Intelligent supply chain management applies the latest technology to various areas of the supply chain to introduce optimization and efficiency for any organization. Efforts to leverage this can create a wealth of opportunities in terms of technical operations jobs that give companies ways to reduce costs, improve services, and create a competitive edge. Intelligent supply chains are integrated, optimized, and connected - so what does that mean for businesses today and what steps are necessary to leverage it?
Taking steps towards an intelligent supply chain
For any business, there are going to be key steps to take in terms of creating the right foundation to start leveraging the intelligent supply chain. This is vital knowledge for those in technical operations jobs, as it goes right through the heart of the business. The first step is to increase investment in IoT- based systems and to start using big data and analytics to identify areas for improvement. There are two other key steps for any business keen to find opportunities to leverage the intelligent supply chain: machine learning and automation. Automation is vital to the intelligent supply chain, as it brings speed and timeliness, while machine learning can help to ensure that every aspect of the supply chain is constantly self-optimizing.
Leveraging the intelligent supply chain
There are opportunities for all in technical operations jobs to make more of the benefits that are presented by an intelligent supply chain. These are some of the steps involved:
Introducing automated hardware solutions in warehouses and distribution centers. That could be something as simple as picking robots or automated delivery solutions. These autonomous solutions aren’t designed to be an alternative to a human workforce but to free up staff to add more value without having to focus purely on repetitive manual aspects of technical operations jobs.
Greater investment in digitization. There are so many options when it comes to digital solutions in the context of both hardware and software. For example, keeping track of items in transit becomes much easier with IoT tags and remote sensors. What's more, software such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 can significantly improve forecasting and planning capability.
Using insights about the efficiencies in your supply chain to optimize fulfillment. There are a plethora of options for fulfillment today, including designing it in a way that suits the specific needs of an individual business. The intelligent supply chain can provide an abundance of data to help make this more effective, from intelligent order management solutions that improve customer convenience to informing decisions about whether it’s worth partnering with a 3PL company.
Exploiting the bigger picture. It’s simple to leverage the intelligent supply chain to move away from the silos that can be created around technical operations jobs, departments, and that focus more on the bigger picture. This will increase collaboration and efficiency across the board.
Improving perspective and understanding. The intelligent supply chain can provide data and insight to understand every part of the supply chain, whilst also helping to improve forecasting, relationships, and boosting profits.
If you have the skills to leverage an intelligent supply chain, take a look at our live Supply Chain Manager vacancies.