY CHAIN INSIGHTS 62 CALENDAR 63 RESOURCE CENTER INPRACTICE 10 SUPPLY CHAIN P.O.V. FREIGHT MANAGER TAKES A HANDS-ON APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING Brian Waite, Global Freight Manager at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions, knows creating a space where people feel comfortable sharing ideas is essential.
36 CONTENT PARTNERS REPORT PORT UPDATE: SHORING UP SUPPLY CHAINS See how ports and port-supporting organizations lift their communities and spur economic development. 48 CONTENT PARTNERS REPORT COLD CHAIN SOLUTIONS STAY FRESH With consumers demanding more fresh foods and product integrity at a premium, shippers turn to providers equipped to navigate a volatile and demanding landscape.
CONTENT PARTNERS 18 Proposed Transportation Bill: What Does It Mean for Women In Trucking? O ered by Women In Trucking 19 How to Improve Your Warehouse Picking Process During Peak Seasons and Returns O ered by Engineering Innovation 20 Fewer Containers, Same Freight: The Overweight Corridor Advantage O ered by Custom Goods Logistics 22 Why Every Freight Mode Matters More Than Ever O ered by KDL Logistics 23 Plan Complex Heavy Haul Moves With Fewer Surprises O ered by Landstar 24 Why Carrier Costing Is Becoming Core Logistics Infrastructure O ered by SMC 3
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2 Inbound Logistics • August 2026
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CHECKINGIN
3PL Contracts Evolve Into 4PL Solutions
Vol. 46, No. 8
August 2026
THE MAGAZINE FOR DEMAND-DRIVEN ENTERPRISES www.inboundlogistics.com
STAFF
PUBLISHER Keith G. Biondo
O ur recent survey of the third-party logistics sector found extraordinary growth in 3PL solutions, especially in companies outsourcing for the rst time. Here are some examples: DHL reports that 43% of new business comes from rst-time outsourcers. Similiarly, GXO, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, notes that 30%+ of its new contracts come directly from rst-time outsourcers. Ryder and Kenco con rm similar trends, proving the market isn’t
publisher@inboundlogistics.com
EDITOR Felecia J. Stratton
editor@inboundlogistics.com
SENIOR EDITOR Katrina C. Arabe
karabe@inboundlogistics.com
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC CONTENT
Amy Roach amy.roach@thomasnet.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Prince
ashley.prince@thomasnet.com
Keith Biondo, Publisher
June Allan Corrigan Tom Gresham Karen M. Kroll Rich Osborne Gary Wollenhaupt
just providers trading existing market share. It is actively expanding. Dig deeper and you see a noticeable shift in how growing mid-market and enterprise rms handle logistics. They aren’t just looking for partners to store boxes or move freight; they are increasingly handing over the orchestration keys to 4PL providers. The global 4PL market is predicted to grow from about $78 billion to nearly $150+ billion in the next 8 years, with Europe and Asia-Paci c leading fast-growth corridors. Aside from that growth curve, what is motivating more enterprises to move from 3PL to 4PL partnerships? Orchestration. As businesses scale across new geographic regions and omnichannel touchpoints, managing ve to 10 separate 3PLs, local carriers, and customs brokers creates immense operational friction. Teams spend more time coordinating vendor communication than driving strategic growth. A 4PL serves as a single point of accountability—a central control tower—that manages all sub-tier logistics partners on their client’s behalf. Let’s not forget the tech aspect of the global logistics challenge. Modern operations demand AI-driven demand forecasting, real-time shipment tracking, dynamic route optimization, and automated order work ows. Building this enterprise-grade software stack in-house requires massive capital investments. Partnering with a 4PL grants plug-and-play access to cloud-native visibility platforms without the CapEx overhead, nor the IT staff to drive it. The next driver is trade disruption. Linear supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to lane congestion, climate shocks, regional trade policy shifts, tariffs, and geopolitical volatility. When a breakdown occurs, a single 3PL usually is great at managing execution within its own network. Execution alone is no longer the sole differentiator in a fragmented, unpredictable market. Companies adopt 4PL models because turning disconnected operational legs into a uni ed, data-driven system has become essential for long-term competitiveness. 4PLs can assist 3PLs across multiple alternative lanes, carriers, and warehouse networks to maintain resilience. They orchestrate solutions drawing on multiple 3PL providers to deal with multi-vendor fatigue, barriers to modern supply chain tech, and chronic disruptions, all while searching for bottom line ROI.
