--- description: Presenting the inaugural TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential manufacturing and logistics businesses of the year. title: The 10 Most Influential Manufacturing and Logistics Companies of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt789655b316527c30/69ebac4847324f9a0bda578e/Manufacturing_new2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [TIME100 Companies 2026](/tag/time100-companies-2026/) ## TIME100 Companies 2026 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 10 Most Influential Manufacturing and Logistics Companies of 2026 by [TIME Contributors](/author/time-contributors/) ## TIME Contributors Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 29, 2026 12:27 PM CUT  Illustrations by Zhenia Vasiliev by [TIME Contributors](/author/time-contributors/) ## TIME Contributors Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 29, 2026 12:27 PM CUT This year, TIME editors launch the **TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders** lists, an expansion of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies issue that dives deeper into 20 sectors to look at the companies shaping their industries. These are the 10 most influential companies in manufacturing and logistics of 2026. ### Kiewit _Building America's Arctic gateway_ When governments need big infrastructure—roads, bridges, dams, energy projects—they call Kiewit, a civil construction contractor that’s been in business since 1884\. Its latest project may be its most strategically significant. The U.S. has long wanted a major port on its Arctic coast, where shipping lanes are opening up as the Arctic warms and ice recedes, intensifying competition among nations for trade lanes and critical minerals. The remote Alaska port of Nome, 545 miles northwest of Anchorage, has had a federally-built harbor since 1917, but its current design can't accommodate large vessels—​​a national security gap that has grown more glaring as [Russian and Chinese naval forces have stepped up joint patrols](https://www.newsweek.com/us-deploys-warship-russian-chinese-naval-flotilla-approaches-alaska-2113270 "undefined") near Alaska. Kiewit won a [near-$400 million contract](https://www.poa.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/Article/4276752/usace-awards-construction-contract-for-portion-of-port-of-nome-modification-pro/ "undefined") to change that, starting with extending the port's causeway by 1,200 ft. Eventually the basin will be dredged to 40 ft.—deep enough for large military and cargo vessels. Once finished, it will be the country’s first Arctic deep-water port, giving the U.S. a long-missing foothold near the Bering Strait as Russia and China race to dominate the region's trade lanes. The expanded port will also improve supply lines to more than [60 remote Alaskan communities](https://mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/nomealaska-meet-569484dbbf6f485f8077fdb331a8646a/ITEM-Attachment-001-f0a578106e0b43bdb313b310fafb0df1.pdf "undefined") that depend on sea access for basic goods. _—Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Corning _Onshoring the AI supply chain_ The AI boom and the push to onshore tech supply chains have converged at Corning, the 175-year-old upstate New York—based glass manufacturer. "Those two things have come together to create a need for us to build pretty large-scale operations to meet that demand," says CEO Wendell Weeks, who keeps a handwritten invoice from Thomas Edison for light-bulb glass in his office. How large? The firm recently struck a [$6 billion deal](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/27/apple-supplier-corning-wins-6-billion-from-meta-for-ai-optical-fiber.html "undefined") to supply Meta with enough fiber optic cable to wrap around the equator 320 times. And Weeks—who worked with colleagues to invent [a new AI-specific fiber called Contour](https://www.corning.com/optical-communications/worldwide/en/home/products/fiber/optical-fiber-products/smf-28-contour-fiber.html "undefined") that is lighter and twice as dense—says Corning has since concluded "several other Meta-sized transactions" with clients he declines to name. "Our way is to be quiet," he says. "We are only public when our customers want to talk about it." —_Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Emirates Global Aluminum _Reestablishing U.S. aluminum_ Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) is building a $4 billion aluminum smelting facility near Tulsa, Oklahoma—the first new primary aluminum production plant in the U.S. in more than 45 years. EGA is developing the plant in partnership with U.S.