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A data gateway is essentially a connective tissue across your supply chain, providing unified access to supply chain data from various sources, including enterprise systems, data feeds, data warehouses, data lakes, data marts, and business entities. Achieving these goals requires visibility into the entire supply chain.
Volatile markets, global disruptions, and the need for real-time insights are pushing traditional systems to their limits. Understanding AI Agents At its core, an AI Agent is a reasoning engine capable of understanding context, planning workflows, connecting to external tools and data, and executing actions to achieve a defined goal.
They integrate AI into demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and logistics operations to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. Organizations examine past sales trends, apply seasonal adjustments, and make forecasts based on historical models. Amazon is a leader in AI-driven supply chain management.
Companies that previously prioritized cost-cutting and centralized sourcing quickly found themselves exposed to serious production and distribution risks. In response, many organizations have shifted toward decentralized and regionalized supply chain models, distributing production and sourcing across multiple regions.
A data gateway is essentially a connective tissue across your supply chain, providing unified access to supply chain data from various sources, including enterprise systems, data feeds, data warehouses, data lakes, data marts, and business entities. Achieving these goals requires visibility into the entire supply chain.
Companies must take a pragmatic approach leveraging supply chain planning technology and strategic decision-making to effectively navigate tariff volatility and uncertainty. Establish inventory reserves in key markets to avoid supply chain disruptions. This allows for more strategic duty payments and improved cash flow opportunities.
Proactively adopting cleaner energy sources ensures alignment with these evolving regulations. The industry’s dependency on traditional energy sources necessitates an urgent shift toward cleaner alternatives. Retrofitting existing infrastructure with energy-efficient technologies further enhances sustainability efforts.
Unexpected challenges like shifts in global markets, economic upheaval, commodity shortages, advancements in technology, or environmental changes can send shockwaves through operations in unexpected ways. With the right demand forecasting software and technology, businesses can transform volatility into an advantage.
SAP is embedding its generative Joule across the SAP Ariba source-to-pay solution portfolio to make it easier for their customers to manage routine inquiries, such as status updates, summarization, and frequently asked questions. It is a brilliant tool.” Those types of disagreements disappear in a SCCN platform.
Three months into 2025, we have seen a barrage of on-again, off-again tariffs that have supply chain and logistics teams reeling, as they must rethink everything from next weeks shipping route to their foundational network models. That may sound impossible, but new technology places this capability within the reach of every organization.
Amul’s model supports small producers by integrating large-scale economics, cutting out intermediaries, and connecting producers directly with consumers. Amul’s supply chain model is a well-structured and decentralized cooperative framework that focuses on efficiency and farmer welfare.
Small companies outperform large companies, and the marquee customers of major supply chain planning technology providers underperform. All our great tools in our toolbox to improve supply chain planning, but my observation is that we are trying to AI stupid. This shift improves modeling options and the use of disparate data.
Our first webinar with Oliver Wight discussed common people, process and technology pitfalls that hinder IBP initiatives. Our second webinar delved deeper into the technology aspect, focusing on analytical capabilities and scenario modeling. Let’s explore them briefly in this blog post.
The global supply chain landscape is undergoing significant transformations, influenced by rapid technological advancements, shifting consumer expectations, and the intricacies of international commerce. Preparing the next generation to excel in this dynamic field requires more than traditional education methods.
Balancing forecast accuracy with inventory management gets more challenging every day. Artificial intelligence (AI) and rapidly developing generative AI tools provide complex, real-time, and in-depth insights specific to supply chain management. Traditional approaches often divide departments like sales, marketing, and production.
Companies leaning heavily on global sourcing? manufacturer I know saw their import costs jump overnight, forcing a rethink of a decade-old sourcing strategy. Strategic moves like bulk buying, closer supplier partnerships, and syncing procurement with supply chain planning can tighten inventory, cut waste, and free up cash.
At ToolsGroup, we’ve long championed probabilistic demand forecasting (also known as stochastic forecasting) as the cornerstone of effective supply chain management software. In conventional supply chain planning , planners using basic tools (typically spreadsheets or legacy systems) forecast just one number for each item.
When my fiance heard about the price, he advised that I find a local hairdresser and set up a frequent-shopper account with them for a few months until the tool is back in stock. And pretty much everyone realized that the old technologies used in planning are not going to cut it anymore when there are so many moving parts in the game.
In fact, Gartner also found that only 10% of CEOs say their business uses AI strategically, and just 9% of technology leaders report having a clearly defined AI vision statement. AI-powered demand forecasting software can significantly improve predictive accuracy, making it a crucial component of modern supply chain planning software.
Senior leaders must think beyond incremental improvements, embracing systemic innovation to achieve significant environmental impact. Smart energy management systems further enhance efficiency by tracking and optimizing energy use in real-time. Ethical sourcing is a fundamental aspect of social sustainability.
ToolsGroup identifies five key drivers shaping the future of supply chains: changing customer expectations, heightened competition, rising operational complexity, technological advancements, and geopolitical tensions. Technological Advancements Real-time inventory tracking and predictive analytics give leading firms a competitive edge.