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeof Vita
jvita@inboundlogistics.com
DESIGNER Arlene So
DIGITAL DESIGN MANAGER PUBLICATION MANAGER
Amy Palmisano apalmisano@inboundlogistics.com
Sonia Casiano sonia@inboundlogistics.com
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Inbound Logistics supports sustainable best practices. Our mission is rooted in helping companies match demand to supply, eliminating waste from the supply chain. This magazine is printed on paper sourced from fast growth renewable timber.
Inbound Logistics welcomes submissions and comments. Email us at editorial@inboundlogistics.com; call (212) 629-1560. For advertising or subscription information, email publisher@inboundlogistics.com. Inbound Logistics is distributed without cost to those qualified around the world. Interested readers may subscribe online at bit.ly/get_il. Subscription price to others: in North America $95 per year. Unqualified subscription prices: foreign $229. Single copy price: N. America $50, foreign $100, back issues $50.
4 Inbound Logistics • August 2026
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GOODQUESTION Readers Weigh In
What’s One Thing You Should Do Now to Ensure Your Company Is Still in Business in 5 Years? Customer Service Tops the List
GET YOUR DATA READY FOR AI AGENTS. Today, they help command centers monitor cargo and react to issues. Soon, agents will oversee every shipment. Companies preparing their data now can gain a huge advantage, and those that don’t may not be around in five years. -David Stanton Co-founder and CEO, Reelables VET YOUR CARRIERS like your business depends on it, because it does. Don’t just rely on automated programs to do it. Freight fraud and scams are rising fast, and you’ll need real people using advanced technology to stop it. -Mike Trudeau Executive Vice President, Business Development, Montway Auto Transport REIMAGINE THE ROLE OF THE SALES REP. Customers expect speed, transparency, visibility, and outcomes; competition is no longer solely driven by price and capacity. Sales reps who remain reactionary instead of proving value to customers and proactively seeking new opportunities will struggle to compete. -Zack Houghton Director and Lead, Transportation & Logistics, Alexander Group GO HYBRID: local plus global fulfillment, with ROI-driven inventory placement. Fulfillment isn’t just operational; it shapes how customers experience your brand. Relying on one shipping lane is now a survival risk. -William Yu Founder and CEO, NextSmartShip
Take care of your customers. While there is absolutely a need for every business to innovate, to deploy artificial intelligence internally to drive efficient operations, and to remain vigilant on macro trends affecting their niche, in five years, being slow on any of these factors can be overcome by providing empathetic care and high-touch customer service. -Markus Scott CEO, EyeQ Monitoring Drive purpose-driven innovation that delivers measurable customer value. Companies that use artificial intelligence to shorten implementation, accelerate time-to-value, and continuously adapt to customer needs will lead. Those that don’t, risk becoming irrelevant. -Kristian “KO” O’Meara Chief Commercial Officer, PairSoft
Manual processes and disconnected systems are quickly becoming extinction-level liabilities. -Bryn Heimbeck President and Co-Founder, Trade Tech DE-RISK YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN by eliminating single points of failure across suppliers and vendor partners. Companies that diversify their sourcing and carrier strategies will be far better positioned to absorb disruption rather than react after the damage is done. -Paul Brinkman President, Trans-Solutions Consulting
I HAVE TO LIST TWO: Clarify your purpose and invest in your talent. A world-class team working for a common purpose is uncommon and essential to compete. -Scott Ashbaugh CEO, DHL eCommerce Americas
DIGITIZE OR DIE. Every technology shift rewards early
adopters and destroys those clinging to the past. In 2026, businesses need automated, end-to-end operations running on a single integrated platform, connecting everything from booking and routing to payments, accounting, and decision making.
6 Inbound Logistics • August 2026
GOODQUESTION
STOP THROWING HUMAN HOURS at repetitive supply chain tasks. Audit operations and integrate technology to get total performance visibility. This doesn’t mean blindly getting on the AI hype train; it requires calculated, strategic advancements. Companies stubbornly repeating the past five years of processes won’t survive the next five.
Develop Adaptability
Invest in adaptability. Eciency alone is no longer enough. In the years ahead, adaptability will be the true competitive advantage. The organizations that thrive will be those that can quickly adopt new technologies, respond to change, and evolve with customer demands. -Je Jones Senior Account Executive, Made4net We’ve reached the end of the one-speed, one-channel-fits-all model. In 2026, retailers must optimize supply chain operations through the strategic use of automation and AI to support expanding channels and give consumers more control over when and how they receive goods.
