From Challenges to Solutions: Acumatica’s AI-Enabled Supply Chain Innovations Featured at MODEX 2026

MODEX 2026 took place April 13-16, 2026, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. As the largest manufacturing and supply chain trade show in North America, MODEX welcomes over 50,000 manufacturing, distribution, and retail professionals who are seeking cutting-edge technology and equipment that can help them modernize their business systems.

Having attended the last MODEX (MODEX 2024), I was thrilled to return once again with my Acumatica colleagues along and be joined by expert representatives from i-Tech Support, Net@Work, Crestwood Associates, and CBIZ. It was an amazing opportunity to highlight Acumatica ERP’s supply chain capabilities growing businesses need in order to overcome their challenges and thrive in a highly competitive, volatile environment.

Image: The Acumatica team at MODEX 2026

Acumatica ERP On Exhibit

MODEX 2026 was a four-day event organized by MHI, the nation’s largest material handling, logistics, and supply chain association. It featured four keynotes, nearly 200 educational sessions, and over 1,100 exhibitions, all focused on the latest trends, strategies, and best practices for becoming a resilient supply chain company of the future.

The Acumatica exhibit booth proved to be a great place to share rich ERP insights—and delicious espresso—with thousands of national and international attendees, many of whom were operations, supply chain, warehouse, and IT leaders as well as manufacturing, distribution, and retail merchant executives. Nearly every attendee that stopped by our booth was searching for ways to simplify their complex supply chain operations and what stood out to me was how much the conversation had changed.

Two years ago, people were asking, “What is AI?” Now they’re focusing more on “How can I actually use it and what’s the return on investment?” Jacob Scism, Senior Strategic Sales Development Manager at Acumatica, manned the booth with me, and he heard the same questions.

“AI was definitely a big topic, but it didn’t feel like empty hype,” he says. “Being able to show that Acumatica already has embedded, practical AI—not something bolted on—landed well, especially when tied back to real use cases.”

MODEX 2026 attendees also shared with me that they’re under a lot of pressure from supply chain issues, limited labor, and squeezed margins, with Jacob noting that not having clear visibility into labor costs, struggling with tracing inventory movement accurately, and outgrowing of older systems that can’t support their business were major concerns as well. They want to do more with less and were delighted to find that Acumatica’s modern cloud ERP and our industry-specific software (e.g., Acumatica Manufacturing Edition, Acumatica Distribution Edition, and Acumatica Retail Edition) offers the “more” they’re looking for.

They discovered that Acumatica provides:

• Real-time visibility across inventory, production, and fulfillment.
• Elimination of manual work, spreadsheets, and duplicate data entry.
• Integrated warehouse tech (WMS, scanners, automation, robotics).
• Faster, more accurate operations and omnichannel sales for improved customer experiences.
• A system that adapts to their workflows—not the other way around.
• Predictable costs, support for unlimited users, and a platform that scales as they grow.

Image: MODEX attendees learning about Acumatica cloud ERP

Acumatica ERP In Session

In addition to exhibiting the efficiency-boosting features that Acumatica’s flexible, unified platform provides for growing companies, I had the opportunity to speak during one of the exhibit-floor sessions. My session focused on helping SMBs who struggle with outdated business management solutions or who have outgrown basic accounting software, like QuickBooks, unlock the power of AI and ML through a modern ERP system, like Acumatica.

I provided attendees with the telltale signs to identify if their ERP system is holding them back. I also led an in-depth discussion on the benefits of implementing an intelligent solution, from saving time through automating tasks and uncovering actionable insights to making smarter decisions based on accurate, at-your-fingertips information. And I made sure that the benefits of our latest release, Acumatica 2026 R1, were on full display.

Acumatica 2026 R1 delivers industry-specific innovations, such as our updates to Acumatica’s Shop Floor Kiosk that allows users to capture data and material, labor, and production transaction in real time. Other exciting examples include in-transit inventory tracking and system-level performance monitoring capabilities, improved reporting with proactive anomaly detection, and new Amazon profitability dashboards.

