Thursday 30 November 2017

Notable supply chain management trends for 2018

With customers now having access to the limitless amount of information and choices, businesses need to stay ahead of the curve. One way of doing so is to be aware of supply chain management trends that are expected in 2018. Some of them are listed below: 

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  • Going digital: More and more companies now realize that they have to transition their supply chain into digital to make it more intelligent, scalable, and efficient. With brands becoming more transparent nowadays, a digital supply chain management strategy also boosts to their competitive advantage. 


  •  Artificial intelligence: Some of the world’s largest companies have begun to use AI as part of their supply management strategies. Examples of these are Facebook, Google, Apple, and Tesla. Mark Zuckerberg explains the strategy, “You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man.” There are companies that also already utilize such technology, in the form of machine vision and robotics in industrial applications, such as warehousing. By 2021, it is expected that one in four large global companies will be using AI automation or AI-powered assistants in SCM. 


  •  Elastic logistics: Demand and market fluctuations means there are business operations that have to be flexible or agile. In 2018, many experts predict that elastic logistics will make its way to countless companies. 
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Edmund O' Brien has had a long and storied career working for many international companies, including Arthur Anderson, Coca-Cola, Reckitt Benckiser, and Microsoft. For more business insights, follow this Facebook page.