In a context where geopolitical tensions, the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and structural changes in supply chains have tested the resilience of companies, the 2026 edition of the Logistics Pulse marks a turning point: leaving measurement behind to focus on action .

During the presentation of the study, Ángel Estrada, managing director of Alvarez & Marsal , highlighted that this new edition responds to a different reality, in which the challenges of the past have evolved into structural challenges that require strategic decisions.

“In previous years we measured efficiency, costs and performance. Today the focus is on looking ahead and understanding what’s coming and how to act,” he noted at The Logistics World Summit & Expo.

Unlike previous editions, the 2026 Pulse Meter was built from more than 45 interviews with leaders of the logistics ecosystem , including companies, operators, associations, academia and government, with the aim of identifying trends and defining courses of action in seven key pillars, such as infrastructure, costs, resilience, technology, security, talent and sector collaboration.

This change in methodology reflects an evolution of the sector, which has gone through different stages in recent years, from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to the container crisis, energy volatility and, more recently, the regionalization of supply chains .

In this context, Estrada stressed that 2026 is a critical year for Mexico, particularly due to the review of the USMCA and international pressure to strengthen regional integration.

One of the main findings of the study is that Mexico has a real opportunity to consolidate itself as a logistics hub in Latin America , driven by nearshoring and the global reconfiguration of trade.

However, this opportunity coexists with structural tensions that go beyond logistical costs, such as insufficient infrastructure, security challenges, and a lack of specialized talent.

“We are at a pivotal moment. There is a great opportunity, but also pressures that, if not addressed, could become bottlenecks,” Estrada warned.

One of the most significant changes identified is the transformation of the role of logistics within companies. From being an operational function focused on costs, it is evolving into a strategic element in decision-making.

“Logistics is being discussed in the council today. It is a growth enabler and a competitive advantage,” Estrada explained.

This change responds to the need to build more resilient, efficient supply chains that are aligned with business objectives.

The study also highlights two critical factors: talent and technology .

On the one hand, a lack of specialized skills can limit the sector’s growth. On the other hand, the accelerated adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI)  opens up opportunities, but also risks if not implemented in a structured way.

“Many solutions arrive as isolated applications, without being integrated into the processes. The challenge is to connect end-to-end and start from clean data,” Estrada pointed out.

Security and infrastructure, the structural issues to be resolved

During the press conference, leaders in the logistics sector agreed that the main challenges remain security and infrastructure.

Hugo Ruiz, president of the National Council of Executives in Logistics and Supply Chain (ConaLog) , highlighted that there is a growing recognition, even from the government, of the deficiencies in infrastructure.

“It’s something that wasn’t openly discussed before. Today there’s agreement between the public and private sectors, and it’s one of the issues we need to resolve in the coming years,” he stated.

Regarding security, Sandra Aragonez, senior director at Alvarez & Marsal , stressed that it must cease to be an operational issue and become a strategic focus within organizations.

“Security must be on the same level as supply chain management. It must be integrated from the operational design stage,” he stated.

From conversation to execution

One of the most compelling calls of the 2026 Pulse Meter is the need to move from diagnosis to action.

Bernardo Flores, from Alvarez & Marsal , emphasized that the real challenge is to translate opportunities into concrete results, through collaboration between companies, government and academia .

For his part, Juan Carlos Molina, general director of GS1 Mexico , stressed that digitalization will be key, as long as it is supported by standards that allow for efficient communication.

The message is that the moment demands coordinated action. For Juan Pablo Pacheco, managing director of HAF Logística Internacional , the key lies in collaboration among stakeholders.

“We need to work together as a sector to solve the challenges,” he said.

The participants agreed that, although Mexico has managed to grow despite its limitations, its true potential will be reached when structural problems are addressed.

“Imagine what we could achieve if we resolve these deficiencies,” Ruiz said.

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In a country like Mexico, where logistics is an important sector of the economy, understanding and transforming the way goods are moved has become a strategic imperative.

With that vision, Control T brought together industry leaders on the panel Data Transforming Logistics in Mexico , a space where the findings of the 2025 Logistics Pulse Meter were presented in its third edition, which tripled participation compared to the first year, with more than 450 companies .

Sandra Aragonez , senior director at Alvarez & Marsal , emphasized that the heart rate monitor is a collaborative effort.

“I don’t believe in isolated efforts. If we want a more enriching vision and strategies with real impact, we need to bring together associations, executives, and companies,” he emphasized.

Among the key findings, the study identified five critical pillars: planning, agility, collaboration, talent, and digitalization, with the latter emerging as the most pressing challenge.

“Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to operate with manual tools. Digital transformation is no longer optional; it’s the enabler of all the other pillars,” Aragonez emphasized.

The report also revealed a significant gap in logistics costs between large and small companies. While the former allocate 9.7 percent of their revenue to logistics, the latter spends up to 18.8 percent.

To close this gap, Aragonez proposed three strategic levers : strengthening planning with predictive models, adopting asset-light approaches , and digitizing according to each organization’s maturity level.

But the data also speaks to talent. In Aragonez’s words, “without the right staff, without metrics, and without visibility into results, it’s impossible to capture real value with technology . “

José Guzmán Salas , from the National Council of Logistics and Supply Chain Executives (ConaLog) , pointed out that finding talent isn’t enough; it’s essential to develop it.  However, the study showed that small businesses only allocate 5% of their investment to training.

Guzmán proposed that companies plan time and budget for training, leverage internal talent as trainers, and partner with associations that offer specialized training at low cost.

“Training doesn’t always have to come from Harvard; it often comes from our own team or our trade associations,” he said.

He also warned that the lag in demand planning , a practice that is non-existent in 48% of SMEs , has cultural roots.

“Logistics is still seen as the end of the process, not as part of strategic planning. We need a culture of collaboration and dialogue between departments,” he emphasized.

For his part, in the context of nearshoring (relocation of production lines), Diego Anchustegui , president of the Mexican Intermodal Transport Association (AMTI) , noted that the trade war between the United States and China positioned Mexico as a key partner, but political uncertainty is holding back decisions.

“Transportation demand has stalled, there’s overcapacity, and fares are falling. Still, we must continue investing in rail infrastructure to be ready for any scenario under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,” he said.

Anchustegui defended the potential of intermodal transportation , which reduces costs by 25% to 30% and is up to 75% more environmentally friendly. However, he acknowledged that many SMEs don’t use it due to lack of awareness or access to established services.

“We are working with the Ministry of Economy to bring the train closer to small and medium-sized businesses,” he said.

On the other hand, insecurity on roads and railways continues to be an operational burden, so for AMTI, the response must come from the private sector.

“We can no longer wait for the government to act. Technology is the solution: RFID, GPS, cameras with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Today, not having full visibility is non-negotiable,” Anchustegui said.

He added that the security approach is no longer reactive, but predictive, detecting theft patterns at critical points, documenting each seal opening, and protecting the operator with evidence in the event of accidents or legal disputes.

Although all specialists agreed on the importance of collaboration , José Guzmán Salas made a distinction between “micro” collaboration, which occurs between companies and suppliers, and “macro” collaboration, where integration between unions, governments, and key stakeholders is still lacking.

“On paper, collaboration exists. In practice, everyone takes care of their own little piece. We lack community, a shared vision of the future,” he warned.

He added that Mexican logistics has talent, infrastructure, and good practices , but they are often not connected.

“What we need is not to be copied, but rather to be copied more and to share what works to strengthen the entire chain,” he emphasized.

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