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Tag: distribution sector

  • Conference Whispers: Manifest 2026

    Conference Whispers: Manifest 2026

    Las Vegas, NV February 9-11, 2026

    Published: February 16, 2026                          ID: TBW2143

    Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    ABSTRACT

    “Manifest 2026 brought together 7,350 attendees in Las Vegas, showcasing supply‑chain innovations across cold chain, warehouse automation, robotics, and logistics solutions. TBW Advisors LLC captured extensive on‑site coverage, including 62 videos, two livestreams, and over a dozen fact checks. Twelve Whisper Reports were also researched for deeper analysis across emerging operational challenges. Exhibits highlighted end‑to‑end supply‑chain platforms, automation breakthroughs, sensing technologies, and AI‑enabled workflow solutions across the expo hall.”

    The Conference

    • Attendance at Manifest 2026 saw an increase from 2025 with a whopping 7,350 attendees!

    Cautions

    • Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.

    Conference Vibe

    After 62 videos including 2 livestream and over a dozen and a half fact checks, our coverage of Manifest 2026 closes. No lines for the 7350 attendees at registration as the process was quite efficient and took place right outside of expo hall. Venetian came through for attendings with delicious food. If you were not already hungry, the smell from their Tuesday lunch and the Pasta station that accompanied Wednesday lunch was sure to get you there. Enjoy the walkabout to and through expo hall. We always try to bring you fresh vendors in our coverage but you will recognize many brands in the walkabout from our coverage of other distribution sector events such as Pack Expo and Retail, Supply Chain, and Logistics Expo. One observation we would like to share is the unique way Manifest physically sets up their track sections within the Venetian. It creates this great gathering space for people in between sessions not seen at other events. We were able to get a great video of the space while all were at the keynote. Vendors at the booths frequently strongly complimented the event. One attendee denoted that there was a highly desirable mix decision makers or their direct reports.

    We once again live streamed from on-site. We streamed from outside of expo on Tuesday right before its grand openings requesting those attending to find me to answer Questions 1-6. On Wednesday we were back but from inside expo hall and reminding all to show us which videos you enjoy as assistance for my segment on the February 21st broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio. Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Manifest 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be sited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.

    We conducted research for twelve additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be exclusively distributed first via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.

    Q1 Whisper Report: Where does AI most often fail in your supply chain?  

    Q2: Whisper Report: What data gap hurts your forecasting the most?

    Q3: Whisper Report: Which workflow breaks first under real-time load?  

    Q4:Whisper Report: What automation fails most when scaling ops?  

    Q5: Whisper Report: Where is visibility still blind in your network?

    Q6: Whisper Report: What cold-chain risk still keeps you up?   

    The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the Manifest live in Vegas?”.

    Expo Hall

    For our coverage we will start with the easy and complete, end-to-end supply chain solution for brand owners by Aptean Supply Chain  who’s logo was seen all over the registration area. Enlightening operations teams by answering the questions, “Where their stuff in the supply chain?”, Surgere enables better decisions. If ‘when’ it arrives is critical, C.R. England would like you to know their trucking services are on time 99% of the time! Moving things cross borders? Ascendia operates in 17 countries with an extensive footprint in Canada. Executives looking to automate their operations but truly desire support may appreciate finding Engineering Innovation in the expo hall.

    This year we also explicitly covered some cold pack technologies and vendors leveraged for perishable goods and transportation of items that must remain refrigerated. ColdTrack is a cold chain 3pl, shipping, pick pack and storage services provider for the perishable market direct to consumer. If you need to transport up to 10,000 lbs of cold chain, Reefer Van Network was on site showcasing their solution. Wondering if your solution maintained acceptable temperature? Willog, a South Korean standout, brought their six‑metric supply‑chain intelligence to the USA. Concerned about how to get packages from an automated supply chain all the way to the door? Specifically, are the last 10 feet causing you concerns? Rivr.ai was once again onsite this year albeit capable of even heavier loads! This robot can get packages from a truck to humans at a door or a package from the human to bring to the truck.

    Moving into the warehouse, for those creating machines meant to be around people but don’t want to force your customers to wear cautions vests? Matrix Design Group created robot technology enabling your system to avoid people without putting requirements on people or their clothing! Do you desire automated inventory for your cold chain inventory even though your freezer gets down to -10 degrees? Dane Technologies robots not only answer the call but come with increased safety and efficiency technology for your workflows. Perhaps loading the trailers is your pain point and you are having difficulty finding dock workers. You simply need to load and unload them and don’t want any complex technological integrations or have to bug the IT department? Expand that dream and what if I told you automation exists to load that trailer AND that it can be done in under 5 minutes? That’s right Slip Robotics has expanded their line up! Now the Slip Lift is separated from the Slip Carrier – watch how this innovation can load and unload a truck in 5 minutes. Do you want to add automation but are concerned about complex training in your brownfield facility? Yondu.ai’s drop in robot might just be the adaptable, quick-learning automation you are seeking! Order consolidation your pain point and hoping to find an automation solution? Unbox Robotics can even handle orders with multiple pieces of the same inventory and move vertically.

