Digitisation: a supply chain game-changer

Article By : Hailey Lynne McKeefry

The electronics supply chain management landscape is fast evolving, as paper-based and even hybrid supply chains are being replaced by this new reality of a digitised supply chain.

The supply chain management is fast evolving. The computer has become equivalent to old school in the rapidly changing landscape that boasts of omnipresent connectivity, data stored in the cloud and fast access to information and analysis using a smartphone, rendering the days of paper, pencil and an Excel spreadsheet obsolete. Technology is both making the supply chain more complex and supporting better, faster operation.

In this new world, expectations are high, driven by the consumer experiences. In a world where eBay, Amazon, Uber, and other consumer giants offer quick, reliable and personalized service, the bar is being raised in the business world as well. Supply chain professionals want to be able to do forward-looking planning. They use multiple streams of data from a variety of sources to make decisions and predict challenges. Most importantly, they want the capability to readily do deep analytics and data visualisation. Paper-based and even hybrid supply chains are being replaced by this new reality of a digitised supply chain.

The infographic below from Jabil explores some of these trends in living colour. How do you see the increasing demands from consumers putting pressure on the supply chain? How do you find that digital technologies are emerging to meet these demands?

Figure 1: An infographic on how omnichannel drives supply chain digitisation (Source: Jabil)