We believe that the 2020s will truly become the Decade of Supply Chain. This will be the decade that supply chain managers will achieve the visibility they deserve within their organizations. There are so many signals pointing to a breakthrough year for supply chain:
- Increased emphasis on supply chain as a business differentiator.
- The rise of supply chain titles in the C-suite (Chief Supply Chain Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, etc.).
- Increase in programs devoted to supply chain at top universities.
There will also be more pressure on supply chain managers than ever.
Enterprises are concerned about economic, regulatory, and even climate-related volatility, and want to be able to leverage digital technologies to help overcome these challenges. But in order to do this they need to develop fully digitized E2E (end-to-end) supply chains that promote circularity. But surprisingly few supply chain managers have actually done this, relying instead on siloed systems, spreadsheets, and even paper records.
What’s holding them back? A very understandable fear of making a mistake that could cost millions or billions of dollars— and in all likelihood their jobs. Supply chains are unbelievably complex, and when it comes to managing them, results trump efficiency.