Clarkston’s Stacey Erickson and Kate Poknis recently attended LogiMed 2026 in Carlsbad, California. The annual event brought together life sciences and medical device leaders and peers to discuss the latest opportunities and challenges impacting manufacturers and healthcare providers across supply chain and logistics. Below, Stacey and Kate share their LogiMed 2026 recap.

LogiMed 2026 Recap 

1. Supply chain resiliency

One of the clearest themes throughout the conference was the need to future-proof the healthcare supply chain, especially as manufacturers and healthcare providers continue to navigate global pressures such as tariffs. Supply chain resiliency is no longer viewed as a reactive concept but rather a core design principle embedded across sourcing, contracting, and day-to-day operations. 

Healthcare supply chains now operate in an environment of constant disruption shaped by pandemics, geopolitical instability, climate events, and regulatory change. In that context, the old model of lean, cost-first operations is beginning to break down. Resilience is emerging as a formal procurement and operating dimension alongside cost and service, and supplier selection will increasingly include resilience scoring frameworks. 

As a result, organizations should expect resilience premiums in the form of redundancy, dual sourcing, and inventory buffers. Companies will need to define what level of resilience is enough and what they’re willing to pay for it. The industry is still early in its efforts to quantify resilience. A major breakthrough will come when companies can translate disruption risk into financial terms, helping leaders make clearer decisions about the cost of stockouts vs. the cost of redundancy. 

There’s also a growing move toward regional self-sufficiency, with reshoring and localization emerging as medium- to long-term strategies. Globalization is being rebalanced in response to tariffs, geopolitical risk, and transportation fragility. Supply chains are evolving away from global efficiency models and toward regionally resilient networks. That shift is leading to more distributed manufacturing, greater redundant capacity, and less reliance on single global hubs.  

This evolution creates a clear tradeoff between complexity and resilience. More nodes can strengthen continuity, but they also add cost and coordination challenges. Winning organizations will address this through segmentation, recognizing that not every product requires the same network design.
 

2. Trust and Collaboration in the Supply Chain 

Another recurring theme was the growing importance of trust, transparency, and collaboration. The conversation is shifting away from transactional relationships and toward strategic partnerships built on joint problem-solving and a more open exchange of information.  

Healthcare has long been a relationship-driven industry, though not always a data-transparent one. Informal agreements and personal relationships have often shaped how organizations work together. The model discussed at LogiMed 2026, however, points toward ecosystems reinforced by stronger data sharing and clearer operating expectations. 

Within that model, suppliers are expected to act as co-innovators, not just vendors. Sharing data on inventory, forecasts, and substitutes is becoming table stakes, and trust itself is starting to emerge as a measurable strategic asset. Many organizations recognize that transparency is essential for resilience but are still hesitating to embrace it fully. The companies that move ahead will be those that establish clear data governance boundaries, use platforms that allow controlled visibility, and reinforce trust through both contracts and day-to-day execution. 

There’s also momentum toward shared forecasts, consumption-based planning, and greater supplier visibility into demand signals. Planning is shifting from an enterprise-centric model to one that is more network-centric. Suppliers need better access to demand and inventory signals, while providers need better insight into supply constraints and production realities. 

There’s still some skepticism around scalability though– how many providers can suppliers work with?  Does one provider make up the majority of the demand for it to make sense to work this closely and share data?  

Speakers also called for stronger industry standards, trust frameworks, and governance models. The next wave of transformation will depend not only on better technology, but also on shared standards and systems that organizations trust. Industry-wide collaboration is likely to increase, and governance will matter just as much as the technology itself.  

3. AI wins in the Supply Chain 

AI was one of the most visible topics at the conference, though the tone was more practical than promotional. While interest remains high, most organizations are still in the pilot stage. Only a limited number appear to be realizing measurable value, and those that are finding value tend to be focused on a narrow set of use cases with a clear operational payoff. 

Across conversations, AI was positioned less as a standalone strategy and more as an enabler of better decisions, faster execution, and improved productivity. The strongest message was that success depends on disciplined use case selection, a solid data foundation, and the ability to integrate AI into real workflows. 

A particularly important shift is the move toward agentic AI, where workflows can be orchestrated across systems in real time. Even so, trust in AI still comes back to the basics: strong data integrity, human oversight, and alignment across the organization. 

Another key takeaway was that technology adoption is moving faster than organizational readiness. Across AI initiatives, fear of job loss remains a real concern. As a result, transformation success will depend heavily on workforce readiness, internal alignment, and clear governance. 

Organizations should invest in training to build data literacy and AI fluency while also identifying internal champions who can help drive innovation. Starting with smaller wins can build confidence and momentum over time. Change management should be treated as a core capability, not an afterthought. 

Looking Ahead 

The major themes at LogiMed 2026 point to a broader shift away from cost-focused, reactive supply chains and toward ecosystems that are more resilient and better connected. In these emerging models, organizations share information more effectively and respond to disruption more quickly while keeping patient outcomes at the center.  

For clients, this means investing in data standardization, selective AI adoption, and stronger supplier relationships while also redefining planning, risk management, and network strategies around resilience and service rather than cost alone. 

However, most organizations are still struggling to operationalize these changes due to gaps in data, governance, and change management. That creates a clear opportunity for Clarkston to help bridge strategy with execution through resilience modeling, digital foundations, AI-enabled use cases, and operating model transformation that drives adoption and measurable value.