-Nick Rakovsky CEO, DataDocks
REDESIGN YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN before the market does it for you. With 80%+ of supply chain cost locked in at design, and AI compressing design cycles from months to weeks, continuous network design is both possible and necessary. -Kerry Rosenhagen Expert Director and Supply Chain Design Practice Lead, EFESO Management Consultants FOCUS RUTHLESSLY ON WHAT YOU DO BEST and let trusted partners and technology own everything else. The companies that survive the next five years won’t be the ones doing more. They’ll be the ones doing less, better. Companies spreading resources across too many priorities will struggle to compete. -Will Schweda SVP, Sales, Odyssey Logistics EMBRACE AUTOMATION. Many warehouses still pick orders much as they did 20 years ago. The real question may not be how much automation to add, but whether your operations support speed, flexibility, resilience, and the ability to adapt to market changes. -Akshay Jain Director, Robotic Software Engineering, Symbotic COMPETE ON SPEED or don’t compete at all. AI has collapsed development timelines. Consumers expect dynamic routing, real-time visibility, and personalized delivery options. If you’re not innovating at that pace, you’ll be out of business in five years. -Sean Wu CEO, uShip
-Ashfaque Chowdhury CEO, Exol
Adaptability is key. Every lesson from labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and market volatility points to the same conclusion: Companies need systems that let them pivot quickly when conditions change. -Amy Dean VP of Operations, SC Codeworks
COMBINE AI ADOPTION WITH WORKFORCE UPSKILLING. AI is becoming essential for resilience, smarter decision-making, eciency, and growth. Companies that invest in helping their people work eectively with AI will be the ones that stay competitive over the next five years.
BUILD A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. Implementing lean management principles builds a culture of continuous improvement where all employees are engaged. Kaizens, small incremental improvements submitted by associates and implemented over time, make impactful changes. -Keith Ingels Director of Lean Management, The Raymond Corporation
-Andreas Podwojewski Managing Director, North America, Arvato
BUILD A PROPRIETARY DATA LAYER NOW or you’re just running the same playbook as everyone else. The real dierentiator isn’t the AI tool, it’s the data you feed it. Companies training models on third- party or historical data are working from the same inputs as competitors. IoT-generated data, unique to your operation, is what gives artificial intelligence an edge. -Ilan Gluck Head of Go-to-Market, North America, Digital Matter
Answer upcoming Good Questions at: www.inboundlogistics.com/ good-question
August 2026 • Inbound Logistics 7
10 TIPS 1 EXPAND BEYOND
As labor shortages intensify, warehouses must look beyond traditional hiring strategies. Expanding your potential talent pool and improving onboarding, communication, and workplace technology can help unlock productivity and retention gains. Building a Strong Workforce
employees understand performance expectations, minimize confusion, and reduce operational errors. Written, visual, and repeatable communication methods can be especially effective. 8 INVEST IN ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY Lift trucks with ergonomic designs, operator-assist solutions, and telemetry tools can support employees with varying abilities while improving safety, reducing training time, and increasing operational consistency. 9 BUILD ALIGNMENT AROUND CULTURE Long-term workforce initiatives require support across the entire organization. Employee referral programs and partnerships with community, workforce, and disability organizations can help warehouses expand recruiting reach and sustain momentum over time, in addition to potentially opening the door to securing available grant funding.
THE TRADITIONAL LABOR POOL Conventional candidate sources will not close the labor gap. Broaden your recruiting strategies to include overlooked populations. This broader lens shifts recruiting from reactive hiring to proactive workforce development, creating access to capable talent sources that many competitors might be missing.
2 TAP INTO THE A substantial segment of the population has invisible disabilities. Their employment rates remain DISABLED WORKFORCE disproportionately low despite many individuals being capable of succeeding in warehouse environments. In the right role, disabled workers can thrive in structured operational settings. Additionally, disabled individuals have proven to have as much as 20% higher retention rates than employees without disabilities. 3 RETHINK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS Many warehouses narrow their hiring pool by requiring industry experience instead of focusing on transferable capabilities. Workers from retail, construction, landscaping, and manufacturing often possess skills critical to distribution operations, including reliability, physical stamina, adaptability, and safety awareness. Apprenticeship programs and hands-on
training can also help inexperienced workers build job-specific skills. 4 BUILD SYSTEMS THAT IMPROVE RETENTION Retention improves when employees feel supported, coached, and heard. Regular check-ins, supervision, and ongoing engagement help build trust and improve workforce stability across the organization. Expanding hiring practices may also encourage managers to adopt more coaching- oriented leadership styles that strengthen performance across the workforce. 5 CONSIDER FLEXIBLE STAFFING MODELS Alternative work arrangements, including flexible shifts, part-time,
seasonal, and gig roles, can significantly expand your hiring reach. These models appeal to individuals who cannot commit to full- time schedules. Tapping into these groups can help you scale labor to match fluctuating demand. 6 ONBOARD FOR LONG- TERM SUCCESS Gradual, hands-on training and visual demonstrations help familiarize employees with tasks, equipment, and workflows at a manageable pace, reducing early turnover and accelerating time to productivity. 7 SET CLEAR STANDARDS Detailed instructions, standardized processes, and direct feedback help
10 USE DATA TO CONTINUOUSLY REFINE WORKFORCE STRATEGY
Labor analytics, employee feedback, telemetry, and operational performance data can help warehouses identify training gaps and workflow inefficiencies before they become larger problems. Using data to refine recruiting, onboarding, and workforce planning enables operations to build a more resilient labor strategy over time.
