ASCM names 2026 Awards of Excellence winners

ASCM has announced the 2026 winners of its Awards of Excellence, recognizing supply chain teams and practitioners that used the SCOR DS framework to deliver measurable gains in performance, skills, sustainability and leadership. The honorees range from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and IDEX Corp. to individual winners at NTT Data Business Solutions and MOD Pizza.

Why it matters: - ASCM's awards highlight how supply chain teams are using a common digital standard to improve resilience, reduce risk and measure business impact. - The winners show how SCOR DS is being applied across AI-driven supplier analysis, workforce training and sustainability programs. - The results point to practical savings, faster decisions and lower emissions in real operations.

What happened: - ASCM announced the 2026 ASCM Awards of Excellence winners on Sept. 30, 2026. - The awards honor corporate teams and individual practitioners for leadership, innovation and measurable business impact through ASCM's Supply Chain Operations Reference Digital Standard. - ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi said the winners show how operational strategy aligned with SCOR DS can build resilient networks amid global disruption.

The details: - Savannah River Nuclear Solutions won the Supply Chain Performance award for building an AI-powered supplier viability platform. - The platform uses predictive analytics across more than 100 real-time data sources. - The system extends visibility into sub-tier suppliers to help mitigate financial, cybersecurity and foreign affiliation risks. - Savannah River Nuclear Solutions cut supplier assessment time by 90% and generated $640,000 in annual cost avoidance. - IDEX Corp. won the Future-Ready Skills Cultivation and Enablement award for creating a SCOR DS-aligned operating model across its end-to-end value stream. - IDEX used ASCM capability assessments and site-wide SCOR DS training before enterprise system updates. - The company built a standardized process language and a targeted skills roadmap to improve supplier collaboration, risk management and efficiency. - Delta Electronics (Australia) Pty. Ltd. won the Sustainability Catalyst award for embedding SCOR DS and ASCM Enterprise Standards for Sustainability into its network. - Delta integrated carbon metrics into S&OP workflows, automated emissions tracking and deployed an ESG battery recycling hub. - The company cut local freight costs by 35%, diverted 165 tons of batteries and offset more than 8,500 cubic meters of CO₂ equivalent annually. - Sagar Gaikwad, supply chain transformation leader at NTT Data Business Solutions, won the Supply Chain Performance Champion award. - Gaikwad led a large-scale supply chain planning transformation for a global manufacturing organization headquartered in Japan. - The transformation modernized legacy operations across Asia, Europe and North America. - Geethapriya Kumaraguru, senior supply chain analyst at MOD Pizza, won the Sustainability Champion award. - Kumaraguru uses SCOR DS to embed environmental stewardship, ethical labor standards and governance into operational strategy. - ASCM said the awards are evaluated on leadership, innovation and measurable business impact. - ASCM said submissions are reviewed on how well teams use global standards to drive resilience, workforce capability, digital transformation and sustainable end-to-end performance. - ASCM said the application process opens annually to entrants worldwide and is reviewed by an independent panel of industry experts. - More information is available here.

Between the lines: - The awards frame SCOR DS as more than a benchmarking tool; ASCM is positioning it as a practical operating model for modernization. - The mix of corporate and individual winners suggests ASCM is rewarding both systems change and leadership that spreads those practices across the industry. - Sustainability is no longer presented as a side initiative; ASCM is tying it directly to cost, efficiency and operational performance.

What's next: - ASCM said the awards application process will continue annually for global entrants. - Organizations and individuals can review past winner case studies and submission guidelines on the awards site. - The recognition may encourage more supply chain teams to adopt SCOR DS for performance, skills and sustainability programs.