How analytics can improve supply chain agility

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  • The promise of analytics

    The promise of analytics

    Data is constantly being created as a byproduct of customer interactions and business activities. That data can have tremendous value because it can be used help you take the pulse of all the factors related to your business processes and customer needs. Today’s analytics systems can be easily used and understood via simple dashboard interfaces, allowing you to tap into incredibly powerful information your business can use to grow and thrive (without having to be a statistics major).

    By accurately anticipating consumer trends based on historical data, real-time data, and future predictions, your organization can put that knowledge to work to become more agile, efficient, and responsive. The right mix of technology and strategy will enable you to gather data, analyze that data, and take sure-footed action based on what you’ve learned from that data so that your product can produced, stored and moved smoothly and at whatever speed your customers require.

    This presentation will show you how data can be used to help your supply chain respond dynamically to ever-changing customer needs.

    You will learn how an efficient supply chain can make the difference between leading a market and being left behind.

    You will discover the many ways business data you may already have can turned into a gold mine of strategic value, opening opportunities you may never have known were there and spotlighting efficiencies you might never have been able to exploit otherwise.

    Finally, you will explore best practices and specific customer use cases for how you can mine historical data, tap into the flow of real-time as-it-happens data, and even predict future supply chain needs using advanced analytics.

    See also:

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Supply chain example

    Supply chain example

    Let's start with an example of a very simple supply chain: delivering water.

    See also:

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • A simple product

    A simple product

    The bottled water industry is huge. For our purposes,  water in a bottle represents a relatively simple product that we can use to illustrate supply chain complexity.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Even water is relatively complex

    Even water is relatively complex

    But when you think about the components of the product, you start to realize that even bottled water is a relatively complex product.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Three main supply chains

    Three main supply chains

    Since there are three main components, there are three main supply chains that have to be accounted for. When you move to something like a smartphone, the complexity becomes epic.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Real-time analytics

    Real-time analytics

    Each of these stages needs to be accounted for. In earlier days, supply chain data was recorded and reported after the fact. But now, we can get real-time analytics, which makes for much more agile production processes.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Breadth and depth of supply chain

    Breadth and depth of supply chain

    The need for agility and analytics becomes clear when you think about the breadth and depth of the supply chain for industries like these.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Evolution of tracking and insight

    Evolution of tracking and insight

    As IT  has evolved, so too has the level of tracking and insight provided by our supply chain systems.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Supply chain management isn't just one application

    Supply chain management isn't just one application

    Supply chain management isn't just one application. It's an array of systems (often involving many companies) that has to integrate together seamlessly and reliably.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Managing the flows

    Managing the flows

    Part of that process is managing the flows. Physical material flows from raw material to final production, while information has to flow in both directions, giving each stage in the process the information necessary to manage operations.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • International operation

    International operation

    When talking about supply chain, we're almost always talking about an international operation. Even something like a simple coat has materials sourced from all over the world.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • When something interrupts the chain

    When something interrupts the chain

    Another challenge facing supply chain managers is what happens when something interrupts the supply chain. This is when responsiveness, creativity, and agility become critically important.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Disasters and other factors

    Disasters and other factors

    Beyond natural and man-made disasters, there are many other factors that can impact the successful production of a product.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Each link has risk elements

    Each link has risk elements

    Each link in the supply chain has risk elements associated with it. As a product moves up the chain, it's essential that risk management (and the details that help showcase and mitigate risk) are made clear to production executives.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • As supply chains become more agile

    As supply chains become more agile

    As supply chains become more agile, it's important to keep risk down, reduce cost, and reduce time to market, all while maintaining or improving the quality of the final product.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • End-to-end visibility

    End-to-end visibility

    That's where supply chain analytics truly comes into its own. It needs to provide end-to-end visibility, across companies, across supply stages, and even across nations.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Best practices for managing risk

    Best practices for managing risk

    Here are some best practices for managing risk. All benefit from good visibility into the global supply chain.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Different priorities

    Different priorities

    Keep in mind that your agenda is not necessarily that of your supplier or customer. Your company's priorities may not match those of your partners.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Bringing order, transparency, and interoperability

    Bringing order, transparency, and interoperability

    In the context, then, of managing risk, reducing cost, and reducing time-to-market while at the same time improving quality, software developers have been looking at how to bring order, transparency, and interoperability to supply chain management. Let's look at what the future holds.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Sometimes forecasting can't keep up

    Sometimes forecasting can't keep up

    Most supply chain managers attempt to forecast demand and other factors related to what materiel has to move from one point on the globe to the other. But sometimes forecasting can't keep up with a rapidly changing world.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Responding to all contingencies

    Responding to all contingencies

    Forecasting, by definition, means getting in front of change. But some events happen so fast that executives need to respond in real-time. Even if there's a pre-designed game plan for a variety of contingencies, real-time analytics can let you know when those situations come into play.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Transportation elements

    Transportation elements

    When looking for vendor solutions, make sure that the products not only track components, but all of the transportation elements as well.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Customer demand is highly volatile

    Customer demand is highly volatile

    Keep in mind that in challenging economies, forecasting gets thrown to the winds, because customer demand is highly volatile. Building systems that can be instantly reactive may save you considerable frustration and expense.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Multi-player nature of supply chains

    Multi-player nature of supply chains

    Look for solutions that take into account the multi-player nature of supply chains. Look for strong international components as well as standards-compliance for interop between various vendors' systems.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Unique, cross-enterprise views

    Unique, cross-enterprise views

    Managers of a supply chain need to have a unique, cross-enterprise view of the process. Rather than competing as one enterprise vs. another, the game really becomes one multi-vendor, multi-nation chain vs. the systems, efficiencies, and choices of another.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Customer is in the driver's seat

    Customer is in the driver's seat

    As you move forward into the future of supply chain management, keep in mind the customer is in the driver's seat. You're really managing a demand chain, one where responsiveness is the key to success.

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

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    And that brings us full circle back to analytics and agility. In order to be responsive to on-demand customer requirements and volatile international environments, having real-time insights into every stage of the supply chain becomes a necessity When sourcing solutions, this is the factor you should look most carefully at as you make purchasing decisions for your IT applications.

    See also:

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

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An efficient supply chain can make the difference between leading a market and being left behind. This presentation shows how real-time analytics can help your supply chain respond dynamically to ever-changing customer needs.

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The promise of analytics

Data is constantly being created as a byproduct of customer interactions and business activities. That data can have tremendous value because it can be used help you take the pulse of all the factors related to your business processes and customer needs. Today’s analytics systems can be easily used and understood via simple dashboard interfaces, allowing you to tap into incredibly powerful information your business can use to grow and thrive (without having to be a statistics major).

By accurately anticipating consumer trends based on historical data, real-time data, and future predictions, your organization can put that knowledge to work to become more agile, efficient, and responsive. The right mix of technology and strategy will enable you to gather data, analyze that data, and take sure-footed action based on what you’ve learned from that data so that your product can produced, stored and moved smoothly and at whatever speed your customers require.

This presentation will show you how data can be used to help your supply chain respond dynamically to ever-changing customer needs.

You will learn how an efficient supply chain can make the difference between leading a market and being left behind.

You will discover the many ways business data you may already have can turned into a gold mine of strategic value, opening opportunities you may never have known were there and spotlighting efficiencies you might never have been able to exploit otherwise.

Finally, you will explore best practices and specific customer use cases for how you can mine historical data, tap into the flow of real-time as-it-happens data, and even predict future supply chain needs using advanced analytics.

See also:

Caption by: David Gewirtz

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