SOURCE: JIM HESS, DIRECTOR, WAREHOUSE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, YALE LIFT TRUCK TECHNOLOGIES
8 Inbound Logistics • August 2026
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SUPPLYCHAINP.O.V. Brian Waite: Pump Company Freight Manager Takes a Multimodal Approach as told to Karen Kroll
A s a kid, I had a keen fascination with aircraft and wanted to pursue a career at the airport, although I didn’t know exactly what that would look like. I had two short-term work roles at British Airways, which led me in the direction of a career in logistics. After completing the International Air Transport Association training scheme, I was employed by Forwardair (in the UK). Having started in the industry as a trainee, I was keen to learn all aspects of freight forwarding. By moving through several forwarding departments, including air, sea, road, and rail, I gained the knowledge I needed to further develop my career. For example, I gained experience managing the nancial side of the business and also recruited a business development manager to drive sales. That gave me the experience I needed to manage my own branch of ce, which I did at GEODIS. SHIPPING SUSTAINABLY AT WMFTS As a responsible supplier, our customers and their customers look to us to help them reduce their carbon footprint globally. Since mid-2025, one of our main focus areas has been shipping more sustainably and reducing our freight expenditure. A lot of stakeholders are involved, but the logistics piece of this is almost complete. The most dif cult part of this jigsaw puzzle is the planning and procurement. With air freight, we could have a shipment on the other side of the world
WHAT I DO Monitor freight spend, analyze carrier performance, and at times, consider alternative carriers to transport shipments from WMFTS’ seven manufacturing sites located across the globe.
in 24 hours. With ocean transport, we’re looking at around 30 or 40 days. The procurement and planning teams have to ensure we have enough product in stock to serve all our customers. Additionally, we need to make sure we hold extra stock for those goods that will be sent by sea. We’ll still have to air freight certain products. For example, if a customer has a machine breakdown, we may need to use air to ship repair parts. But we’ll rst look at ocean freight. We carried out a trial ocean shipment over the holiday period. Obviously, there was a bit of work to make this happen. Among other steps, I reviewed the global destinations with the highest airfreight volumes from each site and then analyzed cost and carbon usage data to understand the potential savings. After presenting this data to our stakeholders, it was agreed we would convert orders from air to sea where possible. We collaborated with our planners, supply chain, and production to ensure orders placed on sea have
“ No matter your position, you should be able to work well with people at any stage. ” BRIAN WAITE Global Freight Manager, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS), a pump manufacturer
10 Inbound Logistics • August 2026
SUPPLYCHAINP.O.V.
the required lead time so they don’t cause customer delays or production issues. I analyzed the carbon footprint of a trial shipment over the holiday period. It was around 25 tons by air freight and 0.3 tons by ocean. Following the pilot program’s strong results, we are looking to implement across our operations, depending on customer needs and supply chain lead times. Another of my projects is gathering data about carriers, shipment volumes, and transport modes to better understand the air, ocean, and parcel carriers we use across our factories. This will provide opportunities to identify ways to change shipping modes and consolidate shipments to help reduce carbon emissions across the business. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING APPROACHABLE I consider myself an open, approachable person, and that’s something I’ve tried to bring to every level of my career. No matter your position, you should be able to work
well with people at any stage. That kind of accessibility is what makes teams function well, and people shouldn’t feel like they need to go through many people just to ask a question or share an idea. I also nd it important to always encourage my team members. I let them know that if they want to progress even further than what we can offer, they should follow their passion. One thing I don’t want to do is hold them back. That mindset has helped me build stronger, more loyal teams over time, because they can tell I genuinely have their best interests at heart. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and challenging themselves is essential for growth. When people feel supported and trusted, they’re more likely to build con dence, take on new opportunities, and ultimately achieve more than they thought possible.
Completing a 20-Year Passion Project I have a fascination with American muscle cars. I spent about 20 years redoing a Ford Mustang (pictured) , including traveling to Florida to collect parts. I handle a lot of the mechanics myself. It helps me unwind after a busy week.
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NOTED [ IN FOCUS ]
The Supply Chain in Brief
> GOOD WORKS
> SEALED DEALS
• After earthquakes struck Venezuela in June 2026, DHL deployed its Disaster Response Team and operated three humanitarian flights from Panama City
• tk accelis Supply Chain Solutions signed a 10-year agreement to manage steel bar supply for SKF’ s manufacturing operations in France
to Caracas, delivering approximately 100 tons of relief supplies. More than 65 employee volunteers across five countries helped sort and palletize the donations.
and the United Kingdom. The company’s Global Control Tower platform combines materials sourcing, inventory optimization, and digital supply chain visibility.
• Miami-based logistics provider WTDC became the official warehousing partner for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami , handling humanitarian aid shipments to Cuba.
• Ribbonwire Ranch , a Texas organic beef producer, partnered with Davinci Micro Fulfillment to handle its direct- to-consumer ecommerce orders from a Dallas micro warehouse. The arrangement cut order processing time in half.
• Twenty Keller Trucking drivers are now trained to carry naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses. The initiative is part of Hope Hits the Highway , a national awareness campaign between Facing Fentanyl and the ATA’s Trucking Cares Foundation. • Avianca Cargo and DSV flew 58 tons of medical supplies, food, and hygiene products from Miami to Caracas in response to Venezuela’s June earthquakes, coordinating with multiple disaster relief agencies and nonprofits.
> UP THE CHAIN
Patrick Moebel , former president of FedEx Logistics, was named CEO of CEVA
> MILESTONES
Logistics. Outgoing CEO Mathieu Friedberg ( pictured ) moved to executive vice president, transformation, at parent CMA CGM Group, where he oversees AI, IT, and cybersecurity initiatives. Nate Gesse was named CEO of Quantix, a chemical industry supply chain services company. He succeeds John Labrie, who came out of retirement in 2024 to steer the company through a financial restructuring before transitioning to senior advisor to the board.
Jungheinrich remanufactured its 100,000th used forklift truck at its Used Equipment Centre in Germany. Each refurbished JUNGSTARS truck reuses or recycles up to 99% of raw materials and cuts CO2e by up to 80% versus a new truck.
The Port of Long Beach purchased a 13-story, 226,748-square-foot office building near its Civic Center to create a hub for maritime trade businesses. The property will also host workforce training and the Port’s internal Port U career development program. Southeastern Freight Lines’ Albany, Georgia service center marks 50 years of operation. It has grown from 20 dock doors and 18 associates when it opened in 1976 to 44 dock doors and 37 associates today.
Britta Weber, former vice president of UPS Healthcare for Europe and Asia, has taken over as CEO of Hupac Group, a Switzerland-based intermodal rail network operator. Weber plans to rebuild rail’s market share and expand Hupac’s European terminal network.
12 Inbound Logistics • August 2026
NOTED
> M&A
> RECOGNITION
Comau acquired
• Averitt was named Chevron ’ s LTL Carrier of the Year , recognizing the carrier ’ s service performance and customer partnerships. The award adds to a run of recent honors, including top rankings in Mastio & Company ’ s annual shipper survey. • Raymond Corporation’s lithium battery line was named Material Handling Innovation of the Year by the SupplyTech Breakthrough Awards. The line supports long run times and rapid charging in demanding environments without battery swaps.
Invent Smart Intralogistics Solutions , a
Brazilian warehouse automation company. The purchase adds to Comau’s existing Automha subsidiary, giving the combined group end-to-end intralogistics coverage across manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. Descartes acquired Drivin , a Latin American last-mile delivery management platform, for $30 million upfront plus up to $5 million in earn-out payments. Drivin serves distributors, retailers, and logistics providers in high-density urban markets. CMA CGM acquired FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4 billion, a deal that nearly triples CEVA Logistics’ North American contract logistics operations and brings the combined entity to roughly 150 warehouses and 20,000 employees across more than 240 U.S. locations. American Industrial Partners completed its acquisition of Honeywell’s warehouse automation businesses, Intelligrated and Transnorm , combining them with its existing platform, Trew, under one organization. The combined company generated more than $1 billion in revenue in 2025 and employs 3,700 people worldwide. GrubMarket acquired SPUD , a Vancouver- based online grocery service that works with more than 800 local farmers and operates three distribution centers in British Columbia and Alberta. The deal expands GrubMarket’s B2C reach in Western Canada. QuickBox Fulfillment and Motivational Fulfillment and Logistics Services have merged. The combined company serves multichannel and high-growth brands with direct-to-consumer and B2B fulfillment, retail compliance, kitting, subscription box programs, and returns management.
