Supply Chain Excellence Awards MEA 2026 Winners Announced — Henkel Ankara Plant Takes Manufacturing Award (DP World, John Thornton)

The winners of the Supply Chain Excellence Awards Middle East & Africa (MEA) 2026, organised by Logistics Manager magazine, were revealed in an online ceremony hosted by the magazine's Editor-in-Chief John Thornton. In the programme's second annual edition, a total of 66 shortlisted entries competing across 20 categories represented organisations from 11 countries — public sector bodies, healthcare providers, airports, manufacturers, retailers, hospitality businesses, food and drink organisations, logistics specialists and technology providers. The judging panel was composed of 26 senior supply chain, procurement, logistics and operations leaders with collective experience spanning FMCG, food and drink, retail, telecoms, hospitality, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and academia. Speaking at the ceremony, Thornton said, "This year's finalists and winners reflect a sector that continues to show resilience, innovation and real excellence across the Middle East and Africa; across healthcare, public services, food and drink, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, construction, digital transformation, sustainability, automation and infrastructure, the quality of work recognised has been outstanding." The 2026 awards were supported by partners DP World, Aurora Insights and the Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau; winners will additionally be featured in the June edition of Logistics Manager.

From a Türkiye perspective, the standout winner was Henkel Ankara Plant, which took The DP World Manufacturing Supply Chain Excellence Award — a category that rewards operational excellence in manufacturing supply chains across the MEA region and underscores the regional benchmark value of Türkiye's multinational manufacturing infrastructure. Other industry-sector category winners are: The Construction Supply Chain Excellence Award — Alliad, The Food & Drink Supply Chain Excellence Award — Gulf Agency Co., The Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Excellence Award — Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, The Hospitality Supply Chain Excellence Award — ADNH Catering, The Public Sector Supply Chain Excellence Award — Riyadh Airports, The Retail Supply Chain Excellence Award — Takealot (with European Conveyors & Geekplus), The Telecoms Supply Chain Excellence Award — MTN Group. In the supply chain categories, The Aurora Insights Digital Transformation Award went to Department of Culture & Tourism (Abu Dhabi); both the Future-Focused Supply Chain Excellence Award and the Supply Chain Innovation Award went to SAL Logistics Services. Supply Chain Operations — Madinah Health Cluster, Supply Chain Product — LogisEye, Supply Chain Visibility — Noatum Logistics, Sustainable Supply Chain — Aldahra, Warehouse Initiative — Refine Home Solutions (with UPC General Trading, Super Value, JIFCO Trading & DXI Logistics). In technology and automation, Automation & Systems Integration — DHL; Best Use of Robotics — Starlinks & Geekplus. In transport and infrastructure, Cold Chain Logistics — Tanmiah Food Company & Heering and Supply Chain Hub — DP World. The awards will return as a full in-person ceremony in Abu Dhabi in May 2027.

From a supply chain perspective, these awards offer sectoral reading along four axes. First, Henkel Ankara Plant's receipt of the MEA manufacturing award validates Türkiye's position as a regional chemicals/adhesives production centre; the jury's confirmation that Henkel's Ankara FMCG/technology line constitutes an operational excellence benchmark for the Middle East and Africa export network creates a concrete reference point for Türkiye in nearshoring/regional hub discussions. Second, Geekplus's appearance as a partner across two separate categories (Retail — Takealot and Robotics — Starlinks) materialises the rapid market-penetration capacity of Chinese-headquartered autonomous warehouse robotics companies in the MEA region; in terms of AMR/AS-RS investments, this is likely to push Western rivals such as Boston Dynamics, AutoStore and Symbotic to re-evaluate their competitive focus. Third, SAL Logistics Services's dual-category win demonstrates that under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 logistics-hub strategy (Jeddah Islamic Port, Riyadh Dry Port, NEOM), multimodal air-sea-land logistics players are rapidly climbing global rankings. Fourth, DP World's combined role as both sponsor and winner of the Supply Chain Hub category underscores the UAE-based consolidated sea-land terminal operator's port-to-hinterland integrator role across the MEA region; the 2027 Abu Dhabi in-person ceremony is foreseeable as a physical convergence point for this axis. For Türkiye's logistics companies, entry into the 2027 shortlist will offer an opportunity to elevate their brand-equity layer across the Asia–Europe–Africa trilateral corridors.

Key Takeaways:
1. The Supply Chain Excellence Awards Middle East & Africa (MEA) 2026 winners were announced by Logistics Manager magazine in an online ceremony.
2. In the programme's second annual edition, 66 shortlisted entries from 11 countries competed across 20 categories; a panel of 26 senior sector leaders served as judges.
3. Türkiye's Henkel Ankara Plant won The DP World Manufacturing Supply Chain Excellence Award.
4. SAL Logistics Services took two categories (Future-Focused + Innovation); Geekplus featured as a partner in two categories (Retail with Takealot + Robotics with Starlinks).
5. Other winners include Riyadh Airports (Public Sector), Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (Healthcare), DHL (Automation), MTN Group (Telecoms), DP World (Hub) and Tanmiah Food & Heering (Cold Chain).
6. Sponsors: DP World, Aurora Insights, Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau.
7. Supply chain impact: Türkiye's MEA manufacturing-hub reference (Henkel Ankara) + Chinese AMR market penetration via Geekplus + Saudi Vision 2030 logistics momentum + DP World as port-to-hinterland integrator; 2027 Abu Dhabi in-person ceremony as a brand-equity opportunity for Türkiye's logistics players.