Some consequences have already been felt by consumers who are beginning to discover missing products on store shelves. With the new confinement of several Chinese cities including Shanghai, the largest container port in the world, the list of these shortages is likely to grow.
While these are two particularly extreme events, it is not impossible to prepare for them and similar eventualities. Purchasing managers and the supply chain managers who support them must be able to anticipate the impact of these types of events and take proactive measures when they occur.
As in many areas, it seems undeniable that the way to stay ahead of supply chain disruptions is through data and more specifically through the development of data and analytics pipelines. Leaders tend to strategize through times of uncertainty by using data analytics to make informed decisions. But how do these decision-making processes work in the specific case of managing supply chains?
Set up supply chains that give more visibility
In the context of today’s digital economy, real-time agility is an essential criterion that allows players to remain competitive. This assertion is all the more true in the food industry which depends on many factors that are impossible to control. Thus bad weather in a country can have drastic consequences on the sector’s activities, which is why malleability and the ability to react to events are essential.
Being able to get up-to-date information to the right users at the right time is critical to enabling them to take appropriate action. Traditional BI cannot do this, unlike a platform that relies on active intelligence. Such a platform provides all the data and analytics services businesses need to build an end-to-end data pipeline that transforms raw data into informed action by filling gaps across the entire value chain. of the data.
Supply chain departments generate immense amounts of data, but most datasets that help guide decisions or actions are not ready to be analyzed or even accessible. By breaking down silos and enabling real-time data processing, such a platform provides access to that data, while enriching it, extracting derived insights, and learning insights that can be used from anywhere. and promote collaboration.
Strengthen collaboration between supply chain actors thanks to data
Due to market uncertainty, increasingly complex and distributed supply chains, and unforeseen disruptions, it is more critical than ever that stakeholders coordinate closely and enhance collaboration by leveraging the end-to-end visibility provided by data and analytics pipelines. Mastering and understanding data enables suppliers to improve planning and delivery as well as stock supply to stores to take advantage of “contextualized” forecasts and opportunities.
No one could have foreseen that a single ship would block all traffic in the Suez Canal for several days. Such incidents should factor into real-time decision-making, along with an assessment of their likely impact and the steps to be taken to minimize it. Combining analytics, collaboration, automation, and action guidance on a platform powered by Active Intelligence makes it possible to recognize these situations, understand their impact, and respond to them as they arise. they develop, rather than limiting their consequences afterwards.
Shaping the Future
It is important to keep in mind that, in a world characterized by uncertainty, the ability to anticipate supply chain disruptions and take proactive measures are determining factors for the success or failure of ‘a company. But this proactivity not only allows companies to overcome the unexpected, it also allows them to act to take advantage of them.