-based Century Aluminum, with construction set to begin by year's end. Once complete, it will nearly double domestic aluminum production and create an estimated 1,000 direct jobs. The project, announced as part of $200 billion in commercial agreements between the White House and the UAE, positions the Gulf state-owned producer at the center of America's push to secure domestic aluminum supply for aerospace, defense, and automotive manufacturers—sectors where reliable access has become a national security concern.. "The United States has been an important market for EGA for several decades," CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said in a statement announcing the project. The company is already boosting aluminum shipments to the U.S. even with 50% tariffs in place, a sign of just how far domestic supply has fallen behind demand. _—Amrita Khalid_ ### Learning Resources _Challenging Trump’s tariffs_ Learning Resources makes the globes, toy clocks, and math counters kids use in classroom lessons. But when President Trump's tariffs threatened to raise the company’s projected annual import duties from $2.3 million to $100 million, CEO Rick Woldenberg did what many larger companies would not: he sued. The Vernon Hills, Illinois-based educational toy maker—a fourth-generation family business with roughly 500 employees—filed suit in April 2025, arguing that the President had no authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. Woldenberg, a[ former lawyer](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/uchicago-law-landmark-tariff-ruling-was-tale-two-alumni "undefined"), took the fight all the way to the Supreme Court—and won. "The cost of not standing up was far greater than the cost of standing up,” he says. On Feb. 20, 2026,[ the Court ruled 6-3](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1287%5F4gcj.pdf "undefined") that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs, invalidating the centerpiece of Trump's trade agenda and setting in motion a refund process that could return roughly[ $166 billion](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-customs-agency-says-tariff-refund-system-progressing-payments-may-take-up-45-2026-03-31/ "undefined") to importers. The administration quickly found other tariff routes, but Woldenberg sees the case as proof the system still works. "Some guy you never heard of can sue the most powerful person in the world,” he says. “And if that guy is right, he wins." _—Alex Stone_ ### GrubMarket _The food industry's operating system_ GrubMarket makes software that helps food wholesalers track the price of mangoes and issue PTO requests. It also happens to be the largest private food company in the United States, valued at [$4.5 billion](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grubmarket-raises-50-million-series-h-to-fuel-ecommerce-and-ai-transformation-of-the-american-food-supply-chain-industry-302675822.html "undefined"). Since the pandemic, the San Francisco-based company, founded by Mike Xu, has been on a dizzying acquisitions spree, gobbling up dozens of food wholesalers and distributors—companies that supply tropical fruits to Walmart and tomatoes to In-N-Out Burger—and converting them into modern e-commerce operations running on its AI-powered [WholesaleWare](https://erp.wholesaleware.com/#/ "undefined") platform, which automates everything from ordering and pricing to demand forecasting for perishable goods. The strategy has given GrubMarket a growing stake in the food supply chain itself, not just the technology running it. "Much of the American food supply chain industry didn't use any software other than Quickbooks," says Xu. Distressed online grocery platforms like Good Eggs, which peaked during the pandemic, have been another acquisition target, giving GrubMarket a ready-made consumer base and a trove of purchasing data to feed its forecasting tools. —_Amrita Khalid_ ### Foxconn _From iPhones to AI servers_ The Taiwanese company best known for assembling iPhones has emerged as one of the most important players in AI. Foxconn, the world's [largest contract electronics manufacturer](https://www.foxconn.com/us/about/group-profile "undefined"), is a major assembler of Nvidia’s flagship GB200 servers—the most sought-after hardware in the industry—placing it in a critical position within the AI supply chain. In 2025, Foxconn’s cloud and networking division surpassed consumer electronics as its largest business segment, reflecting a surge in demand for AI infrastructure. That momentum helped drive record full-year revenue of NT$8.1 trillion ($262 billion), with AI server revenue up 170% year over year. The company is also moving deeper into design and engineering, developing proprietary components such as liquid-cooling systems and high-speed connectors as it pushes beyond contract manufacturing toward a broader role in AI infrastructure. To meet demand, Foxconn is building a $900 million factory in Mexico and additional facilities in Texas that will produce Nvidia’s servers, and a recent partnership with OpenAI will focus on next-generation AI infrastructure design. "Our major customers expect the size of the AI industry to hit $1 trillion over the next two to three years," chairman Young Liu said on the company's March earnings call. Foxconn says it has already captured roughly 40% of the AI server market and expects that number to grow. —_Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Samsara _All AIs on the road_ If you watched the 2026 Super Bowl, you may have seen an unlikely advertiser: Samsara, an American fleet operations platform with AI dash cams. That a company built for trucking and utilities bought a [Super Bowl ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFA6sZREc2c "undefined") tells you something about how fast this market is moving. Founded in 2015 by Sanjit Biswas and John Bicket, Samsara now has a market cap exceeding $16 billion, with customers including DHL, the State of New York, and Southern California Edison. Its platform helps fleets map routes, track assets, and manage fuel costs, but it's the AI safety