AI Excellence in Supply Chain Award Opens Nominations for 2026

## Industry Seeks to Honour AI Leaders Reshaping Supply Chain Operations Nominations are now open for the 2026 AI Excellence in Supply Chain Award, according to FreightWaves, as the logistics and maritime supply chain sectors increasingly treat artificial intelligence not as an emerging technology but as a core operational tool. The award programme aims to spotlight companies that have successfully integrated AI, machine learning, and large language models (LLMs) into day-to-day supply chain decision-making — moving well beyond the proof-of-concept stage that characterised much of the industry's early experimentation with the technology. ### A Shifting Technology Landscape FreightWaves notes that AI has migrated from the periphery of supply chain management to its centre, with a growing share of logistics operators now relying on intelligent systems to drive demand forecasting, route optimisation, freight pricing, port congestion management, and cargo visibility. For the maritime sector specifically, AI adoption has accelerated across vessel scheduling, predictive maintenance, and container tracking platforms. The recognition programme reflects a broader industry acknowledgement that competitive advantage in modern freight and logistics is increasingly tied to data maturity and algorithmic decision-making capability. ### Why It Matters for Maritime For shipping lines, port operators, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics providers, awards programmes of this nature serve a dual purpose: they provide external validation of technology investments and help benchmark best practices across the industry. As decarbonisation pressures, geopolitical disruptions, and capacity volatility continue to challenge supply chain resilience, AI-driven tools have become central to how maritime and logistics companies manage risk and improve efficiency. Companies operating in the maritime supply chain — including terminal operators, vessel operators, and digital freight platforms — are encouraged to submit nominations ahead of the programme's deadline. *Source: FreightWaves*