Author: Paige Winterberg

More than 60% of supply chain manufacturers are working on or planning to design their machine response strategy over the next three years. In Gartner’s 2022 report,  surveys show the necessity of preparing the supply chain for machine customers. With projections putting these customers at the forefront of revenue for manufacturers in the next ten years, it is essential to build a digital foundation that encompasses the needs of operations catering to these customers. To find the best way to do this, we look to Gartner’s best supply chain practices.

Siloed data is wreaking havoc in the global supply chain. Without a standardized supply chain system, manufacturers are having difficulty finding, reporting, and executing information. Isolated supply chain teams are making decisions based on outdated, static data which is not only costly for modern manufacturers, but is causing barriers in reporting, prioritization, and communication. With today’s complex, global supply chains –organizations need smart factory solutions to avoid costly data silos. 

Siloed data is wreaking havoc in the global supply chain. Without a standardized supply chain system, manufacturers are having difficulty finding, reporting, and executing information. Isolated supply chain teams are making decisions based on outdated, static data which is not only costly for modern manufacturers, but is causing barriers in reporting, prioritization, and communication. With today’s complex, global supply chains –organizations need smart factory solutions to avoid costly data silos. 

Procurement teams are struggling to quantify the value behind technology investments. However, innovative technology solutions are the answer to preventing the information overload that today’s manufacturing employees are facing. It’s critical that supply chain teams everywhere start investing in the right supply chain management (scm) technology.

Shortages are the main causes of global supply chain disruptions amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and they’re proving to be extremely pervasive. While ERP systems and other data categorization tools may help mitigate shortages to an extent, investing in planning or BI tools alone isn’t enough anymore. In the final installment of our shortage series, we move beyond the basics of shortages and the teams that manage them to illustrate why, in today’s economy, manufacturers need to look differently at shortage management.

Supply chain shortages are tricky, even one part can halt an entire production line. Successfully navigating shortages isn’t something one person on one team can tackle alone, they require a wide range of people to manage and eliminate them. Understanding the different roles that are directly involved in shortage management and the part they play is critical to preventing shortages in the future.