“Let our advance worrying become advanced thinking and planning.”
WINSTON CHURCHILL
The Future of Supply Chain Management in a VUCA World
Emerging and maturing Supply chain technology in the current VUCA environment could be a major supply of competitive advantage. Digital remains a strategic imperative for Supply chain organizations. Within the Gartner 2019 Supply Chain Technology User Needs and Wishes Survey. A majority of respondents claimed digital as their core strategy and canter of attention and provide supply chain management technology as the simplest way to induce prior to the competition.
Access to information and digital technology is dynamic in the sport. New in operation models are developing everywhere. The force is constantly learning new skills. For Supply chain executives this all suggests that one thing: we tend to evolve in the VUCA World.
Leader’s Tip:
To improve supply chain agility, resilience, and adaptability, embrace digital transformation, advanced analytics, and automation.
So, What are the essential attributes of a future-ready 21st century supply chain?
- Of course, it’s to be customer-centric.
- It should have the legality and resiliency to control within the changing digital world and deliver not simply revenue and profit, however property.
- Most significantly, it’s to be purpose-made.
FACT : “It’s a decent issue that Supply chain technology gets the eye it deserves. However, rising Supply chain management technologies are typically overhyped. And leaders should aim to totally perceive the risks and opportunities related to every new technology.” says Dwight Klappich, VP Analyst, Gartner.
The next 3 to 5 years can commence not solely a rise within the adoption of digital Supply chain technologies. However conjointly new, a lot of IT-focused roles that Supply network leaders should integrate. Heads of supply chain technology should note those Gartner 2021 predictions to advance digital maturity and business performance.
Through 2023, demand for robotic goods-to-person systems can quadruple to assist enforce social distancing in warehouses.
Robotic goods-to-person (G2P) systems fulfill 2 key demands of warehouse operators. They address the necessity for social distancing by moving merchandise from one person to another and that they perform this task in such an economical manner that they increase productivity and improve storage density.
By 2023, five hundredth of world product-centric enterprises can have in time period transportation visibility platforms.
- Once shipments leave a warehouse, customers have very little visibility into the standing of their orders and shipments.
- Time period transportation visibility platforms address the next few years.
- The market is extremely fragmented, however, Supplyc chain technology leaders should conduct careful due diligence to spot the proper technology partner to figure with on visibility.
- Vendors ought to be designated to support regional and modal coverage and the way they align to the company’s existing carrier network.
- Through 2023, five-hitter control-tower-like deployments can fulfill their end-to-end potential thanks to outlook and cultural obstacles.
- Interest and demand for chain management towers is high — and growing.
Still, the amount of corporations that have deployed and totally exploited management towers across their end-to-end supply network is tiny.
Why Supply Chain Management?
Most organizations are functionally siloed and thus measured inside their individual domains and roles. a big end-to-end transformation that will alter use of all capabilities of a bearing tower would need an entire shift in outlook. And from a technology stand, it’d need a digital Supply chain twin. So, Most corporations don’t seem to be able to take that step.
Leader’s Exclusive Video:
FACT : By 2025, quite five hundredth of Supply chain organizations can have a technology leadership role reportage on to the chief Supply chain officer.
The Gartner Supply Chain Technology Users Needs and Wishes Survey found that twelve months of the businesses responding indicated technology leadership reportage directly inside the provision chain organization. So, This share can rise with the progression of digital Supply chain Transformation initiatives.
Relying exclusively on enterprise IT for all technological wants will bog down the medical aid of the provision chain. a fanatical technology leader inside the provision chain organization is in an exceedingly far better position to advance digital transformation initiatives and make the best technology combine.
- Through 2024, five hundredth of Supply chain organizations can invest in applications that support AI and advanced analytics capabilities.
- The COVID-19 pandemic amplified the necessity for Supply chain organizations to hunt tools that facilitate them to create higher and a lot of knowledge quicker. That’s why leading Supply chain organizations use AI (AI) and advanced analytics to dig through the Brobdingnagian amounts of information they generate to grasp what’s happening within their business currently and — a lot of necessary — what’s possible to happen in the future.
- Companies can still invest in applications that enter, augment or apply AI and advanced analytics tools. This might be to deal with foundational areas like information quality or connecting disparate silos, or strategic objectives like migrating to a lot of machine-controlled, resilient and smarter applications.
Leader’s Tip:
To minimize disruptions and capture new possibilities, promote collaboration, transparency, and risk management across the supply chain ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
Supply chain leaders have to be compelled to adopt a broad and holistic perspective once it involves AI and advanced analytics. Moreover, These technologies are more and more omnipresent and there are some ways to use them — like for data processing, in visibility tools and autonomous transportation — and to reinforce client retention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some future supply chain trends?
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is on the rise in many supply networks. Automation allows you to streamline repetitive tasks, while AI — which attempts to mimic human intelligence and “learn” — can assist with more complex, challenging task.
How does VUCA impact supply chain management?
VUCA has a significant impact on supply chain management as it introduces various challenges and uncertainties. The volatile nature of the business environment makes it difficult to predict demand accurately, leading to potential supply chain disruptions. Uncertainty regarding market conditions, geopolitical factors, and changing customer expectations further complicates supply chain planning and decision-making. The complexity of global networks and supply chain processes also increases, requiring agile and adaptive strategies. Ambiguity adds another layer of challenge, as it becomes harder to interpret data, trends, and make informed decisions.
Key Takeaways
- To negotiate volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, one needs to be flexible and agile.
- Making proactive decisions and optimizing them is made possible by leveraging technology and data-driven insights.
- In the VUCA era, developing strong networks and relationships is essential for efficient supply chain management.