GROWTH SERIES 2026 | WEEK 6: THE AGENTIC SUPPLY CHAIN
For Week 6, we leave the “Sentient Store” front-end and go deep into the engine room. We are entering the era of The Agentic Supply Chain, where the goal isn’t just to see disruptions coming, but to have them resolved before a human even opens an email. Martin Bailie
GROWTH SERIES 2026 | WEEK 6: THE AGENTIC SUPPLY CHAIN
“A supply chain that cannot simulate is a supply chain that is merely guessing. Kallikor provides the synthetic dataset for the ‘Next Now’, allowing us to turn market volatility into a measurable competitive advantage.”
Beyond the Dashboard
For years, we’ve stared at supply chain dashboards—beautiful visualisations of problems that have already happened. In Week 6, we move beyond the dashboard. We are entering the world of Agentic AI, where autonomous software agents don’t just “alert” you to a shipment delay in the Suez or a port strike in Felixstowe; they negotiate alternative routes, rebalance inventory across regions, and update the “Sentient Store” shelves in real-time.
The 2026 Operational Shift
The data from early 2026 signals a “Phase Transition” in how global trade moves:
- The Agent Explosion: Gartner predicts that by the end of 2026, 40% of enterprise applications will feature task-specific AI agents, up from less than 5% just a year ago.
- The Velocity Gain: Early pilots of agentic supply chains report a 30% reduction in delivery times and a 12% drop in fuel costs by eliminating human-in-the-loop decision lag (ICRON).
- The Resilience Premium: 96% of retail COOs now believe AI agents are essential to maintaining competitiveness in a world of geopolitical and climate volatility.
The Strategic Mandate:
Building the Silicon Logistics Team
To master the Agentic Supply Chain, your leadership must move from “Managing Tasks” to “Governing Goals.”
Prescriptive Procurement:
Traditional systems tell you what you have. Agentic systems tell you what you need and then go get it. These agents analyse thousands of supplier agreements in seconds to identify hidden risks or cost-saving opportunities before a single PO is even raised.
Self-Healing Logistics:
When a disruption hits, human planners often spend hours “stitching” data together between systems. Agentic AI watches inventory continuously. If a shipment is blocked, it calculates the “Next Best Action”—rerouting stock from a nearby DC or triggering a targeted promotion in affected stores to manage demand.
The Force Multiplier Effect:
This isn’t about replacing your logistics team; it’s about giving them an army of “Junior Analysts.” Agents handle the minor fixes—the 90% of routine exceptions—leaving your human experts to focus on the high-value, 10% strategic decisions that require judgment and creativity.
The Bailie Perspective:
“At MWB Advisory Ltd, we believe ‘Passion for Growth’ in 2026 is driven by Decision Velocity. In a hyper-connected world, the cost of waiting for a human approval is often higher than the cost of the disruption itself. Autonomy isn’t about giving up control; it’s about gaining speed.”
The supply chain is the spine of your business. In 2026, that spine must be intelligent. At MWB Advisory Ltd, we don’t just optimize your routes; we automate your resilience.
“The winners of 2026 won’t have the biggest warehouses; they will have the fastest agents. Don’t just manage your supply chain—unleash it.”
About the Growth Series 2026:
This series is my weekly strategic roadmap for C-Suite leaders to move from Vision to Velocity. Recognised as a Global Top AI Leader for 2026 (#AiR), I lead MWB Advisory Ltd in providing the blueprints to operationalise the ‘Next Now’. RETHINK Retail
