Resetting the Supply Chains for resiliency

It is crucial to understand that Supply chain resilience no longer points to the ability of managing risk. It is now in a way that the ability to manage risk should also come together as the means of gaining a competitive advantage. It is about embracing the disruption and being better positioned than competitors to deal with - and come through with flying colors. 

At a time when cost control is critical, a reimagination of supply chains can deliver the resilience and efficiency needed for the next normal — leaders need to get smart with investments to minimize costly disruptions before they occur. Here is an illustration that portrays how supply chains of certain sectors are more prone to change than others.

Does this, somehow, bring about a realization that your organization is also a part of this?

If not, here is a qualifiers' list that will.

1. A highly customized ERP is in place, but the outdated technology is now acting as a deterrent to incorporate IoT, MR, AI.
2. The disparate systems and applications prevent product on-time delivery. The replication of processes is rampant, slowing employee productivity. 
3. There is a lack of real-time visibility of day to day metrics that can help align operational business activity with corporate objectives.
   
4. Adapting to ever-evolving customer demand and shopping behavior is becoming a challenge.
5. Your organization is incompetent to capture the emergence of new shopping behavior in social and marketplaces.
6. Your organization is working with operational efficiencies. There is an urgent need to improve operational costs/processes to offset margin shrinkage from digital competition.
7. Your organization is dealing with the instance of loss in revenue due to transaction fraud, associated operations costs, and wrongful rejects.
8. Suboptimal project operations and service delivery is impacting customer success and profit margins for your organization.

Companies need an understanding of their exposure, vulnerabilities, and potential losses to inform resilience strategies. Identifying the hidden vulnerabilities and creating a comprehensive view of the supply chain nodes are the stepping stones towards mapping the new approach. A change in approach, the implementation of transparency, the discipline of accelerating responses, changing the economics of production, and more - this will take quite a transformation.

Connecting the entire value chain is a task, eased only with the provision of a seamless flow of data. While most companies are still in the early stages for this, their inclination to adopt 'Digital' is the clear distinctive move that can deliver benefits. The ideal implementation of 'efficiency' and 'transparency'  as digital principles is a goal in view which is fully yet to be realized. Here's how Microsoft's offerings can help your organization:

In a nutshell, accelerating performance, embracing complexity, and fostering a healthy and effective supply chain is what is going to be the saving grace for organizations that know their hustle and like to thrive and WIN.