Technologies to Scale Supply Chain Management – Supply chains are notorious for using bloated and inefficient networks. The pandemic has exposed the underlying issues of supply chain management (SCM) and we’ve yet to come out of bottlenecks, port congestions, and shipping delays. Technology hasn’t been able to reinvent the model from the ground up but after everything that transpired in the last two years, we’re closer to an industry-wide digital transformation than ever. Here’s how you can optimize and scale your supply chain to increase revenue in 2022:

Supply chain visibility metrics

Supply chain visibility (SCV) startups are one of the most popular trends in logistics, and for good reason. They attempt to provide a comprehensive and holistic picture of the entire supply chain in real-time, which is something that has been plaguing small businesses for a long time. Supply chain visibility metrics include production updates, shipping patterns, load history, fleet status, weather reports, last-mile delivery, and much more. You can access all the data from a single dashboard and take action accordingly.

Electronic logbooks

Electronic logbooks have replaced papers and timesheets, and they’re here to stay. These logbooks give fleet managers greater transparency into a driver’s day-to-day workflow and help drivers maintain their schedules and breaks. Since it has become compulsory to log hours of service (HOS) with a digital logbook, adopting the gadgets will bring efficiency to fleet management and help you stay compliant.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) creates a network of physical devices that interact with each other without human intervention, making them the perfect technology to streamline supply chain management. The smart sensors are already used to analyze container weather, parcel conditions, delivery, and fleet status.

IoT technology has also been integrated into wearable technology, which improves the efficiency and safety of workers. Wearable tech like smart glasses, gloves, and watches helps employees complete their tasks faster and the real-time data keeps their health in check.

Robotics on the ground floor

According to an Inbound Logistics study, the majority of global warehouses are still run manually. However, the post-pandemic supply chain requires a drastic shift. There’s great potential for automation on the ground floor and this is where robots come into the picture.

Advanced robotics have been shown to fulfill online orders faster than an average human and they can also work in conditions not ideal for humans. This opens up great opportunities for the logistics industry to optimize load time and fulfill more orders.

Blockchain

Blockchain seems to be the keyword in every industry today and supply chain management isn’t far behind. The decentralized, open-source nature of blockchain promotes transparency, which essentially makes signing contracts and keeping paperwork an easier and more secure practice. However, in order to leverage the true potential of blockchain, companies need to properly digitize their business model which should be one of the primary goals to achieve in 2022.

The global scale supply chain management has been going through major changes in the last few months which reinforces the need to invest in technologies that promote efficiency and transparency. By using the technologies mentioned above, you can set your business up for success in 2022.