A new Accenture report details how companies that can put data at the core of their supply chain and apply AI at scale can create “a connected and truly intelligent supply chain network”.
The report is co-authored by Jaime Lagunas, Supply Chain & Operations Global Lead, and Patricia Riedl, MD Supply Chain & Operations Strategy.
The authors say an intelligent supply chain network can help businesses:
- Gain visibility to late-breaking supply disruptions or demand blips, providing the information needed to resolve issues in near real time.
- Deliver unique customer requirements with speed, specificity, and scale.
- Reduce carbon footprint and overall sustainability risk.
Roadmap key to adopting supply chain AI at scale
“The success of such efforts hinges on putting data at the core of the supply chain and applying AI to it at scale, to create a connected and truly intelligent supply chain,” says Lagunas. “An AI strategy and roadmap, cloud, and the right talent are keys to overcoming the obstacles to scaling AI so it can deliver genuine business value.”
Riedl added: “Most existing supply chains were built for a different time, when scale was achieved by delivering truckloads of goods en masse to warehouses and then big-box stores.
“This model relied on a high level of demand predictability, meaning visibility was less important, and it valued efficiency over resiliency. But with supply chain disruption everywhere, this model must change.”
Accenture says data and AI are “uniquely positioned” to provide the insights, agility, and speed companies need to build a completely new supply chain “fit for today, tomorrow, and years to come”.
The co-authors say that, despite recognising the power and value of data and AI, companies are likely to find it difficult to leverage their investments more broadly. According to another Accenture report, 79% of COOs acknowledge they know how to pilot AI but struggle to scale it across the business.
