The modern market for the sale of goods and services could not function effectively without supply chains, i.e. coordinated logistics, transport and warehousing processes. We saw how important individual elements of the chain are at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, when many links were suddenly interrupted.

Operating in this new, unpredictable reality, many companies are looking for effective suggestions regarding tools and courses of action that are worth taking. One of the valuable tips are analyzes prepared by specialists such as MHI (international association of material transport, logistics and supply chain industries). This organization issues an annual report summarizing the most important challenges and development forecasts for the industry.

This year's report focuses on technological innovations taking place in the supply chain area and the related challenges that companies and employees face.

The results of a survey conducted by MHI among over 1,000 specialists in the field of production and supply chain indicate that the six most important challenges facing companies are:

• hiring and retaining qualified employees
• expecting a lower price from customers
• expecting shorter response times from customers
• customer service expectations
• personalization expectations
• forecasting

 

Industry 4.0 as a response to the challenges

The report indicates that both small and large companies are moving towards digitalization of their supply chain, implementing Industry 4.0 solutions enabling the technological and organizational transformation of enterprises.

The technologies of the fourth industrial revolution include the digitization of products and services, integration of the value chain and the introduction of new business models. The key resource for all these tools is the acquired, collected, analyzed and visualized data.  

“Data is the lifeblood of the emerging digital supply chain. Companies that recognize the value of this data and take an engineering approach to collecting, filtering and synthesizing it into consumer and market insights will thrive. Those who don't will drown in the wave of exponential data dissemination."- Thomas Boykin, Deloitte Consulting LLP.

The action that companies should take is, firstly, to invest in technologies that will help effectively acquire and collect data and analyze it.

The chart below presents the technologies with the highest potential to provide competitive advantage over the next 10 years, the most important of which are robotics and automation, sensors and automatic identification, and predictive analysis.

 

Currently, the most widespread technologies are cloud computing and cloud computing, as well as sensors and automatic identification. Currently, 39% of respondents use robots and automation, but in 5 years it will be 73%, and the spread of autonomous vehicle and drone technologies is expected to increase from 18% to 54%.

It is worth investing in leading technologies today, such as autonomous mobile robots to build your competitive advantage, which will allow you to reduce costs, operate more efficiently and flexibly, and tailor the offer to individual customer preferences.

The mentionedmobile robots, such asMOBOT®, thanks to their equipment with complex measurement systems and the ability to communicate with systems such as SCADA or WMS, allow for the collection, accumulation and analysis of important data on the flow of goods. Moreover, their quick and simple implementation and ease of retrofitting to transport various loads ensure the necessary flexibility and efficiency of operation.

Build competences and develop the talents of your team

Technologies are nothing without people who can use them and use them effectively, which is why the second area that companies should focus on are their employees.

The number of people with the desired competences on the market is limited, which is why companies are increasingly looking for talents within their organizations. The infographic below from the report shows the most important areas of competences and related technologies, including project management, leadership, critical thinking, decision-making and skills in using programs and devices.

You can read more about the competences and skills sought at articles .

The report indicates that the action that companies should take is to analyze and identify processes that can be performed faster and cheaper thanks to automation and robotization. At the same time, they should focus on finding talented employees who can be transferred to multi-faceted tasks. For effective adaptation of employees to new activities, investing in training and changing qualifications is also crucial. Thanks to this, people receive new opportunities for personal development and increased job satisfaction, which translates into commitment and efficiency. The company gains a talented team, ready to meet current and future challenges.

To quote George Prest, CEO, MHI – “Workforce challenges cannot be solved without building and maintaining a culture of innovation and technology within the organization. Talent and technology are fundamentally intertwined to ensure the success of future supply chains.”

image source: www.mhi.org/publications/report