The digital economy is bringing a paradigm shift in the business models and Digital Supply Chain strategies across the world, thus blurring the industry boundaries. No matter the niche, the customer today expects both products and services to be delivered real quick and tailored to unique requirements.
Effective digital supply chain strategies can help organizations stand out from the crowd. It is then that companies can make themselves faster, granular, flexible and accurate.
The Digital Supply Chain is the future. The end to end electronic connectivity of all elements of the Supply Chain, as enabled by an extensive array of exciting new technologies, will define all progression over the next few decades. But how does this Digital Supply Chain journey begin?
Simply, this journey begins with a vision. A vision of the objectives, of the end state, and even a vision that is fuzzy but is emboldened by a certainty that digitalization in any and all of its forms is the right direction.
There have been countless times throughout my career where I was either a recommender or approver of significant IT projects. And, I must say, I have always experienced a prevailing attitude among senior management that these transformations are black holes and money pits, including a Digital Supply Chain transformation.
I believe many (if not most) companies still feel this way. Why? There is a litany of cautionary tales: From Hershey’s widely reported $100 million failed ERP implementation in 2015 to our own personal stories.
I’ve seen businesses engage consulting firms only to give up about six months in after slow progress and skyrocketing costs; I’ve witnessed first-hand how a $15 million project ballooned to $40 million before it was even finished.
Let’s talk about why this happens and what can be done about it.
Have you ever wondered where your favorite shirt, pillow, shoes, or snack came from? All of these products follow a supply chain and are tracked down along every step of it. From the raw materials’ origin and production of items to delivery and distribution—the entire process is no joke! Thankfully, blockchainis revolutionizing Supply Chain and can help make Supply Chains operations seamless and more efficient.
Most people encounter this term after searching for “What is Bitcoin (BTC)?” on the web, and that’s because blockchain is the powerful mind behind BTC. But aside from being the brain behind today’s dominant crypto, blockchain also has its fair share of developments in various fields, including the supply chain.
Before we dive deeper into that, let’s first define what it is.
As we come to the end of our 3rd year here at Supply Chain Game Changer it is time to publish our semi-annual 2019 Top 10 List.
First we want to thank our readers. Our audience and reach continues to expand with Supply Changer now being ranked as one of the Top 20 Supply Chain blogs in the world and one of the Top 15 Procurement blogs in the world. Both are record achievements for us.
Second we want to thank our guest contributors. With dozens of writers and articles we continue to fulfill our vision of sharing expertise and experience from all over the world.
We thank you for your ongoing support and ask you to continue to spread the word about Supply Chain Game Changer. There is truly something of value for everyone no matter what challenge you are facing each and every day.
Here we present our Top 10 list for the second half of 2019. Enjoy!
Enabled by a vast array of enabling digital technologies, such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous vehicles, Augmented Reality, Robotics, Control Towers, 3D Printing, and many more, Supply Chain will become more electronically connected than ever before.
This digital transformation will have wide ranging implications for industries, business processes, the structure of work, and the skills that Supply Chain professionals will need.
In this podcast Bicara Supply Chain interviews Mike Mortson to talk about the Future of the Digital Supply Chain.
Being a CEO is tough enough, let alone how difficult it is if you don’t have all of the skills and knowledge needed.. Many CEOs have a background in Finance or Sales and Marketing or Engineering, or are just entrepreneurs. But few have in-depth experience in Supply Chain, let alone understand how to leverage Supply Chain.
The truth is that the overwhelming, but often misunderstood and underrated, impact of Supply Chain’s importance to the success of an organization is missed and unknown to many CEOS.
Only truly smart CEOs get it. They get the importance of Supply Chain and understand that they will succeed or fail depending on how they do, or do not, leverage Supply Chain.
The overarching strategy for limiting exposure to, and spreading of, the Coronavirus is that of Social Distancing. We are all instructed to keep 6 feet apart from anyone, wear masks, and avoid any social gatherings and don’t touch. How does this relate to a Don’t Touch Supply Chain strategy?
Even with social distancing, the global lockdowns, temporary closures of many businesses and disruptions of economies everywhere there are still Supply Chains in action, as disrupted as they may be.
Truckers are still moving goods to points of consumption and essential services such as grocery stores are still in operation, providing the basic goods we all need to live. Everyone involved in these Supply Chains is abiding by the social distancing and protective mandates we all are adhering to.
How can Supply Chains be changed in the future to make them more robust and resilient and less disrupted by any future catastrophes, and god forbid, a future pandemic?
One approach is to develop and deploy Don’t Touch Supply Chain strategies!
In the era of digital transformation, organizations are constantly seeking innovative solutions to enhance their supply chain management (SCM) processes and create the Digital Supply Chain of the future.
One such revolutionary technology is ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a sophisticated language model that can understand and generate human-like text.
Web based technology supports the logistics of operations, internal or production. Logistics can be understood as that activity that is responsible for the movement and storage of materials, components and intermediate products throughout the production process, in order to allow the fulfillment of objectives of continuity, order and cadence of the production function.
Since the appearance of the first computers, information systems have been introduced in companies as a powerful tool to optimize and improve their management. Such introduction of information systems was progressive, evolving according to its area of application in the company and the existing technology at all times.
Getting anything done requires resources and management. Getting change to happen requires that plus leadership, drive and conviction. Getting a digital transformation to take hold takes all of that plus bravery, resolve, unrelenting persistence, risk taking, tenacity and courage.
At the heart of a Digital Supply Chain transformation is Change Leadership. We do not mean Change Management. We do mean Change Leadership and Digital Transformation Leadership!
But to have leadership you have to have leaders. Remarkable leaders. Extraordinary leaders. Whether those people exist or not will make the difference between success or failure of your Digital Supply Chain journey.
People often position the digital supply chain as essential for helping today’s businesses succeed. What a digitized supply chain entails, though, changed over the years due to the evolution of technologies and how people use them. Let’s look at how did the Digital Supply Chain evolve?
The supply chain management industry has undergone many changes in recent years. The introduction of IoT devices to the supply chain, the rise of edge computing, and its ability to increase connectivity and efficiencies, have changed how businesses operate across industries.
This article will look at how edge computing is revolutionizing supply chain management and data collection methods.
Digital transformation is now the overriding priority for most manufacturers and retailers, with the adoption of digital technologies aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness in the shorter term while providing the opportunity to grow a leaner operational protocol in the future.
The focus is definitely on the efficiency of operations relating to technological applications. The big question is; are you ready? If not, perhaps we can help.
Here are some interesting predictions from a reputable international research firm, IDC, which highlight key areas of technological applications regarding the impending digital revolution of the international supply chain.
According to a recent survey conducted by Forbes Insights, 65% of logistics, supply chain and transportation executives acknowledge the necessity to revamp existing models and add flexibility to business operations in order to ensure omnichannel delivery, reduce costs and meet the ever-shifting consumer demand. through digital transformation.
In fact, 72% of enterprises involved in planning, executing and monitoring the flow of products from the point of origin to the point of consumption consider improved customer experience the key benefit of business transformation.
The path to increased operational efficiency and customer satisfaction lies in the digitalization of logistics workflows.