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Day: 11 February 2026

Execution is the New Competitive Edge

Posted on by David Priestman

Supply chain leaders are betting on real-time action over planning to gain a competitive edge, according to new research, which reveals that competitive advantage comes from connected, intelligent execution, not isolated systems and static planning.

Supply chain execution has emerged as the defining battleground for competitive advantage, according to research released by Infios, a global specialist in intelligent supply chain execution. The ‘Supply Chain Execution Readiness Report’, based on a survey of 100 U.S.-based supply chain leaders, reveals that nearly eight in ten enterprises now view fast, dynamic execution — not planning or visibility alone — as their primary source of competitive differentiation in volatile markets.

This strategic shift is driving unprecedented investment: 59% of organizations plan to increase spending on supply chain solutions over the next 12 months, even as economic headwinds persist. The message is clear: connecting execution across order, warehouse and transportation operations is no longer operational infrastructure — it’s strategic leverage.

Yet the research exposes a troubling paradox. While supply chain leaders recognize execution as their competitive edge, most organizations lack the fundamental capabilities to execute at speed.

Where Supply Chains Break Down

The Infios research documents systematic execution failures: 58% cite manual workflows as their biggest inefficiency, nearly half lack automation for daily tasks (46%) and only 20% have real-time visibility across operations.

Most remain trapped in reactive mode, relying on delayed information and manual firefighting. In fact, when asked to best describe their decision-making approach during a major supply chain disruption, only 6% of respondents say they use analytics and/or AI for automated, prescriptive responses, while the majority primarily react to events as they occur (51%) or use technology for predictive alerts and manual interventions (43%).

“Supply chains aren’t struggling because leaders lack intent or investment,” said Richard Stewart, Executive Vice President of Product and Industry Strategy at Infios. “They’re struggling because execution environments were never designed to sense disruption, coordinate decisions and act in real time. When systems operate in silos, even minor delays quickly cascade into missed commitments and rising costs.”

From Reactive to Autonomous: The Power of Intelligent Execution


Supply chain execution has evolved into a strategic capability that directly impacts resilience, customer experience and growth. Organizations that master execution can respond to disruptions in real time, synchronize decisions automatically across operations and transform volatility into competitive opportunities.

Yet a stark artificial intelligence (AI) execution gap persists: only 23% have implemented AI in select workflows across supply chain execution and 41% remain in pilot stages.

The Next Phase: Systems That Act, Not Just Record


The next wave of supply chain advantage won’t come from more dashboards or visibility tools—it will come from connected execution environments that synchronize decisions and embed intelligence at the point of action.

“AI creates the most value when intelligence is directly connected to action,” Stewart added. “The organizations that pull ahead will be those that move from systems that record activity to systems that act—automatically, intelligently and end to end.”

The Execution Imperative

Execution capability is the new competitive divide. Organizations that fail to modernize — replacing manual workflows with intelligent automation and achieving real-time synchronization — will fall behind competitors who master dynamic execution. As supply chains face mounting pressure from customer expectations, cost volatility and operational complexity, the ability to execute with speed and precision will separate market leaders from followers.

To learn more about how to seize the opportunities revealed in today’s supply chain landscape, download The Supply Chain Execution Readiness Report.

Free Webinar: How to Stop Fleet Spend Leakage & Regain Cost Control

Posted on by Will Priestman

Margins are under pressure across the transport and logistics sector – and fleet spend leakage is increasingly part of the problem. From fuel misuse and unauthorised transactions to delayed visibility and manual reconciliation, small inefficiencies can quickly accumulate into significant cost erosion.

To address this challenge, Logistics Business is hosting a free webinar on 24 February 2026 at 14:00 UTC, exploring practical strategies to stop fleet spend leakage and regain cost control.

Expert panel discussion

The session brings together industry expertise from across fleet operations, compliance and technology:

  • Peter MacLeod, Editor & Podcast Host, Logistics Business
  • Ruth Waring, Transport & Compliance Consultant and Founder, Women in Logistics UK
  • Stuart Campbell, Product Lead, Fleetwallet at Cubic³

Together, the panel will examine how transport and finance teams can move from reactive, month-end reporting to proactive spend management.

What the webinar will cover:

  • Improving real-time visibility of fleet spend
  • Identifying and preventing unauthorised transactions
  • Tracking costs by vehicle, driver and route
  • Simplifying compliance and audit-ready reporting
  • Reducing administrative burden while strengthening control

The discussion is aimed at fleet managers, transport operators, compliance leads and finance professionals seeking practical approaches to tightening cost control without slowing operations.

With cost pressures continuing across fuel, maintenance and operational overheads, gaining better visibility and control over fleet spend has become a strategic priority rather than an administrative task.

