Awards

The Visionary Award recognizes a best-in-class organization that exemplifies leadership across its entire supply chain. This honor is reserved for companies that consistently demonstrate forward-thinking strategy, effective use of technology, workforce development, and the ability to adapt and lead through change, setting a benchmark for excellence in the industry.

Tractor Supply is being recognized with the 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference Visionary Award for transforming its supply chain into a strategic growth platform as part of its “Life Out Here 2030” strategy. The company has reimagined rural retail fulfillment through a combination of network expansion, robotics-enabled distribution, and a purpose-built last-mile delivery model designed for bulky goods and geographically dispersed customers.

Investments in large-scale distribution centers, including its highly automated Maumelle, Arkansas, facility, and the rapid expansion of a nationwide hub network have enabled Tractor Supply to scale operations while improving delivery reliability and customer experience. By aligning supply chain strategy directly with business growth, Tractor Supply has created a differentiated model for serving rural communities.

Past Winners of the Visionary Award Include —

This award recognizes an end-user organization that has successfully applied artificial intelligence, machine learning, and/or advanced digital technologies to meaningfully transform its supply chain operations. Preference is given to companies that have moved beyond pilots and proofs of concept to production deployments that are embedded into day-to-day decision-making and execution. Winning organizations demonstrate not only technological sophistication but also strong change management, organizational adoption, and measurable business impact.

Mars earned the End User Intelligent Transformation Award for its enterprise-wide approach to embedding AI into supply chain decision-making through its Digital Foundry and innovative analytic products. At the center of this transformation is V2C (Volume to Customer), an AI-powered platform that unites sales, customer care, and supply chain into a single collaborative workflow, replacing fragmented tools and manual processes with predictive analytics, machine learning, and seamless SAP integration.

By reducing decision-making time from more than 50 man-hours to seconds, V2C has improved sales enablement, customer service, working capital, and cross-functional alignment while enabling associates to focus on higher-value strategic work. Now being scaled globally, the platform exemplifies how intelligent transformation can deliver measurable business results while reshaping the way organizations plan, collaborate, and serve customers.

This award honors an end-user organization leveraging robotics, automation, and autonomous systems to drive more efficient, scalable, and resilient supply chain operations. It recognizes companies that have thoughtfully integrated automation into their operating model, balancing technology, workforce strategy, and process design to deliver sustained performance improvements rather than one-off gains.

CVS Health earned the End User Autonomous Operations Award for deploying one of the industry’s most advanced robotic fulfillment operations at its Lumberton Distribution Center. To support growing omnichannel demand, CVS Health integrated high-density goods-to-person automation, autonomous robotic sortation, and robotic palletizing into a flexible, scalable fulfillment ecosystem that dramatically increased throughput while improving accuracy, labor efficiency, and space utilization.

The transformation boosted daily processing capacity from 150,000 to more than 400,000 units, achieved greater than 99.9% pick accuracy, reduced picking costs by 40%, enhanced employee safety, and enabled rapid associate training. By combining multiple automation technologies into a seamless, enterprise-scale operation, CVS Health has established a new benchmark for autonomous fulfillment and operational excellence.

Past Winners of the End User Awards Include —

This award recognizes a solution provider delivering AI-driven or digital transformation technologies that are actively deployed by end-user customers and producing real-world supply chain value. It honors providers whose solutions go beyond marketing claims to demonstrate measurable outcomes, strong customer adoption, and a differentiated approach to solving complex supply chain challenges.

Netstock is helping small and midsize businesses (SMBs) transform supply chain planning with AI-powered inventory optimization and decision support. Integrated with more than 60 ERP systems, the platform replaces spreadsheet-driven planning with AI that analyzes inventory, demand, supplier performance and other data to identify high-value actions before stockouts, excess inventory or disruptions occur. Its Opportunity Engine has generated more than 1.4 million inventory recommendations and over $20 billion in potential inventory value across its customer base.

Real-world results include improved forecast accuracy, higher service levels, reduced inventory and increased planner productivity. By bringing enterprise-grade AI capabilities to lean supply chain teams, Netstock is enabling SMBs to make faster, more informed decisions and execute with greater confidence in an increasingly volatile business environment.

This award honors a solution provider offering robotics, automation, or autonomous technologies that customers are actively deploying to modernize and streamline supply chain operations. It recognizes providers that enable execution at scale through reliable technology, strong implementation capabilities, and solutions that integrate effectively into real operating environments.

Pickle Robot is transforming one of the warehouse’s most physically demanding and difficult-to-automate tasks: unloading floor-loaded trailers. Its autonomous robotic unloading system deploys in minutes, integrates with existing conveyor infrastructure without warehouse management system modifications, and operates across diverse freight types and challenging warehouse environments.

Customers including UPS, Yusen Logistics, Ryobi Tools and Randa Apparel have expanded deployments after successful production implementations, with robots unloading more than 25 million pounds of freight and delivering improvements in productivity, reliability and processing speed. By automating a task with high injury rates and labor turnover, Pickle helps warehouses improve safety, increase capacity and redeploy employees to higher-value work. The solution demonstrates how autonomous operations can deliver measurable results in real-world distribution environments.

Past Winners of the Solution Provider Awards Include —

This award recognizes an emerging company bringing innovative products, technologies, or business models to the supply chain market. It honors startups that demonstrate strong differentiation, early customer traction, and a scalable approach capable of delivering meaningful impact as the company grows.

Robust.AI is redefining warehouse automation with Carter™, a collaborative mobile robot designed to work alongside associates rather than replace them. Built on advanced AI and human-centered design, Carter deploys without requiring major infrastructure changes, helping warehouses increase productivity while maintaining operational flexibility. Leading logistics providers, including DHL Supply Chain and Saddle Creek Logistics Services, have deployed Carter to reduce associate travel, improve workflow efficiency and accelerate fulfillment operations. DHL expanded its initial deployment into a five-year strategic partnership, extending the technology into Latin America. By combining physical AI with intuitive human-robot interaction, Robust.AI demonstrates how collaborative robotics can address labor shortages, improve warehouse performance and deliver scalable automation that complements — and empowers — the human workforce.

Past Winners of the Startup Awards Include —

This award recognizes a joint achievement between an end user and a solution provider or consulting partner for delivering a successful, measurable operational initiative. It celebrates collaboration that goes beyond technology deployment to produce tangible improvements in performance, efficiency, or resilience, demonstrating shared accountability and execution excellence.

Ryder System and BJC HealthCare are the recipients of the 2026 NextGen Partnership in Execution Award for transforming healthcare logistics through a patient-centered supply chain strategy.

Working together, Ryder designed and implemented a highly automated 416,000-square-foot Consolidated Services Center that supports BJC HealthCare’s network of 14 hospitals. Powered by RyderShare™ and advanced warehouse management technology, the solution delivers end-to-end inventory visibility, improved demand planning, and highly coordinated deliveries of critical medical supplies.

The partnership produced significant operational improvements, including hospital order fulfillment increasing from 90% to more than 99%, on-time, in-full performance rising from 27% to 75%, an 80% reduction in order processing costs, and a 25-day reduction in inventory on hand. Most importantly, nursing unit service levels now exceed 98.5%, ensuring clinicians have the supplies they need to deliver quality patient care.

By combining advanced logistics, automation, and data-driven collaboration, Ryder and BJC HealthCare have established a new benchmark for resilient, transparent, and patient-focused healthcare supply chains.