• Dayton Freight Lines was named the first recipient of Home Depot ’ s Regional LTL Carrier of the Year award. Home Depot recognized the company for its on-time performance. The honor coincides with Dayton ’ s 45th year in business.
> INVESTMENTS
Terminal, a Toronto-based company that built a unified API
connecting to more than 330 commercial vehicle telematics providers, raised $20 million in a Series A led by Battery Ventures. Insurers, fleet operators, and logistics companies use the platform to access normalized vehicle data without building individual integrations. Freehand, a San Francisco company that uses AI agents to automate supply chain and procurement workflows for Fortune 500 enterprises, raised $75 million co-led by Battery Ventures and NewRoad Capital Partners. The company’s customers include Meta, Johnson & Johnson, and Unilever. Tinicum , a private investment partnership, made a strategic investment in GracoRoberts , the largest specialty chemicals distributor serving the global aerospace and defense market.
August 2026 • Inbound Logistics 13
TAKEAWAYS Shaping the Future of the Global Supply Chain HOW MANUFACTURERS CAN CLOSE THE AI READINESS GAP THE MATH BEHIND HOLIDAY INVENTORY By Shana Wray By Michael Hart Head of Product, Industry Strategy & Growth, Rockwell Automation
Principal Solutions Architect & Supply Chain Analyst, FourKites
For years, manufacturing investments focused on isolated automation and task-level execution. Now, as factory floors become more intelligent, digital maturity—the ability to seamlessly connect systems, contextualize data, and act in real time—has emerged as the single biggest differentiator for manufacturers. According to Rockwell Automation’s latest report*, nearly half of manufacturers rank AI and machine learning as their top outcome drivers over the next five years. Yet, only 43% of collected data is used effectively . Many manufacturers remain trapped in the “connected plant” stage. They have digitized workflows and moved off paper, but decision-making remains reactive and data remains siloed. While 93% of manufacturers have a manufacturing execution system (MES) in place, only 28% have deployed it enterprise- wide, with just 23% reporting full integration . This suggests that there’s still heavy reliance on manual decision-making, disconnected data, and reactive processes. These organizations typically see little operational improvements as any new AI initiative will face resistance and be difficult to scale. The difference between the “connected plant” stage and the next stage of digital maturity that enables predictive analytics is huge— systems can proactively guide decisions, enable supply chain visibility in real-time, and model outcomes before they happen. Manufacturers become closer to enabling true autonomous operations, where systems are modular, closed-loop, and capable of self-optimizing with minimal intervention. Intelligent industrial environments require contextualized data from connected shop floors to learn, adapt, self-optimize, and have visibility of operations anywhere and anytime as well as a high degree of predictability. Digital maturity enables faster response times, resilience, better quality, and less downtime. * This report gathered input from 1,560 hardware, software, and services decision- makers across manufacturing and industrial operations globally. Respondents represent 17 leading manufacturing countries, spanning discrete, process, and hybrid industries; 54% are primary decision-makers .
Consumers won’t think about the holidays for months, but by July, retailers had already made the decisions that determine what’s on shelves this winter, and what it costs to get there. Shipping costs from
China climbed 61% year-over-year this summer, driven by continued Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz disruption, giving many shippers reason to pull holiday inventory forward. Earlier isn’t automatically safer. Every extra week in a distribution center adds to carrying costs that commonly run 15% to 25% of inventory value annually once capital, insurance, labor, and space are factored in. For seasonal goods with a hard sell-by window, a few additional weeks of dwell time can erase the savings an early booking was meant to protect. That’s why freight rate alone is the wrong lens for this decision. Paying a premium to move a shipment now can be justified if a delay threatens a product’s entire selling season. Pulling every SKU forward regardless of risk just trades one cost for another, tying up working capital and warehouse space months before that inventory generates a dollar of revenue. What matters is whether the team can tell , shipment by shipment, which shipments warrant the early move and which can safely wait. That requires visibility into where inventory sits today, how much buffer remains before it’s needed, and which exceptions actually justify intervention. By the end of summer, most holiday inventory is already in motion. Retailers now have to make sure they aren’t paying to avoid one risk only to create a costlier one elsewhere in the network.