Register for the free webinar:

Global Freight Forwarder Chooses AI Partner

Posted on by David Priestman

Reindeer, an enterprise automation platform for complex workflows, today announced a partnership with Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, one of the largest international logistics providers, to drive enterprise-wide AI transformation.


The future of logistics will be defined by how effectively companies support their customers in an increasingly complex environment. Artificial intelligence is a key lever in making processes more transparent, resilient, and flexible…. Our ambition is to deploy technological innovation in a way that integrates seamlessly into existing operations and enables our customers to act with greater speed, reliability, and adaptability.

said Stefan Borggreve, Chief Operating Officer Road, Rail & CEP, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, and as member of the Management Board also responsible for digitalization and innovation.


The logistics industry faces mounting pressure to adopt AI, but most enterprises struggle to move beyond pilots. Implementations fail when they hit the often highly complex reality of strictly documented processes, inconsistent data formats, and constant exceptions. Hellmann chose Reindeer because the platform is built specifically for these conditions, capturing institutional knowledge and learning continuously from human expertise.


The first workflow addressed Hellmann’s quoting process, where requests arrived in every format imaginable, from spreadsheets to PDFs to photos of handwritten notes. For the pricing team, this was a very complex and time-consuming process.


Reindeer built an Outlook plugin that automatically extracts shipment details from emails and attachments, flags missing information, and tracks requests through completion. The system was trained on just 20 sample requests and moved into production within weeks. When the AI encounters uncertainty, it escalates to human experts rather than guessing, and learns from every correction.


This project made it clear that AI is already practical… It helped us move faster and avoid mistakes, and it showed the team what’s possible when you rethink a process like quoting. Once you see that kind of impact, it’s easy to imagine how Reindeer could improve other parts of our logistics processes too.

said Dominik Schindler, Head of Innovation at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.


Quote turnaround has been significantly reduced, and the pricing team now has more capacity for other tasks, such as consulting with customers.


“Enterprise AI transformation has almost become meaningless. Every company knows they need it, but most aren’t sure how to define it. What it actually means is building an organization where humans and AI learn together in production, where the system gets smarter from the expertise your people already have, and where you can start with one workflow and expand from there. “Hellmann understood that from the beginning, and they knew the solution wouldn’t be another tool that claimed to work perfectly out of the box. They brought their pricing team’s expertise into the loop and built something with Reindeer that compounds over time.” – Yoav Naveh, CEO, Reindeer

The partnership positions Hellmann to scale AI across additional workflows as the company continues its digital transformation.

ASRS Goes Live at Dutch DC

Posted on by David Priestman

Bleckmann, providers of supply chain management for fashion and lifestyle brands, announces the ‘go-live’ of a new automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) at its site in Almelo – Newton, Netherlands. The new integrated goods-to-person system is an integrated Kardex AutoStore solution with automated packing line and provides a streamlined alternative to traditional rack storage. It dramatically reduces inventory footprint while speeding up picking and packing operations. The new system is the next step in Bleckmann’s automation strategy, which aims to address labour scarcity and provide a smoother fulfilment process.

Less space, more speed

The new AutoStore uses up to seven times less space than a traditional picking floor to store the same amount of inventory. This increases storage capacity, allowing more SKUs (from multiple customers) to be stored simultaneously and greatly reducing the risk of stock shortages. Items are also retrieved by radio-controlled robots, saving time by eliminating the need to walk towards picking locations.

The AutoStore is part of an integrated solution that requires minimal human intervention. This features an advanced conveyor system from carton erectors and an autonomous packing station with height reduction of the cartons, which significantly streamlines the fulfilment process.

From the moment a product enters the AutoStore until it leaves the warehouse in a carton, it will have only been touched by a single pair of hands… This increased productivities, and reduce risk of error due to less manipulation.

explained Kevin Paindeville, director warehouse solutions and innovation at Bleckmann.

An integrated solution

Automating the labour-intensive picking and packing process will enable Bleckmann’s clients to offer their customers later cut-off times for next-day delivery, among other benefits. These include intelligent demand forecasting. “The AutoStore system automatically makes the most popular items more accessible, so that they can be dispatched faster,” said Tom Wijlens, COO Netherlands North at Bleckmann. “It’s also possible to programme the system ahead of peak sales periods so top-selling items are available even quicker – saving valuable time during those extra-busy moments.”

Lights-out logistics

Switching to the AutoStore solution has many other benefits, according to Wijlens: “The new system greatly reduces the likelihood of picking mistakes,” he continued. “It also offers exceptional flexibility and scalability. This means that we can start with a basic set-up and expand it when clients need extra capacity – during the Black Friday period, for example – without disrupting ongoing operations.”

Another advantage of the AutoStore system is its low energy consumption. Ten robots at work use the same amount of energy as one vacuum cleaner. As the robots can work in the dark, energy can also be saved by switching off warehouse lights.

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