The increase in the number of suppliers, customers, carriers, and countries in today’s global supply chains is changing the importance of collaborative synchronization between all parties, according to a new Chief Supply Chain Officer survey performed by Aberdeen Group.
The survey collected data from 191 companies, 69 of which were discrete industry companies. Overall findings:
• 90% of discrete companies are exporting;
• 84% of discrete companies are importing;
• 78% of executives indicated improving extended supply chain visibility is a top priority;
• Executives had the highest ROI expectations for supply chain visibility, supply chain network design and labor management software, with most expecting an ROI within about 18 months;
• 29% of discrete companies expect payback from these technologies within one year;
• 65% to 69% of executives plan investments in transportation and warehouse management software in the next five years, compared to the 84% to 88% planning investments in supply chain visibility and supply chain network design within the same period. Analysts say this is probably because these companies already have TMS and WMS solutions in place.
The research indicates growth in internal and external collaboration with suppliers and trading partners. The goal is visibility to supplier/partner/customer product flow across a global, multi-tier, and cross-channel distribution network.
