It’s one thing to have a vision for what a supply chain of the future could be. It’s an entirely different endeavor to take that idea into the world and prove its value. Now that we’re at the end of day 2 of ICON 2026, we can confidently say the proof is here.
As we mentioned in our first recap, the goal of this year’s ICON is to highlight the Blue Yonder customers who are using our AI-powered products to create a resilient, revenue-driving supply chain with end-to-end visibility. Today opened with a keynote that outlined proven success strategies and new technologies to be excited about. These weren’t just ideas, they were practices ready to be implemented across industries.
If you couldn’t make it to ICON this year, or just want to remember all the most important details, here’s everything you need to know from day 2:
We’re redefining the power of data
Data-powered decisions aren't new to anyone working in supply chains. Spreadsheets and real-world experience have kept operations moving for decades now. But, in today’s world, data cannot stay stagnant. Data needs to work for you, as an individual and as an entire company.
Siloed, inaccessible data keeps supply chains open to risk and disruption. Dynamic data that can be shared, collaborated on, and updated in real-time is the foundation that companies are building resilient and agile supply chains.
What’s more, companies are feeding that data into AI models so decisions and actions can be made, even when employees are busy with other priorities. As Andrea Morgan-Vandome, Chief Innovation Officer, said, “The AI Model Factory with NVIDIA means [Blue Yonder will] have the best-trained agentic models. Ones that can make and act on decisions in the context of your specific supply chain environment.”
The specificity of the AI training plus the end-to-end visibility with the Blue Yonder Network means that companies have the necessary data “that turns a plan that looks good in a system into one that actually holds up in the real world. Without the network, you're planning and executing in a bubble. With it, you're planning and executing in reality.”
Success in reality. That’s what we all need more of.
The supply chain has transformed into a network
On the topic of end-to-end visibility on the Blue Yonder Network, Stephen Kaufman, Chief Alliances & Strategy Officer at Syndigo, joined Andrea on stage to discuss the new partnership that can transform planning into a collaborative process across the supply chain.
By combining the power of Blue Yonder and Syndigo, retailers never have to worry about an empty shelf, overstock, or any other disruptions to their customers’ experience. As Stephen put it, “One update. Networked product data. Syndicated instantly. No lag, no misalignment, no empty eye-level shelf. That’s the power of product data managed once and available to everyone on the network.”
What’s more, the power of the Blue Yonder Network, in partnership with Syndigo, isn’t just helpful in brick-and-mortar locations either. Retailers are seeing an increase in agentic commerce, where purchases are made without a single human shopper. People are asking agents to take their size, event descriptions, and budget considerations to build them an outfit for a big wedding or work conference.
Without proper inventory management, a sale can be lost before you even know it’s a possibility. If the agentic shopper doesn’t see a top in stock, it won’t try to buy. It will simply move on. As such, online inventory management and accuracy is critical as agentic commerce starts to rise in popularity.
The main thesis everyone in the room walked away with after this conversation was that the end-to-end, comprehensive approach Blue Yonder takes to our products also extends to the results our customers see after implementation.
AI for supply chain means your goals stay at the forefront
On the topic of implementation, Andrea talked to Jason Booth, Chief Technology Officer at Crate and Barrel, about their adoption and implementation of the end-to-end, AI-powered Blue Yonder platform.
As Jason said, their decision wasn’t about finding another solution. Crate and Barrel needed to partner with a solutions company that had a vision for the future. One who knew everything about the supply chain, including where it was headed. He explained, that incremental fixes were not enough to support customer’s expectations. Crate and Barrel needed a modern digital supply chain platform that could support growth, resiliency, and a connected customer experience.
AI technology is changing everything at the moment. But not all those changes are relevant to a more resilient and agile supply chain. Adopting AI for the sake of it will not lead the real-world transformations required for today’s customers. Companies need AI focused on the realities of supply chain management and operations. That’s what Blue Yonder is focused on, and what our customers are finding out as they start using more of our product features.
Innovation must be integrated into culture
The final takeaway from the day 2 keynote came from Kelly Maher, SVP of End-to-End Planning and Global Supply Chain Operations at Under Armour. She joined Andrea on stage to discuss how innovation and transformation in an organization needs to be ingrained into the company culture to be successful.
Kelly described the culture of Under Armour by saying, “innovation today isn't just about what we create — it's about how we plan, how we make decisions, and how we show up for one another as a team.” Planning retail for various athletes across continents is neither simple, nor an overnight process.
To succeed, Kelly explained, Under Armour had to be disciplined with their data management. But the dedication to new processes and technologies paid off. She said, “that's what really drove the transformation—moving to a single, end‑to‑end planning platform that connects financial intent, demand, and supply into the same ecosystem so we can respond faster and more cohesively.”
Kelly also added, “what excites me most is that we're now moving into the phase where we can really accelerate value.”
Accelerated value in the real world. Who wouldn’t be excited about that?
Sustainability is a business strategy for success
Day 2 highlighted another change in philosophy for successful supply chains: sustainability. Saskia van Gendt, Chief Sustainability Officer for Blue Yonder, took the stage to discuss how companies are shifting away from siloed sustainability initiatives to business strategies that have sustainability built into the foundation.
In a panel discussion, Saskia talked to Shiva Esturi, Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Micron, about the improvements they saw when they adopted a philosophy of sustainable abundance. At Micron, a single chip travels through hundreds of process steps across multiple countries, over six months. That’s not only incredibly complex, but it’s also a resource-intensive process. For Micron to succeed in today’s world, they had to start asking different questions. Shiva said “we stopped asking, ‘can we afford to be sustainable?’ and started asking, ‘how do we stay competitive while getting sustainable?’ Those are different questions that lead to very different answers.”
He continued by saying “The first assumes a trade-off—you’re either fast and profitable, or you’re green. The second recognizes that waste and inefficiency are the same problem.”
That change in perspective not only creates a better world for everyone, but it delivered results for Micron. Shiva said, “when we deployed Blue Yonder’s supply planning and order promising, the results came fast: fill rates were up 4% on day 1, customer conformance was up 25%, we became the preferred vendor for an additional 45% of our customers. And we cut greenhouse gas intensity by 56% per unit of production.”
Another win for a connected, holistic supply chain!
A call for leaders in a time of exponential change
In a true moment of inspiration, day 2 also included an incredible speech from Lieutenant General Michael Cederholm, CEO of Blue Yonder Defense Solutions. Of course, the success strategies outlined throughout all of ICON are invaluable for attendees. But to zoom out for a few minutes and remember that as leaders of supply chains, we all have an opportunity, and responsibility, to build a more resilient, agile, and accessible world.
As Michael put it, “Because in an era of exponential change, control is not centralized it is distributed. And the organizations that win are the ones that can act decisively at every level. At its core, this kind of leadership builds something far more powerful than process. This is leadership that has vision and courage. To build something that is an overmatch for the problem.”
He called on all of the leaders in the room to seize the power of the moment. To act now, before the moment forces you to act. And that is a call we can all agree gets more relevant with every passing day.
Customers will always matter most
Of course, there were plenty more exciting updates and customer wins to celebrate throughout day 2, but the philosophies and success strategies are the most important for us to share right now.
If you want to learn more about the products and features that Blue Yonder has added to our product suite in order to help our customers reach these new achievements, check out our latest press release to learn all about it. We can’t wait to see you next year!