That’s why I believe that during this decade we’re heading for a new era in which open, multi-enterprise, cloud platforms will provide the required End-to-End supply chain integration–planned, optimized and collaborated to serve customer demand. . Multi-enterprise supply chain means multi-vendors of supply chain applications. .
The partnership includes launching Kinaxis Planning One for Infor CloudSuite, which integrates Infors industry-specific CloudSuite solutions for discrete manufacturers with the advanced supply chain orchestration solutions from Kinaxis and its flagship platform Maestro.
End-to-end supply chain visibility, planning, and execution support software are critical in agile supply chain performance. CPG companies that utilize an autonomous supply chain technology see a reduction in their inventory and cost and an increase in revenue.
Are you making an action plan of all the things you could do better and faster with your supply chain planning software when the next global crisis hits? And as companies have learned the hard way, you can’t rely on the traditional planning models you’ve always used to get you through this new reality.
My first focus was on China sourcing. China was the source of over 90% of PPE.) Replenishment will vary more than ever market-by-market—focus planning models on markets. Figure 1 shows a market-by-market planning model by a sinus drug manufacturer. Be open to different forms of modeling. Model Local Market Trends.
Technology can have a significant impact on supply chains, but supply chain digitization still lags behind digitization of other areas of business across many industries. Still, there are several technologies that are transforming supply chains for the organizations that adopt them.
For most digital became an excuse to implement more traditional relational database technologies. Most companies invested in enterprise transactional systems, but their networks operate primarily through spreadsheets and email. Most are excited about their new platforms. ” Does the Dog Hunt? I am researcher.
If S&OP efforts were that effective, don’t you think that we would have made more progress against inventory levels, margin, and growth? In part, this results in increasing swings in inventory in response to shifts in consumer demand as one moves further up the supply chain. The reason? And how do we measure it? (Is
Businesses have shifted from supply-focused approaches to demand-driven models, yet many still struggle to balance accuracy with agility. It leverages historical data, competitive intelligence, and external factors to guide inventory planning and resource allocation. Image source: Stefan de Kok 2.
That’s where manufacturing inventory management software comes in. The right software can streamline your production, optimize stock levels, and even help you save money. In this ultimate guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about manufacturing inventory management software.
Each model has its perks, and choosing the best fit can feel like walking a tightrope. On top of that, we’ll break down how to approach selecting the right centralized purchasing system for your business needs. Keep reading to learn: What is centralized purchasing?
It’s a holistic approach that blends strategic planning, streamlined processes, and the right technology to transform your warehouse into a well-oiled, profit-generating machine. Eight proven optimization strategies, combining technology, best practices, and sustainable solutions.
Also, validated financial statements are key in the underlying optimization models. Supply chain optimization is no longer about individual tools that solve individual problems. The technology is ready to go; now is the time to use it.”[1] ” Inventory optimization. ” Inventory optimization.
Structured methodologies, risk assessment tools, and agile frameworks allow companies to improve coordination, enhance decision-making, and ensure they remain adaptable to disruptions. These include alternative sourcing strategies, backup transportation routes, and emergency inventory reserves.
Supply chain efficiency is the cornerstone of success and involves the effective management of processes, resources, and technologies from procurement to production, transportation to warehousing. In the automotive sector, manufacturers are simultaneously reducing inventory costs and delivery times.
From raw material sourcing to end-of-life disposal, each step is recorded securely on a distributed ledger. Additionally, the cost of implementing and maintaining blockchain systems can be prohibitive for smaller companies. The ongoing development of more scalable and energy-efficient solutions will accelerate this trend.
Technology plays a key role in helping companies manage supply chain risk and underpins processes that improve sustainability. IDC also forecasts that by 2023, 30 percent of Asian enterprises will ship freight using a SaaS-enabled platform, resulting in improved efficiencies in load matching and reduced shipping costs.
A company can choose to maintain a high level of costly inventory to ensure short lead times, and a family can decide to live farther away from work and school but buy a bigger house. For it to be an optimal solution, a mathematical model needs to be used. That model can then be used to analyze every new situation that arises.
In a world of too little, too late, real-time data provides the actionable insights companies need to maximize inventory performance and business profitability. The highly scalable platform processes and analyzes data quickly and applies configuration to provide actionable views of inventory.
In one project, I am interviewing over fifty supply chain leaders on their perceived impact of advanced planning, what makes a good plan, and how effectively they use the technology. I see a few companies making progress, but most are going through the endless cycles of trying to implement a technology project.
As organizations look for reducing dependencies on concentrated sources of supply, Eastern Europe, Mexico, and South Asian countries will start providing viable alternatives to the current manufacturing powerhouse countries. Following technologies will play a major role.
With Starboard’s Digital Twin Technology, Logility Clients Can Better Answer “What if” Scenarios and Optimize Supply Chain Networks to Overcome Disruptions and Drive Growth. a Traverse City, Michigan based innovator of supply chain network design software. Learn more about the Logility® Digital Supply Chain Platform.
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