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33 teams. 13 countries. 10 rounds. One world champion.

The stakes were high, the competition was fierce, and the challenge pushed supply chain professionals to their limits. After two weeks of intense strategic decision-making, the Global PRO Final 2026 has crowned its new world champions!

From October 19–30, more than 100 professionals representing 33 teams from 13 countries went head-to-head in a global competition powered by The Fresh Connection. Their mission? Take control of a struggling virtual company, navigate complex supply chain challenges, outperform the competition, and achieve the highest possible Return on Investment (ROI).

With no visibility into their competitors’ performance and every decision carrying consequences, teams had to trust their strategies, collaborate under pressure, and push for stronger results.

After an exciting final, Murata Manufacturing from Japan claimed the title of Global PRO Champions 2026, followed by MD LOGIS CORPORATION from Japan in second place and GoodyCo from Saudi Arabia in third.

The Ultimate Test of Supply Chain Strategy and Teamwork

The Global PRO Final brings together some of the world’s most ambitious supply chain professionals to compete on a global stage, putting their strategic thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and business decision-making skills to the test.

Powered by The Fresh Connection, participants took charge of a virtual manufacturing company facing significant business challenges. Working across four interconnected roles—Purchasing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Sales—teams had to turn around company performance by making strategic decisions across the entire value chain.

Every decision mattered. Improving customer service could increase costs. Reducing inventory could put product availability at risk. Increasing capacity could create new financial pressures. Success depended on understanding these trade-offs, aligning priorities, and making decisions that benefited the business as a whole.

But this was no ordinary simulation experience. This was the Global PRO Final, where the best teams were challenged to prove what they could achieve without a safety net.

A New Twist: 10 Rounds, No Rankings, and Everything to Play For

This year’s final introduced an unexpected challenge: a 10-round, self-paced competition designed to push even experienced participants beyond their comfort zones.

Unlike a typical training experience, teams received no additional e-learning support. They had to rely on their own expertise, analytical capabilities, and teamwork to navigate the challenges ahead.

The rules introduced another layer of strategy:

• Up to 10 rounds to compete: Teams could decide how many rounds to complete within the two-week competition period.
• One score determined the winner: The final ranking was based on each team’s highest ROI achieved in any round, with no weighting between rounds.
• No live leaderboard: Teams could track their own results but had no visibility into how their competitors were performing.

This created a strategic dilemma. Should teams stop once they achieved a strong ROI, or continue playing in pursuit of an even better result?

With no way of knowing whether their score was enough to win, every team had to make that call for themselves.

The challenge was made even tougher by a difficult starting position, with teams initially facing relatively low ROI performance. Turning the company around required persistence, strategic adjustments, and the ability to learn from the consequences of earlier decisions.

And for the three teams that ultimately reached the podium, their strongest performance came in the final round.

And the Global PRO Champions 2026 Are…

After two weeks of competition, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived. Three teams stood above the rest, delivering outstanding results and securing their places on the global podium.

🥇 1st Place: Murata Manufacturing – Japan

Best ROI: 16.74% | Round 10

Murata Manufacturing is officially the Global PRO Champion 2026!

With an impressive ROI of 16.74%, achieved in the tenth and final round, the Japanese team secured the highest score of the entire competition and claimed the world champion title.

🥈 2nd Place: MD LOGIS CORPORATION – Japan

Best ROI: 15.81% | Round 10

Another exceptional performance from Japan! MD LOGIS CORPORATION secured second place with an outstanding ROI of 15.81%, also achieved in Round 10.

Following its strong performance in previous editions, including a podium finish in 2025, MD LOGIS CORPORATION has once again demonstrated its competitive strength on the global stage.

🥉 3rd Place: GoodyCo – Saudi Arabia

Best ROI: 13.67% | Round 10

Completing the podium is GoodyCo from Saudi Arabia, achieving an impressive ROI of 13.67% in Round 10.

With another strong showing in an international competition, GoodyCo secured a well-deserved place among the world’s top three teams.

Three outstanding teams, three remarkable performances, and one shared achievement: all three reached their highest ROI in Round 10.

Congratulations to our Global PRO Final 2026 champions!

Celebrating the Champions: Exclusive Awards for the Top Three

The title of Global PRO Champion comes with more than global recognition.

As this year’s winner, Murata Manufacturing will receive the prestigious Global PRO Challenge World Trophy, alongside a special The Fresh Connection gift voucher.

All three podium teams will also receive an exclusive Executive Supply Chain Finance Masterclass, developed in partnership with the Supply Chain Finance Community and FCI.

This tailored learning experience includes approximately 10 hours of advanced learning across three interactive online sessions, giving participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the financial impact of supply chain decisions.

Because every operational decision has financial consequences, the masterclass offers a valuable opportunity to take the capabilities demonstrated during the competition even further.

Congratulations to the Top 10 Teams!

Beyond the podium, the Global PRO Final 2026 showcased outstanding talent from organizations around the world.

From global manufacturers to logistics providers and consumer goods companies, participants demonstrated determination, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate challenging business environments.

We are proud to recognize the remaining teams in the Top 10:

A special congratulations to every team that took on this year’s challenge. Whether you reached the podium or pushed your company toward better performance, your participation contributed to an exceptional global competition.

A Global Community United by Supply Chain Excellence

The Global PRO Final is more than a competition. It is an opportunity for supply chain professionals from different industries, organizations, and countries to challenge themselves, exchange perspectives, and experience the power of integrated decision-making.

This year’s edition brought together participants from organizations including Murata Manufacturing, MD LOGIS CORPORATION, GoodyCo, LVMH, Colgate-Palmolive, Alicorp, Estée Lauder Companies, Ferring, Versuni, and Supply Chain Canada, among many others.

A special thank-you goes to our partners Hitachi, Citwell, TRAX Group, and PMI Production Management Institute, whose support helped bring teams from across the globe to this year’s final.

To every participant, organization, and partner: thank you for making the Global PRO Final 2026 a success!

The Competition Ends. The Learning Continues.

The Global PRO Final 2026 may have crowned its champions, but the experience extends far beyond the final rankings.

Throughout the competition, participants faced the realities of supply chain management: difficult trade-offs, competing priorities, financial consequences, and the constant need to adapt their strategies.

These are the same challenges organizations face every day. And they reinforce an essential lesson: strong supply chain performance is not achieved in silos. It is built through collaboration, strategic alignment, and decisions that create value across the entire business.

Congratulations once again to Murata Manufacturing, MD LOGIS CORPORATION, GoodyCo, and all 33 participating teams for taking on the challenge.

We look forward to seeing who will rise to the challenge and claim the world champion title in 2027!

Could your team rise to the challenge?

Experience the power of simulation-based learning with The Fresh Connection. Challenge your professionals to think beyond functional silos, navigate real business trade-offs, and strengthen the skills needed to drive end-to-end supply chain performance.

Explore our corporate learning solutions or get in touch to discover how we can bring this experience to your organization.