LAS VEGAS — Synthetic intelligence, digital twins and autonomous provide chain workflows dominated Day 2 discussions at Coupa Encourage 2026 as executives from Coupa, GAF and Sonepar USA described how AI-driven instruments are quickly reshaping procurement, transportation and community optimization.
Coupa is a cloud-based, AI-native platform designed for complete spend administration and provide chain optimization. The corporate is headquartered in Foster Metropolis, California with places of work all through Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia.
The convention, held Monday by means of Wednesday at ARIA Resort & On line casino in Las Vegas, introduced collectively lots of of procurement, finance and provide chain executives centered on spend administration, sourcing and provide chain expertise.
Through the opening keynote on Tuesday, CEO Leagh Turner unveiled new AI-focused merchandise, together with the launch of Coupa Compose and Coupa Catalyst, whereas additionally saying the acquisition of AI-based clever doc processing firm Rossum.
‘AI is the brand new UI’ for provide chain software program
Dean Bain, Coupa’s common supervisor and senior vice chairman of provide chain, stated firms are shifting past easy generative AI chatbots towards “agentic AI” techniques able to automating operational duties and making complicated provide chain choices.
“AI is the brand new UI,” Bain stated throughout an interview Wednesday with BigRig. “As a software program firm, as an innovator within the area, if that’s not the path we head, we will likely be behind.”
Coupa executives stated the corporate has developed greater than 20 AI brokers and plans to broaden that quantity considerably over the following 12 months because it embeds automation straight into procurement and provide chain workflows.
Bain stated Coupa’s AI “prescriptions” expertise combines agentic AI with mathematical optimization to rapidly consider transportation networks, warehouse capability, provider constraints and logistics situations.
“What we’re seeing is figure that was taking 4 to 6 weeks is now being carried out in 4 to 6 hours,” Bain stated.
Bain stated digital twin expertise is changing into more and more essential as producers and retailers navigate tariffs, port congestion and geopolitical disruptions. Coupa’s digital twins create digital representations of provide chains that permit firms to mannequin sourcing shifts, transportation delays and inventory-balancing situations in actual time.
“Tariffs is clearly an enormous problem for everybody proper now,” Bain stated. “Digital twins are permitting our prospects to mannequin these tariff situations.”
The techniques additionally incorporate real-time information, social media and operational knowledge feeds to guage potential disruptions throughout world commerce networks, Bain stated.
Sonepar redesigns fleet, supply networks
A breakout session at Coupa Encourage 2026, led by Sundara Maddala, director of analytics at Sonepar USA, centered on how {the electrical} distributor is embedding transportation and logistics choices straight into community design throughout its U.S. operations.
Sonepar USA operates roughly 600 amenities nationwide, together with distribution facilities and cross-docks, whereas relying closely on personal fleet operations to help tight supply home windows for development prospects.
Maddala detailed a number of optimization initiatives involving route redesigns, fleet right-sizing and hub-and-spoke distribution methods following acquisitions in Florida and the Northeast. One venture lowered the variety of 26-foot field vans from 68 to 43 whereas chopping weekly mileage and producing roughly $3.4 million in lease-cost financial savings, based on Maddala.
One other community redesign in U.S. Carolinas consolidated stock into centralized distribution facilities whereas bettering delivery-service efficiency to as excessive as 95%-96%, Maddala stated.
“There’s a giant shift from how they operated to how they need to function,” Maddala stated. “Now the client walks into the department, locations an order, and the department supervisor has no say … He simply has to belief that CDC will do all that work after which ship it on time.”
Coupa, Celonis staff up on AI-driven procurement
Coupa additionally introduced Wednesday that it’s collaborating with Celonis to combine course of intelligence instruments into Coupa’s autonomous spend administration platform. The businesses stated the combination will present Coupa’s Navi AI brokers with operational context designed to automate procurement workflows, cut back “worth leakage” and enhance spend visibility throughout enterprise techniques.
The partnership permits prospects to deploy Celonis Course of Intelligence by means of the Coupa App Market whereas combining Coupa’s spend-management knowledge with Celonis’ operational analytics. The businesses stated the combination is aimed toward lowering maverick shopping for, accelerating touchless invoicing and bettering working capital administration.
“AI Brokers are solely efficient if they’re fed the most effective knowledge, intelligence and context,” Salvatore Lombardo, Coupa’s chief product and expertise officer, stated in a press release saying the partnership.
Coupa honors companions for provide chain innovation
Coupa additionally acknowledged 16 companions throughout its Encourage 2026 Accomplice Summit for serving to prospects enhance procurement operations and provide chain resilience. Awards included World Accomplice of the 12 months for Accenture, Provide Chain Accomplice of the 12 months for Miebach Consulting and AI Accomplice of the 12 months for PwC.
“Our companions are the spine of the Coupa neighborhood, serving to our mutual prospects drive margin development and future-proof their operations,” Greg Harbor, Coupa’s chief accomplice officer, stated in a press release.
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