We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
Home » Future supply chains could be smarter than their designers
Forward Thinking

Future supply chains could be smarter than their designers

December 16, 2009
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
No Comments

Ten years from now, will your supply chain be smarter than you are? That question might sound strange now, but it could make perfect sense in another decade or so, if a report issued by IBM earlier this year proves to be on the mark.

The supply chain of the future will have to be "instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent," according to The Smarter Supply Chain of the Future: Global Chief Supply Chain Officer Study. That prediction was based on the results of nearly 400 interviews with top-ranking supply chain executives representing 29 industries in 25 countries. The inaugural study, conducted by IBM Global Business Services' Supply Chain Management Practice in mid-2008, was released by the IBM Institute for Business Value.

What does "instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent," mean? Supply chain professionals will be working in a highly automated world, respondents believe. Some information that formerly was created by people will be generated from sensors, RFID tags, meters, global positioning systems (GPS), and other technologies. The report describes a science-fictionlike future: "Inventory will count itself. Containers will detect their contents. Pallets will report if they end up in the wrong place."

More supply chain segments will be connected in the future —not just customers, suppliers, and information systems but also parts, products, and the "smart" devices used to monitor the supply chain, respondents forecast. Improved connectivity will enable worldwide networks of supply chains to plan and make decisions together, creating a more holistic view and facilitating collaboration on a far greater scale than in the past.

Supply chain executives also envision a time when advanced analytics and modeling will help decision makers evaluate alternatives while taking complex risks and constraints into account. Intelligent systems will make some decisions automatically, bypassing human intervention to reconfigure a network when disruptions occur, for example, or perhaps arrange for additional manufacturing and distribution capacity. "Equipped with sophisticated modeling and simulation capabilities, the smarter supply chain will move past sense-and-respond to predict-andact," the report says.

Yet, respondents believe there will still be a place for them in an automated world. Chief supply chain officers will spend less time on tactical concerns and will instead become strategic thinkers, collaborators, and orchestrators, they predicted.

[Source: The Smarter Supply Chain of the Future: Global Chief Supply Chain Officer Study.]

  • Related Articles

    How to create smarter supply chains for an unpredictable world

    Ethical supply chains: more style than substance?

    Level up: CSCMP EDGE keynote speakers will inspire attendees to improve their supply chains, work environment

Recent Articles by Supply Chain Quarterly Staff

APM Terminals to add capacity at Port of Mobile

Cargo volume down in Oakland

Safety experts to headline National Forklift Safety Day 2022 program on June 14

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Logistics pros warn of business impact from Russia-Ukraine war

  • Container prices continue to drop

  • How to resolve your inventory dilemma

  • Warehouse vacancy rates sink to 27-year low

  • Empty shipping containers stack up at U.S. port depots

Featured Video

Cccb7d13 710a 4473 8132 da8b6cc286f1

The Sportsman's Guide Case study: Increasing Accuracy & Productivity

Viewer Contributed
Thanks to the Lucas Warehouse Optimization Suite, The Sportsman's Guide has increased productivity, reduced training time, and experienced a boost in accuracy for both full-time staff and seasonal employees. Want to learn how Lucas can help your DC be more efficient, accurate, and safe while reducing labor costs?...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Omnitracs One – Last Mile Solutions

  • The enterprise shipper's guide to building a smarter truckload RFP

  • Fixed vs. Flexible Automation: Which Option is Better for 3PLs?

  • Enhancing Relationships in Logistics through Data & Collaboration

View More

Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

Get Your Subscription
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • E-NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2022. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing