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I laugh when business leaders tell me that they are going to replace their current supply chain planning technologies with “AI.” Each supply chain planning technology at the end of 2024, went through disruption–change in CEO, business model shift, layoffs, re-platforming and acquisitions.
During my current supply chain planning market research, I have received briefings from several SCP companies. Many say that they are using generative AI, a type of AI that can create new content and ideas, as part of their journey toward autonomous planning. Solvoyo has a metric they call the user acceptance rate.
In follow-up qualitative interviews, one of the largest issues with organizational alignment was metric definition and a clear definition of supply chain excellence. In my post Mea Culpa, I reference my work with the Gartner Supply Chain Hierarchy of Metrics. ” Let’s face it all supply chains have error.
However, as carbon taxes and emissions reporting requirements continue increasing, supply chain professionals face mounting pressures from inside and outside their organizations to measure and improve performance against new, nebulous sustainability metrics. Sustainability is high on the list of favorite corporate buzzwords.
Over the years, working for and with numerous manufacturing companies, I’ve seen many supply chain practices that cost companies money. Reason #2 Poorly executed or non-existent sales and operations planning. Reason #3 Not having end-to-end supply chain visibility. Reason #3 Not having end-to-end supply chain visibility.
The logistics and supply chain industry is a critical component of global trade, responsible for moving goods and materials efficiently to meet consumer and business demands. Businesses face heightened uncertainty in managing costs and securing stable energy supplies.
As supply chains become more interconnected and risks more dynamic, traditional procurement tools fall short. AI agents offer a smarter, faster way to manage sourcing, risk, and spend across the entire procurement lifecycle. What’s the technology behind autonomous procurement agents? You may also have heard of Agentic AI.
As supply chains become more interconnected and risks more dynamic, traditional procurement tools fall short. AI agents offer a smarter, faster way to manage sourcing, risk, and spend across the entire procurement lifecycle. What’s the technology behind autonomous procurement agents? You may also have heard of Agentic AI.
Machine learning (ML)a specialized field within artificial intelligence (AI)is revolutionizing demand planning and supply chain management. These improvements directly strengthen the bottom line, making ML capabilities an essential component of modern supply chain management software.
Procurement and supply chain management are often used interchangeably—but in practice, the lines between them can blur in ways that create real friction. Misaligned priorities, siloed systems, and unclear ownership can directly impact key performance indicators like cost savings percentage and procurement cycle time.
(Most of the business networks were hollowed out by venture capitalists or purchased by opportunists. ” My problem is that we move through these hype cycles with little accountability for spending and with a major opportunity cost to not redefine work. The opportunity is to rethink planning. This will not help.
Enterprise procurement teams face growing pressure to deliver strategic value – managing supplier risk, ensuring compliance, and supporting sustainability – all without sacrificing speed or control. This blog explores the most common challenges in digital procurement and the capabilities that matter most.
The Covid-19 pandemic tested the global supply chain. Like riding a bumpy road, the supply chain leader is riding the ups and downs of changing market conditions facing greater variability day-to-day. Here, based on interviews with supply chain leaders, I share lessons learned. The Failure of Existing Demand Planning Solutions.
Enterprise procurement leaders are under more pressure than ever—juggling cost control, compliance, supplier risk, and internal complexity, all while trying to modernize outdated systems. AI, automation, and generative tools are redefining efficiency, allowing procurement teams to move from reactive to proactive decision-making.
The formula for OTIF is: Measuring a supply chain against OTIF metrics is a key strategy that helps decision makers attach a tangible value to the success of their fulfillment and allows them to determine key strategies. Inadequacy of Planning Tools The second challenge identified by respondents was the inadequacy of planning tools.
In this type of environment, traditional procurement software and manual processes are insufficient – and many procurement teams are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) for answers. Key Takeaways Understand the potential impact of AI – including Generative AI & AI Agents – in procurement.
Five years ago, we all thought the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the most disrupted supply chain landscape we would ever see. Since then, supply chain disruptions and volatility have only increased. With the global e-commerce market predicted to reach $8.1 We were wrong. billion to $23.07 billion in 2023 to $13.3
Setting the Stage The National Retail Federation’s 2025 conference has unveiled a clear vision of retail’s future, where artificial intelligence, integrated planning solutions, and customer-centric approaches are reshaping the industry landscape. Here are the key insights we gathered firsthand at this year’s event.
Digital commerce efficiently requires the digitalization of many customer-facing operations and sourcing and procurement. For businesses of all sizes, the digital transformation of supply chain planning became the most important initiative. . Planning platforms can pull data from multiple internal and external data sources.
This is part 2 of a 2-part series on how to succeed in planning and decisions amid times of disruption. In part 1 of my blog on Planning the Value Chain and Decision Making in Times of Disruption, the focus was on the ability to react and execute amidst the unpredictability of demand. Technology for Effective Planning.
Supply chain excellence is easier to say than to explain. Executive teams strive to drive improvement in supply chain results; yet, sadly, only four percent of public companies succeed. The supply chain is a complex non-linear system. Understanding this relationship requires modeling. The reason? A Case Study.
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.
Procurement and Supply Chain Management are essential functions that can help companies navigate these challenges, but they are often siloed and operate in separate departments. Their metrics are often misaligned as well – supply chain focuses on service and procurement focuses on the cost of acquiring materials and services.
