Accelerating Change: How Innovation is Driving Digital Always-On Supply Chains

MHI just released the 2016 MHI Annual Industry Report: Accelerating Change: How Innovation is Driving Digital Always-On Supply Chains to provide an up-to-date perspective on emerging supply chain trends.

Key Findings Include:
Lack of Skilled Talent Remains the Industry’s Biggest Challenge, with 58 percent of respondents citing this as an industry challenge.

Eight Technologies Enable “Always-On” Supply Chains. A full 83 percent of survey respondents (up from 75 percent last year) believe at least one of the eight technologies in the report could be a source of competitive advantage or disruption for supply chains in the next 10 years.

The eight technologies are: Predictive analytics, Robotics and automation, Sensors and automatic identification, Wearable and mobile technology, Driverless vehicles and drones, Inventory and network optimization tools, Cloud computing and storage, and 3D printing

Barriers to Innovation Remain the Same. Again this year, industry leaders identified “lack of a clear business case,” as the major barrier to investments in new technologies, with 43 percent citing it (up from 36 percent last year). This was followed closely by “lack of adequate talent to use technologies effectively” and “cultural aversion to risk.”

Companies Are Investing Heavily in New Technologies. Despite these barriers, 52 percent plan investments in excess $1 million. Three percent of respondents said their companies would spend at least $100 million on new technologies over the next two years.

Learn more and download the complete report.

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