As processors, manufacturers and distributors of temperature-controlled foods prepare for what’s ahead in 2026, the industry faces a landscape marked by a complex reality. The intense pressures on supply chains that persisted throughout 2025, such as labor shortages, rising operational costs and evolving customer demands, have become a baseline reality rather than temporary hurdles. For supply chain leaders, the strategic focus has shifted from reactive survival to proactive precision.
To navigate this environment, successful leaders will need to prioritize network optimization and rigorous automation feasibility evaluation over generic technology adoption, while leveraging advanced simulation to predict and manage volatility.
Build-to-Suit Opportunity & Approach to Automation
In 2026, the most effective supply chain efficiency gains will be found upstream, well before any hardware is installed. The industry focus will shift to strategic network optimization, enabling practitioners to better analyze delivery patterns to consolidate fragmented networks. This network optimization involves a center of gravity approach, including locating facilities where demand is highest to reduce delivery miles and transit costs.
Significant shifts in the U.S. industrial property market will facilitate this strategic consolidation. Demand for transactional space has declined, and vacancy rates in key North American markets have surpassed 5%, with some major U.S. locations experiencing vacancy rates of 7% to 9%. This softening demand is expected to lower net effective rents, creating a balanced market for occupiers.
This transition is critical for temperature-controlled foods, as aging infrastructure frequently fails to meet modern temperature requirements. By leveraging these favorable market conditions, industry leaders can replace obsolete facilities with optimized nodes designed specifically for their function, whether that is high-speed throughput or long-term storage.
This year and beyond, industry leaders should be more skeptical of vendor promises and move toward a "diagnose first" approach. Instead of broad, generic upgrades, companies should shift their focus to identifying specific nodes within their network where automation solves distinct problems, such as enhancing safety or reducing dwell time. A key element of this rigor includes validation, where supply chain leaders use independent data to validate whether automation suits their specific SKU profiles rather than relying on vendor estimates.
Leaders should also apply volume justification, recognizing that low volumes rarely justify high capital expenditure. If storage density is high or baseline costs are low, manual solutions may remain superior. Investments are now driven by readiness checks triggered by specific metrics, such as unfavorable headcount-to-throughput ratios or the inefficient double-handling of temperature-sensitive goods.
The New Standard for Risk Management & Securing the Last Mile
Perhaps the most significant technological shift in 2026 will be the pervasiveness of simulation technology. With global supply and demand volatility continuing to impact the cost of goods, the total cost of operating has yet to hit a new normal. Static workflow models are becoming obsolete. To navigate the continued volatility expected this year, the cold chain must adopt advanced simulation technology to conduct "what-if" analyses.
Simulation allows supply chain leaders to visualize end-to-end network flows, identifying breakpoints before they occur in the real world. This technology enables companies to fail digitally, rather than risking inventory loss or spoilage in the physical cold chain.
In 2026 and beyond, processors, manufacturers and distributors should be leveraging simulation to stress-test assumptions to uncover design flaws and bottlenecks that vendor assumptions might miss.
Modeling scenarios by running "what-if" analyses on supply shocks or shipping volume changes will help to define system limits, pinpoint constraints and ensure the proposed automation can manage actual inbound and outbound profiles before disrupting live operations. For food providers, where delays result in spoilage, this technology offers a critical competitive advantage.
The last mile remains the most complex and expensive segment of the cold chain. To mitigate these challenges, food companies should emphasize a dual strategy that focuses on both technology and training.
The integration of real-time sensors to monitor temperature and humidity levels, triggering immediate alerts if conditions drift, is becoming necessary. Optimization of the delivery routes and stops is changing from static to dynamic, to optimize the routes daily ensuring the minimum cost to service while maintaining service levels.
Recognizing that technology is only as effective as the operator, there should be a renewed focus on training drivers and staff regarding proper loading techniques and protocols for equipment maintenance and the prevention of equipment failure.
Heading further into 2026, the cold food sector will continue to undergo a generational shift. The most prepared companies will have integrated three pillars: network optimization, automation feasibility and simulation. These integrations will help transform legacy systems into dynamic, decision-making engines.
By moving beyond the misconception that automation can simply be "turned on," industry leaders will be better positioned to build a resilient, connected supply chain capable of navigating an unpredictable global market.
This article was originally published in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods on 2 February 2026.