Mars and CVS Health Honored for AI-Enabled Supply Chain Wins
The 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference will spotlight two industry leaders, Mars and CVS Health, as recipients of the annual End User Awards. The awards, presented on the opening morning of the October 21-23 event in Nashville, honour organizations that have translated advanced technology investments into concrete business improvements. Rather than simply celebrating innovation, the programme gives attendees direct access to the practitioners who designed and scaled these initiatives.
Mars and CVS Health will detail how artificial intelligence and automation reshaped their planning, fulfilment and execution. The conference, sponsored by Zion Solutions Group, also includes awards for solution providers, startups and visionary leadership, but the End User presentations are expected to be the core draw for supply chain executives seeking actionable lessons.
Why Mars and CVS Health’s Approaches Are Worth Watching
Mars: AI-Driven Planning and Precision
Mars, a global food and petcare manufacturer, has embedded AI into demand forecasting and supply planning. Its approach focuses on improving decision-making speed and accuracy, reducing waste and enhancing service levels. The company will outline how it moved from pilot projects to enterprise-wide deployment, a journey that required not just technology but a cultural shift in how planners and operators use data.
CVS Health: Automation in Pharmaceutical Fulfilment
CVS Health’s supply chain transformation centres on warehouse automation and execution systems. As a healthcare and pharmacy retailer, the chain deals with high-SKU complexity and strict regulatory requirements. Its award-winning programme leverages robotic picking and AI-powered order routing to boost throughput while maintaining accuracy. Attendees will hear how the organization integrated these tools with existing processes without disrupting patient services.
Two Paths, One Lesson
Though Mars and CVS operate in different sectors, their stories converge on the same message: technology delivers value only when tightly aligned with operational processes and workforce skills. The conference’s emphasis on practitioner-led sessions reflects a growing industry consensus that the “how” of implementation matters as much as the choice of tool.
What Supply Chain Professionals Can Take Away
Supply chain leaders planning to replicate such results can attend the conference sessions featuring Mars and CVS Health (Oct 22-23, Nashville). The direct format allows for deep dives into change management, ROI measurement and technology integration strategies that go beyond vendor promises.
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