Supply Chain 4.0 – the next-generation digital supply chain

“Supply Chain 4.0” refers to reorganizing supply chains from design, planning, manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and reverse logistics – through the use of “Industry 4.0” technologies. These technologies, which emerged in the 21st century, are largely used by firms that are on the cutting edge of supply chain management. It uses technologies such as Internet of Things (IOT), advanced robotics, and advanced analytics of big data to manage supply chains. Using sensors in everything, creating networks everywhere, and automation and analyzation of everything, can significantly improve performance and customer satisfaction.
Information and communication technologies have evolved rapidly over the past few years, and their integration into supply chains has prompted the fourth industrial revolution. Technological innovations and changing customer demands increase competition within businesses. Thus, business ecosystems are undergoing a transformation that impacts operational models/frameworks and management strategies to adapt and integrate with new challenges and as a result, lots of companies have adopted the principles and digital supply chain technologies of Industry 4.0 as a means of improving performance and productivity.

Eight key elements make up a digital supply chain, including integrated planning and execution, logistics visibility, Procurement 4.0, smart warehousing, spare part management, autonomous and B2C logistics, predictive supply chain analytics, and digital supply chain enablers. Customers will experience an improved level of service, flexibility, efficiency, and cost reduction for companies that can put these pieces together into a coherent and transparent whole. Thus, information and communication technologies are increasingly being integrated into business processes in Industry 4.0 supply chain management.

In today’s digital supply chain networks, many different technologies are being used to create efficient, transparent, adaptive, and resilient systems at various stages of the supply chain. As a result, industries can respond to rapidly changing conditions with greater flexibility and agility, such as reducing planning cycles and frozen periods by reacting to changes in demand, supply, and prices in real-time. This will improve a company’s overall operation with more efficient approaches to product distribution that reduce delivery times for customers by a few hours.

The other parameters that change with the digitization of the supply chain are built by advanced forecasting approaches, e.g., predictive analytics of internal (e.g., demand) and external (e.g., market trends, construction indices) data as well as machine status data for spare parts demand and provide a much more precise forecast of customer demand. Thus, it becomes more flexible and granular through micro-segmentation, mass customization, and improved accuracy by enabling control towers throughout the supply chain and providing real-time and end-to-end visibility through automation of both physical tasks and planning, such as automating the warehouse process, such as receiving/unloading, putting away, picking, packing, and shipping, and optimizing transportation networks.

The new digital supply chain technologies are driving a revolution in the way firms are shaping the organization of their production processes. The key to becoming a digital champion and reaping the full benefits of the digital supply chain lies in developing an orderly process for implementing and integrating the many technologies and capabilities required. The potential impact of industry 4.0 Supply Chain management is lowering the operational costs and a reduction in lost sales while decreasing inventories, at the same time increasing the agility of the supply chains significantly.

The transformation into a digital supply chain requires a high degree of organizational freedom and flexibility as well as state-of-the-art IT systems to enable rapid cycles of development, testing, and implementation of solutions. The degree of adoption and diffusion of Industry 4.0 Supply Chain management processes is likely to vary across both firms and countries.

Companies that get there first will gain a difficult-to-challenge advantage in the race to Industry 4.0 and will be able to set, or at least influence, technical standards for their industry. The advantage will by no means be limited to greater efficiencies. Thus, it is suggested to the organization align/partner themselves with a technologically advanced supply chain 4.0 provider in order to take the advantage of digital supply chain solutions to greater efficiencies

The supply chain partner with the latest tools and technology helps organizations in building new business models and open ups new areas of revenue streams. Therefore, always looking for a service provider that has technological advancements in the logistics and supply chain industry and TVS SCS has evolved as a Digital Supply Chain Solutions Provider. We deliver innovative and responsive IT solutions that are future-proof and optimize our client’s supply chains. We are transforming our business models in line with technology, and new supply chain paradigms, and continuously evolving to keep pace with macro-economic variabilities and pandemic-induced changes.

Our specialization stems from a deep understanding of digital supply chain solutions processes and technology. Empowered by our artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics capabilities, our algorithms make informed decisions at every level of our business, providing real-time data analytics to optimize network density and equipment utilization across our entire network. This improves customer service, operational efficiency, and load optimization. We have also utilized machine learning extensively to build various capabilities, including intelligent geo-location, network design, route optimization, load aggregation, ETA (estimated time of arrival) prediction, and product identification.

Our predictive analytics and intelligent decision-making add significant value for customers, particularly in industries where seasonality drives high volumes through outbound and inbound logistics processes. We have developed analytics that predicts future surges in demand using a combination of data histories and customer forecasting. In addition, we utilize internet of things (“IoT”) systems to create a smarter and more connected in-logistics network. By leveraging our advanced IoT sensors that automatically track and analyze physical assets such as equipment, inventory location, and stock levels, we enable customers to improve their efficiency.

We at TVS SCS extract full value from technology, as data, connectivity, and processing power expand, so do opportunities for us to create value through innovative business models, products, and services and emerge as the most preferred end-to-end digital supply chain solutions partner and collaborator in growth for our customers in line with our vision.