How Does Technology in Supply Chain Management Streamline Operations?

The integration of technology in supply chain management allows companies to utilize deep analytics to optimize inventory and make decisions to streamline cash flow.

Updated 19 April 2024

Sitaram
Sitaram

CTO at Appventurez

Technology is becoming a crucial part of contemporary supply chains, giving businesses the tools they need to run their businesses more successfully and efficiently. 

The role of technology in supply chain management is to help organizations make better decisions, cut costs, and boost performances across various areas, from logistics and customer service to inventory management and supplier collaboration. 

An essential advantage of integrating technology in supply management and logistics app development is enhanced visibility and transparency, which enable businesses to track their goods and supplies in real time. 

By enabling enterprises to make modifications and optimize their operations, this improved visibility can aid in locating possible bottlenecks and inefficiencies. 

In this blog, we will further go through the evolving role of technology in supply chain management and how the technology has revolutionized the industry. 

supply chain technology

Understanding the Importance of Technology in Supply Chain Management

The integration of technology in supply chain management is defined as a practice that supports the organization and efficiency of the supply chain. 

By harnessing the power of advanced technology, links within the supply chain can gather huge amounts of data and use it to make improvements to their operations, implement new processes, improve efficiency, and plan for the future. 

There is no doubt that the role of futuristic technologies in supply chain management is ever-evolving. As per the reports, 60% of organizations from different industries worldwide have revealed that they expect robotic process automation to have a major or moderate impact on supply chains in 2025

how does technology affect supply

In time, businesses should also expect to see a global digitization of the entire supply chain, with increasingly intelligent AI solutions and robotics working together to make continuous improvements in the supply chain. 

Benefits of Integrating Technology into Supply Chain Management

Deploying advanced supply chain management technology enhances the operational efficiency of the businesses while also accelerating revenue growth. Some of the benefits are mentioned in detail below:

supply chain technology solutions

Improves Operational Efficiency

Having most of what is needed for production in today’s competitive world is not enough. With technologies such as machine learning in supply chain business, the advanced technologies provide end-to-end visibility for the supply chain processes and also build confidence in the operational efficiency of the company’s supply chain system. 

Improves Access to Information

The collaboration between technology and supply chain management works well as it connects previously isolated data. When the distinct sections of the supply chain don’t invariably exchange information, it can result in a problem. 

New technology in supply chain management helps in gathering information and making it available to all the supply chain participants. Orders, inventories, transportation networks, workforces, and warehouses are all visible to companies with best-in-class supply chains. 

Better Collaboration 

Supply chain systems embedded with futuristic technology enable, monitor, and evaluate the collaboration between individuals, departments, and organizations to maintain a consistent flow of information, analysis, and choices. 

Retailers and manufacturers who have mastered this degree of collaboration regularly outperform various critical financial indicators, including greater inventory turns, cost savings, and service levels. 

Improves Agility

Technology in supply chain management enhances agility. It becomes easier for the executives to address the problems or generate new company prospects much faster when they have better insight, thanks to enhanced access to information and simulations. 

Improves Decision-Making

Organisations can instantly obtain precise, current data thanks to the use of technology in supply chain management. This enables the managers and the decision-makers to make well-informed decisions based on the current information and enables them to spot possible problems, early on. 

What are the New Technologies Impacting Supply Chain Management?

The use of technology in supply chain management is rapidly changing. What was once used to be restricted to paperwork and Excel is now using advanced technology such as IoT, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. 

To further understand the digital transformation in logistics and supply chain, let’s go through the extensive use of supply chain technologies used by the businesses:

technology in supply chain management

IoT (Internet of Things)

Manufacturers and transportation companies are choosing to spend more on IoT development services, particularly to support manufacturing operations and the management of the production asset monitoring and management of freight fleets. 

By enabling location tracking, monitoring the weather conditions, traffic patterns, etc. businesses are looking at combining IoT and artificial intelligence in the supply chain management for a range of use cases. 

Blockchain Technology

It is impossible to talk about the global supply chain disruption without talking about blockchain development services. The technology in supply chain management works on an immutable set of transactions, which is best suited to tracking the origin of goods and establishing trust in supplier transformation and supply chain processes. 

Blockchain in supply chain management helps establish the audit trail, which is more efficient than traditional tracking approaches like email or bookkeeping. All of this makes blockchain technology in the supply chain one of the most profitable investments in the domain. 

Artificial Intelligence

Every modern supply chain network comes with a massive range of data which helps unlock insights into the otherwise complex glocal supply chain technology. 

By incorporating a combination of technology in supply chain management and logistics like artificial intelligence development services, companies are able to automate their warehouse operations. 

Technologies such as machine learning development services and the impact of predictive analytics facilitate companies in improving their delivery times, managing the inventory proactively, optimizing the sourcing relationships, and building new experiences that better users’ satisfaction and increase sales. 

Robots and Automation

This advanced technology, which is also an innovation in supply chain management, is used by the industry for moving materials in the warehouse and for order fulfillment processing. 

However, with the increasing role of AI in business, machines are now able to own up to manual-driven tasks from picking and packing orders to automated supply chain technology. 

The combined capability of humans and robots is leading to a large scale of deployment all through automated supply chain technology solutions. 

