Ways to Strengthen Your Foundational Data to Better Combat Supply Chain Disruption
Hundreds of thousands of virtual gallons of electronic ink have been spilled about the necessity of supply chain organizations making a digital transformation in
order to survive the havoc wrought by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago. Companies have increasingly invested in digital solutions (artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, predictive modeling, simulation and more), seeking algorithmic answers to the unforeseen and unanticipated.
All of those digital technologies and solutions are absolutely crucial for more effective management of the unexpected to improve supply chain resilience amid
disruption, said Alex Wakefield, CEO of MHI member Longbow Advantage. Unfortunately, not one of them will make a shred of difference if the data inputs each relies upon aren’t appropriately organized, accessible, easily shared and useful. Not unlike building a house, without first constructing a proper foundation, any structure layered over it will begin to crack, shift or fail.
“I think people blow past all the essential data blocking and tackling and jump into the really fun part of trying to write cool algorithms,” Wakefield explained. “But, without putting in the time to properly structure the source data—to make sure it’s clean, usable and harmonized—supply chain organizations won’t get the insights they need to attain the resilience they…
