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Home » It’s time to get real
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It’s time to get real

Real-time data can help resolve many of the supply chain issues the industry faces today.

February 4, 2022
David Maloney
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Supply chain congestion. Rampant inflation and rising costs. Shipping delays. Labor shortages. We certainly face a lot of challenges at the outset of 2022. Doing things the same old way may not be enough in this new environment. It’s time to get real.

The problems the business world is currently experiencing underscore the need for supply chain players to accelerate their digital transformations. Solid data will be needed to resolve many of the issues with our broken supply chains. Real-time information allows us to be proactive, rather than reactive. With the delays we already face, we can’t add further delays while humans stop to identify and research problems before they can respond.

Proper real-time information combined with business intelligence can “anticipate” problems and alert users before these problems occur. Rules can be set so that when a particular situation arises, a predetermined solution can be immediately set in motion, saving valuable time and utilizing available resources to their fullest.

Real-time information also allows you to mitigate risk. With proper visibility, users can deploy assets and optimize scheduling to spread risk so that bottlenecks in a particular area or operation can swiftly be cleared before crippling damage is done.

Another benefit of good data is the ability to model and map operations. Digital twins rely on accurate data to run models and predict system behavior. A digital twin can incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence to make assumptions about future events, while offering alternative actions based on conditional rules.

Of course, real-time information is only as good as the data acquired. Companies should examine how they collect data. Sadly, many organizations still rely on paper and spreadsheets to track their inventories. Both are highly inefficient and prone to error. Bar-code scanners, RFID (radio-frequency identification), voice-directed systems, vision systems, pick-to-light systems, and robotics are just a few of the many technologies that can be good sources of data.

On the transportation side, real-time locating systems can track vehicles and the cargo they carry while in transit on roads and rails. The new infrastructure bill will add to the value of these technologies by funding the expansion of internet and cell service along lonely stretches of highway. Satellite-based systems are also available for those areas where cell service remains spotty.

Of course, the overall goal of real-time technologies is to enhance operations in ways that improve customer service. In this age when customers have high delivery expectations, being able to deliver on-time is crucial. Keeping customers informed of order and delivery status in real time is no longer the competitive differentiator it once was; today, it’s simply the table stakes required to remain in the game.

Automatic Data Capture Supply Chain IT Real Time Locator Systems RFID Vision Systems Voice Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Simulation/VR/Digital Twin
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Davidmaloney
David Maloney has been a journalist for more than 35 years and is currently the group editorial director for DC Velocity and Supply Chain Quarterly magazines. In this role, he is responsible for the editorial content of both brands of Agile Business Media. Dave joined DC Velocity in April of 2004. Prior to that, he was a senior editor for Modern Materials Handling magazine. Dave also has extensive experience as a broadcast journalist. Before writing for supply chain publications, he was a journalist, television producer and director in Pittsburgh. Dave combines a background of reporting on logistics with his video production experience to bring new opportunities to DC Velocity readers, including web videos highlighting top distribution and logistics facilities, webcasts and other cross-media projects. He continues to live and work in the Pittsburgh area.

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