Many of today’s supply chain leaders want their cold chain network providers to deliver not only storage and transportation, but also the flexibility, visibility and resilience to navigate a more dynamic operating environment, according to a new report released by Lineage in partnership with Wakefield Research.
The findings indicate companies have been navigating a period of sustained complexity shaped by policy shifts, cost pressures, innovation and changing consumer demand.
“The findings in Lineage’s survey report indicate that 2026 could cement a structural shift. As companies seek to identify ways to adapt to market volatility while still meeting rising demand, resilience is being redefined. The industry is placing greater importance on the ability to integrate data, scale operations and adapt in real-time to external instability,” the report says. “For supply chain leaders, this means choosing cold chain partners that can provide not only infrastructure, but also the technology, insights and operational agility needed to support long-term performance. Success will depend less on reacting to change and more on building systems designed to absorb it.”
Key takeaways:
· Companies are strengthening resilience strategies, increasing investments in data and automation and seeking closer alignment with logistics partners. In practice, this is meant to enable greater flexibility in network design, better visibility across operations and closer partner coordination in real time.
· Data found that 56% of leaders rank tariffs, regulation and political shifts as the Top 3 decision drivers. Companies are adapting by embedding policy risk into their planning strategies, as 73% expect tariffs to continue negatively affecting financial performance in 2026, while 57% say the impact of tariffs on costs in 2025 were higher than expected.
· The findings suggest that food and beverage companies are no longer treating disruption as a temporary factor and are adjusting their strategic frameworks to accommodate it.
· The responses also reveal how customer priorities are evolving across demand planning, technology, trade strategy and partner expectations.
· Demand for refrigerated and frozen foods is growing; demand growth is being shaped by e-commerce, private label products and changing consumer behavior.
- 66% say their supply chain only sometimes meets demand speed – or struggles to meet it – pointing to a disconnect between volume growth and execution.
- Companies indicate a need for capacity, flexibility and better forecasting to respond quickly.
- 32% of leaders note increased prioritization of domestic products.
- Most companies expect trade growth within their own country over the next 12 months, including 67% in the United States, 62% in Mexico and 56% in Canada.
- 31% plan reactive responses to tariff changes and 28% are proactively preparing for potential impacts, signaling greater in-country concentration of trade.
- 60% of leaders rank data and AI among the top forces transforming operations.
- Companies are prioritizing transportation optimization, real-time visibility, AI-informed decision-making and warehouse automation.
- AI is most frequently cited as improving planning coordination (45%), productivity and efficiency (37%) and spoilage reduction (34%), directly linking technology adoption to operational outcomes.
- Nearly half of leaders say providers are least prepared when it comes to maintaining up-to-date technology, while others cite gaps in real-time market responsiveness.
- 47% identify flexible storage capacity as their greatest need from cold storage partners while 41% want better data to inform planning.
- Modern 3PLs are viewed as strategic partners, not just storage providers.