tools that have gotten the most attention. Fleets that deployed the company's AI dash cams, which detect drowsy or distracted driving, saw a 73% reduction in accidents after 30 months, according to company data from more than 2,600 customers. The newest addition, Samsara Coach, intervenes in the moment, using AI to deliver real-time, in-car audio coaching when it detects risky behavior. —_Amrita Khalid_ ### DHL Group _Smarter warehouses, cleaner fleets_ DHL Group, the world’s largest logistics company, is redefining how goods move around the world, with a vast push toward electrification, cleaner fuel, and warehouse automation. Nearly half the company’s delivery fleet—more than 45,000 vehicles—is now electric, and 10% of its aircraft fleet uses sustainable aviation fuel. Company-wide emissions have declined since 2021, as DHL accelerated its decarbonization efforts. Inside its warehouses, more than 8,000 robots now work alongside human employees, with a deal signed last year to deploy 1,000 more from Boston Dynamics alone. DHL has invested over €1 billion in warehouse automation in the three years to 2025\. The strategy is paying off: operating profit hit €6.1 billion in 2025, up from the year before, even as armed conflict and energy shocks rattled global supply chains. "We cannot influence the geopolitical environment," says CEO Tobias Meyer, "but we can influence how we respond to it." Meyer credits DHL's "globally local" model—pairing worldwide scale with deep regional knowledge—with keeping goods moving in unruly times. _—Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Jabil _Supplying the AI gold rush_ The AI boom needs more than chips—it needs someone to build the servers, power systems, and liquid cooling infrastructure that fill the data centers where AI actually runs. Increasingly, that someone is Jabil. The 60-year-old Florida—based contract manufacturer—with $29.8 billion in revenue in 2025 and more than 100 manufacturing sites worldwide—has become a critical link in the AI supply chain, engineering and assembling full rack-level systems, data center infrastructure for the hyperscalers driving the AI buildout—companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. “The AI craze has kind of blown up for us,” says senior vice president Adam Berry, in something of an understatement. The company’s AI-related business grew 50% last year, with another 35% projected this year—slower only because demand is outstripping capacity. “We think AI is going to be upwards of $12 billion this year,” says Berry. To keep up with demand, Jabil is investing $500 million in a new North Carolina facility and recently shelled out $725 million to acquire Hanley Energy, which builds power systems for data centers—a sign of just how much physical infrastructure the AI revolution demands. _—Chris Stokel-Walker_ ### Flexport _Tariff whisperer_ In a year of whiplash tariff changes, the companies most exposed to global supply chains need to know what their shipments will cost. Flexport, founded in 2013 as a customs broker, now serves about 13,000 companies and has built AI tools to classify goods, optimize shipments, and price routes as the rules shift. Its free [Tariff Simulator](https://tariffs.flexport.com/ "undefined") lets importers model duty changes by date of entry and even by aluminum content—a critical variable as metals tariffs have upended supply chains. "Pretty much the entire Fortune 500 is using this tool," says CEO Ryan Petersen—alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is its top user by searches. The moment has been good for business: net revenue has nearly quadrupled since 2023, and Flexport shipped to and from 147 countries in 2025\. The company has also briefed White House officials on the tariffs' impact on small businesses, a sign of how central freight logistics has become to the trade-policy conversation. _—Chris Stokel-Walker_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/time100-companies-manufacturing-and-logistics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/time100-companies-manufacturing-and-logistics/"},"headline":"The 10 Most Influential Manufacturing and Logistics Companies of 2026","datePublished":"2026-04-29T12:27:09.132Z","dateModified":"2026-05-12T07:05:38.666Z","description":"The TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential manufacturing and logistics businesses of the year.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/time100-companies-manufacturing-and-logistics/","keywords":["TIME100 Companies 2026","Companies","TIME100 Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt789655b316527c30/69ebac4847324f9a0bda578e/Manufacturing_new2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Contributors","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/time-contributors/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt789655b316527c30/69ebac4847324f9a0bda578e/Manufacturing_new2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Manufacturing_new2.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Illustrations by Zhenia Vasiliev","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time100-companies-2026/","name":"TIME100 Companies 2026"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/time100-companies-manufacturing-and-logistics/","name":"The 10 Most Influential Manufacturing and Logistics Companies of 2026"}}]}] ```