Supply chain visibility evolves from crisis response to strategic advantage with AI and data integration

The old obsession with simply locating goods has given way to something broader and more useful: the ability to turn supply chain data into better operational choices. That was the clear message at the latest inNOWvate Supply Chain Event in Amsterdam, where software providers and start-ups used their breakout sessions to show how visibility has evolved from a crisis response into a strategic discipline.

During the pandemic, many firms were forced to confront how little they kne...

w about the whereabouts of their shipments, assets and stock. That pressure has eased, but the underlying problem has not disappeared. Instead, the market has moved on to a more demanding question: how can all that data be used to reduce waste, improve planning and make networks more resilient?

One theme was the growing importance of tracking physical assets such as pallets, roll cages and crates. Stefan Maas of Connected Load Carrier argued that these items remain a major blind spot for many businesses, despite the sophistication of their forecasting, ERP and warehouse systems. His point was not merely that companies should know where reusable load carriers are, but that once they do, they can redesign logistics flows, cut unnecessary buffers and act earlier on inefficiencies.

Another weak spot lies outside the warehouse. Belgian start-up Ventory highlighted the difficulty of keeping accurate records of stock held at customer sites, local hubs and engineers’ vehicles. In many service networks, that inventory is meant to be captured in ERP systems, yet the process is often too cumbersome for field staff. The result is phantom stock: materials that exist in practice but are missing from the system. Ventory said its mobile-based approach has taken one customer’s field-stock visibility from almost nothing to more than 90 per cent.

Transport paperwork remains another stubborn source of opacity. Walter Schutte of Transporeon said the electronic consignment note, or eCMR, is still far from universal, even though it can save administrative time and improve traceability. Industry platforms and logistics specialists say the digital version of the CMR can speed up proof of delivery, support faster invoicing and reduce errors, while the EU’s eFTI framework is expected to strengthen the case for digital freight information. Open logistics and software groups have also been pushing for broader interoperability to make adoption less fragmented across Europe.

The commercial case is not hard to see. Some providers say digitising consignment notes can cut minutes from each transaction, lower printing and filing costs and allow invoicing to begin as soon as proof of delivery is recorded. But the bigger obstacle is cultural, not technical: paper has long been embedded in transport operations, and many businesses still need to train drivers, inspectors and back-office teams before digital workflows become routine.

Transport Management Systems are also being pushed beyond their traditional role. Johan de Grijff of ShipitSmarter said too many companies use TMS platforms mainly to answer customers’ “Where Is My Order?” queries, when the same data could be used to compare carriers, spot freight-billing issues and redesign transport strategies. He pointed to a customer shipping large volumes to the UK that found it cheaper to consolidate consignments on a lorry and distribute them locally than to send each parcel individually.

Planning, too, is moving into a more data-driven phase. Niek van de Crommert of EyeOn said many organisations are still split between spreadsheets and fully fledged advanced planning systems, with neither option ideal. In response, the consultancy has launched its Honeycomb platform for forecasting, inventory optimisation and scenario planning. EyeOn says the tool is already being used by larger industrial groups and can also serve smaller firms that have outgrown Excel but are not ready for a full APS rollout.

The final point was the most important: artificial intelligence and advanced planning tools are only as good as the information beneath them. As van de Crommert put it, companies that rush towards AI without fixing their underlying data and processes are building on unstable ground. The message from Amsterdam was that visibility is no longer the end goal. It is the starting point for better decisions across the supply chain.

Source: Noah Wire Services