Additional improvements and capabilities delivered  by Acumatica 2026 R1 are spotlighted in our recent press release, which also notes, “Acumatica 2026 R1 reflects the company’s broader commitment to providing industry depth that delivers value from day one. With AI Studio and AI Assistant at its core, this release empowers mid-market businesses to predict risk, strengthen financial visibility, and unify operations.”

Acumatica ERP In Session

In addition to exhibiting the efficiency-boosting features that Acumatica’s flexible, unified platform provides for growing companies, I had the opportunity to speak during one of the exhibit-floor sessions. My session focused on helping SMBs who struggle with outdated business management solutions or who have outgrown basic accounting software, like QuickBooks, unlock the power of AI and ML through a modern ERP system, like Acumatica.

I provided attendees with the telltale signs to identify if their ERP system is holding them back. I also led an in-depth discussion on the benefits of implementing an intelligent solution, from saving time through automating tasks and uncovering actionable insights to making smarter decisions based on accurate, at-your-fingertips information. And I made sure that the benefits of our latest release, Acumatica 2026 R1, were on full display.

Acumatica 2026 R1 delivers industry-specific innovations, such as our updates to Acumatica’s Shop Floor Kiosk that allows users to capture data and material, labor, and production transaction in real time. Other exciting examples include in-transit inventory tracking and system-level performance monitoring capabilities, improved reporting with proactive anomaly detection, and new Amazon profitability dashboards.

Additional improvements and capabilities delivered  by Acumatica 2026 R1 are spotlighted in our recent press release, which also notes, “Acumatica 2026 R1 reflects the company’s broader commitment to providing industry depth that delivers value from day one. With AI Studio and AI Assistant at its core, this release empowers mid-market businesses to predict risk, strengthen financial visibility, and unify operations.”

Image: Debbie Baldwin, Director, Product Management Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail, Acumatica, speaking at MODEX on “Unlocking the Power of AI and ML with Modern ERP Systems for SMBs”

Acumatica ERP In Action

At MODEX 2026, potential customers from diverse industries were able to see and experience Acumatica ERP live. They asked questions, watched demonstrations, and envisioned how a fully connected, AI-powered solution with a mix of deep industry knowledge, flexible licensing, and smart tech could transform their supply chain operations—something Acumatica customer Wine Rack America is experiencing in real life.

Wine Rack America is a manufacturer and retailer of wine storage systems. Marketing itself as a one-stop-shop solution for wine storage needs, the company also ships their own products directly to consumers, whether they are private buyers or commercial enterprises.

Unfortunately, Wine Racks America was managing its manufacturing, distribution, and retail processes with disconnected systems, including QuickBooks, WooCommerce, and ShipStation. Manual, paper-based order management, inventory discrepancies, website pricing issues, and a lack of data accessibility caused inefficiencies and created frustration.

Says Jennifer Strieker, Manufacturing Production/Accounting Manager, “Everything was in different software. It was difficult to figure out which software you needed to be in to get to certain data points.”

With the help of Acumatica partner WAC Solution Partners, Wine Racks America replaced QuickBooks with Acumatica Manufacturing Edition. The team utilized Acumatica’s multiple currencies, intercompany accounting, inventory control, Shopify Connector, and Amazon Commerce Connector capabilities, and by doing so, they streamlined their operations and gathered their finance, manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution processes in one place.

“Acumatica provided an integrated platform connecting all operations,” says Christian Hancock, General Manager, adding that “Acumatica allowed us to have unlimited growth potential.”

That’s the exact message we shared with the MODEX 2026 attendees. In fact, attending MODEX 2026 was incredibly valuable because it provided us with opportunities to have unfiltered conversations. Says Jacob, “You hear what’s top of mind for operators and decision makers, not just what’s trending in marketing. This year especially, it felt like people are further along in their evaluation process. They’re not just browsing; they’re trying to figure out what to do next.”

We look forward to helping these potential customers figure out that becoming full-fledged Acumatica users is the way to go. With our continually updated cloud ERP solution (including our new partnerships and integrations that are bolstering Acumatica Payments), they’ll be equipped to address their supply chain challenges and meet—as well as exceed—their business goals.

To learn more about how simple software, such as QuickBooks, is holding you back and to learn how Acumatica’s sophisticated, unified solution can move you forward, contact our experts today.