When it comes to the challenges of managing today’s
global supply chains, the phrase “drinking from a fire hose” comes to mind. The
Internet of Things (IoT) – that rapidly expanding, sensor-laden network of man,
machine and devices – promises to fundamentally reshape supply chain management
by producing an exponentially growing stream of real-time data. Gartner
suggests that by 2020 there will be more than 20 billion connected devices
collecting reams of data, while the amount of data collected is predicted to
double every two years.
Until recently, the technology simply didn’t exist to
effectively harness and tame this rising tide. But that is changing now – and
just in time, because supply chains are becoming more global and complex every
day. Today, in a bid to deliver more value for their companies, supply chain
professionals are racing to adopt new end-to-end digital solutions.
Technology Comes of Age
Customers can increasingly get what they want, when they
want it and how they want it. This rise of mass customization, combined with
collapsing product lifecycles, make it clear that in this digital economy,
firms must operate at the speed of the Internet to meet their customer's’
needs, or risk being left behind. This requires a faster and more agile supply
chain powered by cloud and mobile. Cloud-based apps provide the ability to
do real-time updates, and offer faster, cheaper scalability. Increased mobility
effectively allows employees and team members to do their jobs anytime anywhere
and advancements in analytics combined with years of practitioner domain
expertise yield better decision-making.
While cloud computing, mobile technologies and data analytics
have all been around for some time, they simply had not matured to a level that
allowed for the type of efficient integration necessary to address the growing
data explosion from supply chains – until now. The costs of these technologies have
also come in line and the industry is poised for a major digital
transformation.
Cloud computing supply chain solutions are giving
companies the ability to make investments in this type of tool set without all
the capital requirements that were required in the past. This allows many
companies to get in on the action and start using digital supply chain tools
making this one of the most exciting times to be a supply chain professional.
Making Better Decisions
With Data
Access to real-time, actionable data helps companies make
more intelligent and timely decisions based on real-world conditions, not to
mention reducing risk in real-time with SKU-level data that can inform and
drive improved performance. The real value comes in the effective application
of analytics – predictive, prescriptive, cognitive and complex event processing
– allowing you to do things that simply weren't possible before.
Consider, for example, that you have suppliers who
manufacture critical parts for you in an area of the world that is hit by an
extreme weather event, or who perhaps a labour strike. It is vital to know
whose products those suppliers’ parts go into, how many of them you have, how
many are en route, and if or how your customers will be impacted. With
visibility inside the supply chain ecosystem, you can determine these facts in
minutes or hours rather than the days it may have taken in the past.
A 2015 survey of 315 supply chain managers conducted by Dimensional Research revealed that only 70 percent of the respondents said they had real-time status updates for less than half of their supply chain. Worse, 82 percent said it would take days to understand the impact of an extreme global weather event. The costs of such blind spots can be staggering.
Companies today increasingly need end-to-end visibility into every aspect of the supply chain to quickly detect changes, disruptions and opportunities in real-time. And legacy practices are proving to be insufficient to meet the pace of growth and change required. Intelligent, interconnected new tools are needed and these new digital solutions will give rise to ultra-efficient supply chains that deliver superior value to customers. Early adopters of intelligent digital supply chain solutions are already reaping the benefits. Join the movement and begin your digital supply chain journey!
Contributed by: John
Caltabiano, Vice President of Supply Chain, Jabil