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TAKEAWAYS
DIVERSIFICATION TOPS DOMESTICATION
ROBOTS ARE COMING FOR WAREHOUSING’S HARDEST JOBS
Warehousing jobs are getting harder to fill. According to the 2026 MHI Annual Industry Report , 90% of supply chain organizations cite talent acquisition and workforce issues as a top challenge. Companies are responding by automating the jobs that are the most physically demanding and the hardest to sta.
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FedEx and Amazon made major robotics announcements within days of each other this summer. FedEx and physical AI company Dexterity ( bottom ) are expanding their partnership beyond the
Despite years of pressure to bring production closer to home, reshoring remains near the bottom of the priority list for supply chain leaders, according to Accenture’s latest Pulse of Change survey. Surveying 3,000 C-suite leaders across 20 countries and 19 industries, including 322 supply chain and operations executives, the report finds that fewer than one in three leaders plan to reshore or nearshore operations . Investing in domestic production ranks last among strategic priorities, even as 78% of supply chain leaders say operations have become materially harder over the past six months. Instead, leaders are building resilience within the networks they already have. Two-thirds have already renegotiated or restructured partnerships based on a supplier’s country of origin, and nearly half are diversifying their supplier networks. Forecasting, scenario planning, and risk management are top priorities for the majority of supply chain executives. There is a notable split between supply chain leaders and the broader C-suite. Operations executives are most focused on supply chain continuity and rising costs, while the broader C-suite is prioritizing AI and digital tech investments. While both groups are increasing AI spending, supply chain leaders are approaching it through a more workforce-focused lens. Regional pressures dier, too. In the Americas, 56% of supply chain executives name labor and talent shortages as the disruption most likely to force a strategy change in 2026. This number is well above what is reported in Asia-Pacific (45%) and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (32%). Reshoring makes for good headlines, but it isn’t a practical solution for the majority of companies, the report stresses. Instead, leaders are leaning into stronger forecasting, diversified suppliers, and resilient partnerships.
pilot phase, moving Dexterity’s trailer-loading robot, Mech, into full production at the FedEx Hagerstown Hub in Maryland. Trailer loading has historically been one of the hardest tasks to automate because no two loads are alike. Mech uses a spatial reasoning system called Foresight to decide how to place packages for space, stability, and speed. Amazon ( top ), meanwhile, is more than doubling its fleet of Cardinal and Sparrow robotic arms in 2026. Cardinal loads packages into carts, while Sparrow picks individual items from containers into totes. The company also introduced Vulcan, its first robot with a sense of touch, capable of
stowing and retrieving items at the highest and lowest levels of inventory pods. Amazon says more than 40% of its items were delivered same-day or overnight in the first half of 2026, and credits robotics as a driver behind that metric. FedEx and Amazon aren’t alone. The Association for Advancing Automation reports that collaborative robot orders jumped 55.6% in Q1 2026, even as automotive orders fell. This is a sign that demand is spreading well beyond the industries that have dominated the robotics market in the past. The global warehouse automation market is currently projected to double by 2030. The companies moving now are building an advantage that will be dicult to close later.
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TAKEAWAYS
“As organizations look to AI to help manage supply chain risk, they face a critical question: How can they use AI to support decision-making without exposing sensitive information or intellectual property to public large language models?” DAVID WEEKS Supply Chain Industry Practice Lead, Moody’s OVERHEARD Phishing and impersonation attempts targeting Highway’s own brand rose 282% quarter over quarter , adding 1,740 entries to its impersonation watch list. 25.6% of reported thefts involved ownership-change fraud, up from 23% in Q1—even as ownership-discrepancy alerts fell 40.9% . “Almost every successful theft starts with a bad actor exploiting your trust,” says Demi Ramon, Highway’s VP of risk. “They’re counting on a compromised contact method to appear legitimate.” The surge coincides with regulatory shifts—FMCSA’s move to MOTUS, the Supreme Court’s Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II ruling, and the decertification of 15 ELD providers—that tightened identity verification industry-wide. The report’s findings show the uptick clearly: 50% of classified fraud vectors in Q2 involved communication-based attacks, up from 42.7% in Q1. Highway blocked 784,201 fraudulent inbound emails, up 48.5% quarter over quarter and 58.3% year over year . 109,995 fraudulent or spoofed phone calls were intercepted, up 53.2% from Q1 and 159.3% year over year . For years, the fight against freight fraud focused largely on catching fabricated carrier identities. Today, the approach is changing. As it becomes harder to fabricate a fake carrier from scratch, criminals increasingly hijack the trust already built into legitimate operations, according to the Q2 2026 Freight Fraud Index Report from Highway. The new focus is on communication-based attacks, including compromised inboxes, spoofed emails, account takeovers, and impersonation calls, which now make up half of all classified fraud vectors, according to the report. FREIGHT FRAUD TAKES A NEW FORM
INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE STAGES A COMEBACK
The U.S. industrial real estate market is on the path to recovery, according to Savills Research’s Q2 2026 State of the U.S. Industrial Market report. Leasing activity in the first half of 2026 reached 490.6 million square feet, up 27.1% from the same period last year. It’s the strongest first half since the 2021-2022 boom. The report highlights the following trends: The supply-demand gap that defined the past two years is closing. New space coming online outpaced demand by just 2.6% in the first half of 2026, the closest those two lines have been in four years. Vacancy held at 8.2% and asking rents nudged up to $9.74 per square foot. 3PLs and manufacturers account for 65% of leasing over the past four quarters. The tightest segment of the market is large-format space of 750,000 square feet and above, where vacancy has dropped 160 basis points YoY. Regionally, the Sun Belt still leads on absorption , but the Heartland is closing the gap. Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, and Salt Lake City are attracting a broadening tenant base as companies look for alternatives to coastal and Sun Belt markets. The data center boom is an emerging driver to watch . Companies that build, cool, power, and equip data centers have become major industrial tenants in markets such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Atlanta, leasing large blocks of space for manufacturing and logistics operations tied to AI infrastructure. Construction starts are creeping back up , led by speculative development. The pipeline is rising, but it remains 61.2% below its 2022 peak, so any supply response will be gradual.
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TAKEAWAYS
Manufacturing is at an inflection point: Enthusiasm for physical AI—systems that can perceive, reason, and act in the physical world—is running well ahead of actual deployment. That’s the conclusion from Tata Consultancy’s Future-Ready Manufacturing: TCS Physical AI Readiness Report 2026 , based on a survey of 300 senior leaders across automotive, aerospace and defense, electronics, industrial equipment, and process manufacturing firms in North America and Europe. The report’s central finding is that most manufacturers see the potential of physical AI, but far fewer have built the infrastructure, governance, and workforce capabilities to deploy it safely and repeatedly at scale. Manufacturers Are Bullish on Physical AI
TRUCKING’S TOP PRIORITIES
North American trucking remains a highly fragmented industry: More than 90% of carriers operate 10 trucks or fewer, and 99% run fleets under 100 units, according to Future of Trucking , a new report from Deloitte. Yet together, these carriers collectively move 11 billion tons of goods each year, underscoring the sector’s critical impact on the American economy. Examining the health of the trucking sector, the report points to several headwinds the industry is now navigating. Freight cycles have become more unpredictable, with overcapacity and shifting demand making it harder for carriers to plan networks and keep rates consistent. Costs in labor, maintenance, insurance, and compliance are also climbing, which the report says is squeezing margins and slowing some carriers’ ability to invest in new equipment or technology. On the workforce side, changing demographics and rising expectations around quality of life are reshaping recruitment, even as new technologies call for new skills. And on the policy front, evolving rules—from EPA emissions standards to trade policy—are adding a layer of complexity to long-term planning. To improve performance and navigate these challenges, Deloitte recommends the following five priorities: 1. Adaptive structures. Design networks around consistent demand rather than peak conditions, utilizing “stacked” capacity—such as partnerships and leasing—to avoid overextending capital. 2. Predictive yield management. Move from manual dispatch to technology-enabled, network-aware pricing to maintain control over margins and reduce empty miles. 3. Active policy engagement. Treat regulatory engagement as a core business function. Leading carriers often form coalitions to help shape standards and infrastructure investments. 4. Intelligent asset design. Shift toward viewing trucks as integrated, intelligent platforms. Technologies such as digital twins, which combine telematics and vehicle health data, can optimize uptime and operational decision-making. 5. Workforce enablement. Use digital tools for coaching rather than just compliance. Leaders must foster collaboration between traditional sta and new digital specialists to support a safety-driven, data- literate operation.
Key data points from the report include: 77% of manufacturers expect Physical AI to have a significant or transformational impact on warehouse operations. 60% cite mitigating labor shortages as a top opportunity. 55% point to improved worker safety as a key benefit. 32% have moved beyond experimentation into pilots or active deploymen.t 68% are either not deploying Physical AI at all or remain stuck in experimental phases. 26% plan to increase investment in the next few years; notably, none plan to decrease it. The report frames the primary barriers as structural challenges including legacy system integration, workforce skill gaps, and weak data infrastructure. Governance and compliance gaps are also emerging as new sources of risk as these systems begin influencing real-world operations.
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