When reviewing strategy decks for supply chain teams, I often see statements like “move from a functional-silo’d focus to a drive a more holistic response.” ” Or “push a shift from a focus on cost to drive value?” Functional Metrics. ” Sound familiar? This gap grew over the last decade.
“May you live in interesting times,” widely attributed as a Chinese curse, some claim this as a blessing; whichever side you take, this is exactly what’s happening in the supply chain world since 2020, and it looks like we will be living with this blessing/curse for a while longer. Emerging Themes for Supply Chain Planning.
For most CPOs and CFOs, deciding on the right purchasing setup — centralized or decentralized — is no small task. Each model has its perks, and choosing the best fit can feel like walking a tightrope. Keep reading to learn: What is centralized purchasing? What is centralized purchasing?
Today, we published The Supply Chains to Admire for 2023. Supply Chains to Admire Winners 2023 Examine Your Own Paradigm. Most supply chain leaders are stuck in their own paradigms. As an old gal, with over forty-years of supply chain experience, writing this report for ten years taught me many lessons. I admit it.
Traditionally, procurement has been a process weighed down by manual tasks, fragmented systems, and endless paperwork. Today, procurement is undergoing a transformation. While procurement teams have long worked to add strategic value, Artificial Intelligence (AI) amplifies their impact.
If you’re evaluating procurement technology or exploring ways to drive more value from existing systems, chances are you’re looking beyond tactical fixes – you want a smarter, scalable strategy. Misaligned priorities across finance, legal, and procurement create friction that delays decision-making and reduces impact.
When making discretionary purchases, I could look at my projection to make sure that if I made that purchase, I would have enough money in the bank, not only now, but at the end of the month when my mortgage and car loan came out. Today’s supply chain professionals need a crystal ball, too. What-if planning.
In today’s interconnected global economy, supply chains play a vital role in the success of businesses. It is crucial for organizations to understand the importance of Purchase Order collaboration to effectively manage their direct spend, optimize operations, and mitigate risks.
He had a load full of cotton bales, and while idling away hours at a shipyard watching stevedores load other cargo onto ships he dreamed up containers that transformed global supply chains. Containerization eventually reduced shipping and loading costs by at least 75%. The myth of the “perfect plan”.
Introduction Gardner, (1954) and Huntzinger, (2007) define Purchase price variance (PPV) as a metric used to measure the effectiveness of cost-saving efforts by calculating the difference between the plannedcost (standard pricing) allocated for purchasing activities and the actual cost incurred.
That’s why staying on top of the latest supply chain planning trends is so important – they can make all the difference when it comes to staying competitive, reducing costs, and meeting your customers’ needs. Here are some highlights from these trends in 2023 and implications on supply chain planning.
Chances are, if you’re in marketing, sales, or one of the more technical aspects of business, you’ve used predictiveanalytics in some part of your job. But your company doesn’t have to be a retail giant to use predictiveanalytics. using predictiveanalytics?built PredictiveAnalytics in a Nutshell.
GEP and the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Supply Chain Resource Cooperative surveyed supply chain, procurement and IT professionals across a range of industries to gain insight into their priorities and strategies regarding supply chain resilience and optimization. Alex Zhong, Director Product Marketing at GEP.
In my recent Mea Culpa post, I mentioned my prior work on Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), and the importance of leadership. If you have walked in the shoes of the supply chain leader, you are probably laughing by now. In assessing the health of the plan, what do you measure? Is your plan feasible?
In the height of the e-commerce craze, the marketplace offerings started with a focus on e-procurement. At the time, the popular belief was that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technologies would build multi-tier capabilities. Today, the multi-tier capabilities for supply chain management are coming from the born-again marketplaces.
Retail planning customers can isolate, measure, and manage the influence on weather on their businesses. Planalytics weather-driven demand analytics integrate with ToolsGroup retail planning solutions including demand forecasting , dynamic retail allocation , and replenishment software. About Planalytics. Planalytics, Inc.
Analytics and business intelligence (BI) are no longer optionaltheyre essential. They integrate, align, and activate data across the business to drive better, faster decisions unlike legacy reporting tools that can’t. Flexible Delivery Options Interactive dashboards, scheduled reports, alerts, mobile access, and more.
Autonomous Supply Chains In this competitive environment, a CPG manufacturer needs to fight to get space on retailer shelves in each region, keep those shelves stocked, compete and collaborate simultaneously with e-commerce, and maintain its operating margins. each with discrete plans generated typically in sequential batch runs.
Supply shortages resulting in empty shelves or parking lots of WIP inventory represent a spectre causing supply chain leaders to reconsider supply chain inventory practices. planning offers an alternative to swinging the pendulum and as the strategy that provides the supply chain resilience leaders seek.
In an age where supply chains face persistent disruptionsfrom pandemics and trade wars to cyberattacks and climate volatilityresilience is no longer optional. This shift has pushed supply chain leadership to pivot from reactive management to proactive strategy built on data. Analytics allows organizations to move beyond intuition.
While consultants know the answers (or believe they do), I believe my goal as a research analyst is to unearth new questions that should be asked (and answered together openly in the supply chain community) to improve value. I see a preponderance of reports and white papers that have lots of pages but say little. Back to John.
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