Most companies prioritise rapid supply chain execution over planning, but operational fragility hampers real-time action

Infios’ latest report reveals a surge in corporate focus on on-the-ground execution amid persistent operational weaknesses, highlighting the need for process upgrades and skills development to capitalise on automation and real-time visibility.

Infios’ recent Supply Chain Execution Readiness Report paints a clear shift in corporate priorities: nearly eight in 10 enterprises now judge rapid, on-the-ground execution to be the decisive advantage in volatile markets, ove...

rtaking traditional planning cycles and dashboard-led visibility as the strategic focus. According to the report, that conviction sits uneasily against persistent operational weaknesses that prevent many organisations turning intent into timely action.

The study finds widespread investment intent: 59% of firms plan to boost spending on execution technologies over the coming year even as other budgets are trimmed. Yet the research highlights enduring friction points. Manual workflows are identified as the leading inefficiency by 58% of respondents and almost half of organisations still have not automated routine tasks, leaving only one in five with what they describe as real-time visibility across their operational networks. Those gaps blunt the effectiveness of upstream planning and predictive tools, the report suggests.

The contrast between visibility and action is reinforced by other industry analyses. FedEx’s Future of Logistics Intelligence report, for example, reports that an overwhelming majority of logistics leaders believe visibility alone will not secure competitive advantage, and its findings indicate a small minority of companies can consistently intervene as delays begin to develop. In short, having data is no longer the limiting factor; the capacity to translate insight into coordinated, automated response is.

That shortfall shows up in the limited deployment of prescriptive technologies. Infios’ research indicates only a tiny proportion of firms use analytics or AI to trigger automated responses during major disruptions, while AI adoption across execution workflows remains in early stages: just under a quarter have introduced AI in select areas and a substantial share remain in pilot. Industry commentary frames this not as a technology debate but as a fundamentals problem, organisations must first unblock data, processes and cross-system orchestration before automation can deliver at scale.

The shift toward execution is also nudging organisational design and skill requirements. Trade analysis and Infios’ own commentary note that as more decisions are delegated to automated engines, operational roles are migrating from day-to-day firefighting toward configuring decision logic, tuning models and running scenario tests. That evolution implies a different talent mix: fewer exception managers, more engineers and analysts who can design and maintain the rules and models that govern rapid response.

Infios itself has heightened visibility in the sector: the company was recognised as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems for a seventh consecutive year, underscoring its market position as execution gains prominence. However, observers caution that vendor capabilities alone will not close the execution gap; firms must combine technology adoption with process redesign and skills upgrades to reap the promised benefits.

For companies wrestling with persistent disruption, the message across these reports is consistent: turning visibility into decisive action requires three concurrent moves, replace manual, brittle processes with automated flows; stitch together planning, order, warehouse and transport systems into an orchestrated execution layer; and re-skill teams to operate and improve that layer. Until those foundations are in place, many organisations will continue to lag behind the small number that can act fast enough to convert supply chain intelligence into sustained competitive advantage.

Source: Noah Wire Services