Cloud Computing

As the supply chain generates massive amounts of data on a year-on-year basis, AI-powered clouds are being used by businesses to convert that dataset into insights. Cloud app development services, when incorporated with AI hold the ability to transform the operations of the supply chain. 

Cloud and artificial intelligence, when combined help achieve the following processes:

  • Improving the supplier selection procedure
  • Powering the automation process
  • Analyzing the Carrier Performance
  • Real-Time Data on Shipments
  • Identifying Operational Issues and Trends
  • Enhanced Customer Support

technology in supply chain management and logistics

Key Challenges in Supply Chain Management and How to Overcome Them

Supply chain management faces various challenges that further impact its operational efficiency. Some of the prominent challenges faced by the system are:

Costing

Globally speaking, the cost of raw materials, energy, and labor have increased because of economic constraints. In order for the operations to continue production and provide consumers with good quality items at affordable rates, adjustments have to be made to keep the operations running. 

Solution:

The best solution is to improve your cost control by executing the plans efficiently through constant monitoring. 

Material and Labour Shortages

Businesses not only face delegation issues but also find it difficult to fill key positions in the procurement and supply chain operations role. As per the report, every crucial commodity- human and material- is scarce or expensive, further leading to complexities and shortages in the industry. 

Solution:

To overcome the challenge of material and labor shortages, businesses are required to work towards a strategic inclusion of technology in supply chain management. Apart from facing the issue, it will also help them in being prepared for the problem beforehand.

Risk Management

Because of the constant change in the market because of the evolved consumer demand, political agendas, and global sourcing, major issues in the supply chain operations are expected. 

Solution:

It is important to always be prepared with a risk management plan of how you will overcome the disruptions during the course of operations. By following a proper plan of hiring a logistics software development company or understanding how to develop logistics app, you will be able to manage these issues effectively with less effort on your end. 

Fast Changing Markets

With the integration of technology in supply chain management, market operations are changing every day, making it quite difficult for businesses to stay on pace and adapt variety of newly introduced innovations in the market. 

Solution:

To stay efficient in these changing times, it is important to be flexible. The way businesses adapt to change is definitely something businesses need to manage by using logistics management software. It helps in moving with the flow and improves the output as a whole. 

How Technology is Shaping the Future of Supply Chain and Logistics?

The global supply chain is rapidly evolving with an integration of advanced technology in supply chain management. Go through the following points to further understand how the latest trends in technology are shaping the future of supply chain and logistics:

  • With technologies such as AI, IoT app development services, cloud computing, and blockchain, the global digitalization of the supply chain is not far away. The incorporation of technology in supply chain management is enhancing operational efficiency and making the data more optimized to overcome future challenges. 
  • Advanced tracking systems and AI-driven analytics are becoming standard tools for executives seeking real-time insights into their supply chains. No longer willing to be blond-sided by natural disasters and geopolitical events, supply chain leadership is now leaning deeper into data analytics to create a proactive and agile supply chain.
  • Another change because of the technology in supply chain management and logistics with the introduction of advanced technology is a stronger focus on enhancing and optimizing the production and warehousing operations. A greater utilization of robotics process automation will further allow for more precise planning and an overall reduction of downtime. 
  • With the increasing roles of information technology in supply chain management, transportation management systems will also play a big part in creating a tighter, leaner, and greener supply chain, especially as the technology becomes more sophisticated. It will also enable better route optimization, cost reduction, and real-time tracking. 

Partner with Appventurez to Advance Your Supply Chain Management System With Futuristic Technology

The supply chain landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, shaped by technological advancements and evolving leadership paradigms. The trends and methods discussed above are not merely technological shifts but are also reshaping how supply chain operations are strategized and executed. 

Appventurez, as one of the leading supply chain and logistics app development companies, will provide you with an advanced set of technological solutions that will transform your supply chain into a more transparent, efficient, and transparent system, further driving economic growth and benefitting consumers. 

By addressing the challenges in supply chain management, our team will help you capitalize on the opportunities and position yourself as a leader in the global logistics and supply chain landscape.

technology and supply chain management

FAQs

Q. How technology has improved supply chain management?

Advanced technologies such as IoT, and real-time tracking systems, enable businesses to gain unprecedented visibility into their operations. This visibility also empowers the organizations to optimize routes and enhance overall operation and supply chain efficiency.

Q. How technology is transforming supply chain?

The digital transformation of supply chain management can be seen through various examples, such as on-time delivery, improved customer experience, and reduced costs through better efficiency, visibility, and collaboration.

Q. How can information technology solve supply chain problems?

By giving real-time information about inventory levels, production plans, and delivery timelines, it can assist firms in optimizing their supply chain activities. This can assist them in making more informed decisions regarding when to order supplies, how much to order, and when to schedule production runs.

Q. How does technology affect supply?

Technology leads to an increase in the efficiency of the production process which results in the shifting of the supply curve to the right. With the decreasing cost of production, more and more customers will be demanding the product.

Q. How technology help logistics and supply chain management?

New technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning helps companies bring products to market faster and more efficiently. The digitization and the documentation can also help keep the supply chains running smoothly.

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    Sitaram
    Sitaram

    CTO at Appventurez

    CTO and Co-Founder at Appventurez, Sitaram Sharma has 10+ years of experience in providing world-class digital solutions. As a CTO, he brought his expertise ranging from product enhancements to advanced technological integrations, while focusing on the consistent growth of the team.