    Moving deeper into the warehouse, Rufus Labs is redefining how one can get labor statistics with their multi-purpose hand scanner. It is valuable to note that this scanner is on the back of one’s hand, not handheld in the palm enabling. This placement enables the user to maintain full dexterity and capacity of their hands. Simply require package dimensions. This year’s show we captured FreightSnap’s dimension solution in the expo hall. For those seeking back office agentic solutions, freehand declares you no longer need to outsource. You can insource with your own AI agents!

    Next Year’s Conference  

    The Manifest 2027 will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Sands Convention Center on February 8-10th, 2027.

    *When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples of products in the same category may have also been on display.

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  • Whisper Report: How can we manage tariff costs in our supply chain?

    Whisper Report: How can we manage tariff costs in our supply chain?

    Published to clients: February 27, 2025                 ID: 2057

    Published to Readers: February 28, 2025

    Published to Email Whispers: March 1, 2025

    Video Edition: March 2, 2025

    Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

    Abstract:

    To manage tariff costs in the supply chain, a two-pronged approach is recommended: cleaning up data for better decision-making and optimizing cost parameters. Digital transformation is crucial for navigating tariff challenges. Additionally, avoiding hidden costs, moving on-shore, reducing cycle costs, and leveraging free trade zones can help. Utilizing tools to understand total landed costs and diversifying suppliers and logistics providers are also key strategies.

    What is the dominant advice?

    We took the most frequently asked and most urgent questions straight to the logistics and supply chain experts in the industry. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding how to manage tariff costs in one’s supply chain. For any professional* even tangentially involved in anything to do with fulfillment, supply chain, and logistics, it is easy to become panicked at the talk of tariffs. Beyond supply chain and logistics professionals, operations and financial executives are impacted by what is going on as are the technologists and data experts that are required to thrive in such environments. As 4flow’s Adam Poch shared, “You have to have a nimble and agile supply chain to navigate that”. Or as FreightFacts’ Lance Healy put it, “our job is to react, anticipate if we can, but apply technology. “ This suggests a two-pronged approach. Clean up your data so you can optimize costs.

    Cleaning up your Data

    Vizion’s Ben Tracy suggests and offers, “transparent and easy to access data to empower intelligent supply chain decisions. “  Yes, digital transformation is required to successfully navigate this challenge. If you have not done so there is no more time to wait. Many solutions expect the data has been collected for a technology team to clean and provide intelligence over. But logistics data is not transactional data nor does it have a history of being clean and collected like financial data. In fact, logistics and supply chain has some of the messiest data with many suggesting over 30% dirty and useless.  Research regarding a large variety of vendors involved in cleaning and digitizing logistics and supply chain can be found in Conference Whispers: Manifest 2025 and Conference Whispers: Smart Retail Tech Expo 2024. This is a significant area of expertise offered to our clients through inquiry privileges.

    Optimize and Managing Costs Parameters

    For those somewhere on the digital transformation maturity scale, the problem regarding managing tariffs costs now boils down to continuing to find ways to transform and manage supply costs. As summary of the 6 actions to manage tariff costs can be found in Figure 1.

    Avoid Hidden Costs

    Sensos’s CEO shared a story about how they onboarded a customer who was blindsided with hidden costs when products went through Africa without their knowledge. Per TrafficTech’s Hilary Ambro, “work with a customs broker with is vested in and understands your trade lanes as you are moving products so you can minimize those costs.”

    Move on-shore

    An obvious way to reduce costs associated with tariffs is to move on-shore. Hoptek’s Sean Maharai suggests, “working towards on shore, raw materials and ability to manufacture (and assemble) on shore”. Or as Mark Richards at AWI Logistics put it, “People are redesigning their supply chains. Instead of distribution in Canada or Mexico servicing the US, they are bringing the distribution back to the US.”

    Reduce part of cycle costs

    Any and every place one can reduce costs is valuable in such uncertain times. An exciting solution that can impact your cost per pallet offering next day delivery at ground shipping costs is Aeros. Aeros is a EVTOL (electric, vertical take of and landing) vehicle that appear like a blimp and hovers over urban areas with the goods to deliver, drones and related charging stations with line of sight to deliver and drone operators to operate. Rye Akervik shared that their company, Shipsi is an aggregator of last mile and middle mile networks. Shipsi’s solution is to, “rate shop those networks, find the best partner, the best SLA and manage that customer experience. “ Verity’s Taylor Wilson recommends, “utilizing free trade zones to delay the Tariffs and related payments to improve your cashflow.” Finally, if you are traveling between Canada and USA, there is a new solution coming online Fall of 2025. As Manny Paiva of the Gordie Howe International Bridge shared, “You have a Highway to Highway route connection that will allow transport trucks to get their goods across the border within ~11 seconds!”

    Reduce total landed costs                                                                                                                  

    If an organization has reached digitization maturity, they can leverage top tools to understand their total landed costs. As Yikun Shao of Alibaba.com shared, they offer solutions with “tools to provide transparency to all of costs related to cross border movement of goods so they can make more informed decisions.”  But Alibaba.com doesn’t stop there. They also provide tools to directly enable “you diversity of suppliers as well as logistic providers so you have options available. “At the end of the day, managing costs associated with Tariffs is a subset of managing the total landed costs of any goods.

    *When vendors’ names or quotes are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference or what we heard doing our research, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document.  

    Related playlists

    1. Whisper Report: How can we manage tariff costs in our supply chain?
    2. Conference Whispers: Manifest 2024

    ©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.