Ever since digitalization became the norm in our everyday lives, more and more companies started seeing its potential for their own business. Even smaller ones now have the opportunity to actively participate in the global economy. A company’s supply chain used to be owned by the very same company, but now this vertical integration arrangement is shifting towards a more specialized model, in which great emphasis is placed on outsourcing. This means that we will be seeing more niche industries emerging on the market, whose needs will be catered by low-cost suppliers.

There already are case scenarios to be actually seen on the market, that exemplify the high degree of specialization taking place worldwide: Coca Cola is already offering the possibility to customize its soda cans and Nike also thrilled its fans with this customizing feature.

Even though customers are more thrilled now than ever by all these amazing new features, it is a bit more painstaking for companies, since they need to reexamine their supply chain processes. If you are visualizing this in two-dimensional format you will see that there is lots of movement involved for companies that want to stay on top of the market: they need to shift, scale and explore pristine territory – new markets and channels.
In order to cover so much space, they need to be flexible and agile when it comes to their production lines. However, this can be accomplished by digitalizing processes, which in turn will garner many perks, such as a reduction of costs and errors, an improvement of turnaround times and the opportunity to reach previously untapped markets and channels.

Companies need to focus on being flexible, sharp and open minded to emerging technologies that offer great capabilities for their business.
B2B integration is one of the most powerful pillars that commerce is now based on, offering the possibility of exchanging information and goods, all via automated business processes, that keep the customers engaged 24/7 and offers them the possibility to self-service. These automated processes are running smoothly and efficiently through the power of analytics that offer valuable insights regarding supply chain visibility and optimization. The Internet of Things is another diamond in the rough that is very promising when it comes to boosting the supply chain’s capabilities.

The supply chain is constantly evolving and markets are always expanding, finding new territories to explore, which requires companies to be adaptable and have the appropriate technical expertise in order to implement changes and to manage disruptions brought on by these changes. What is certain is that we are living exciting times, witnessing a whirlwind of changes that always keep us on our toes. Contact us if you want to take the next step.