Supply chain is in the midst of yet another evolution. All companies recognize the need for end-to-end visibility, yet very few, if any, have achieved it. At present, we are trying to link disparate systems with varying degrees of success... and failure. Slowly, but surely, we are progressing toward "supply chain social networks" that will one day integrate people, processes and information. The question is, how long will it take and what will it finally look like?
Everybody is talking about the need for improved supply chain visibility, but is it really possible? After all, many companies have yet to effectively solve visibility issues within their own organizations, let alone with multiple tiers of suppliers and third-party logistics providers.
Many of us, myself included, believe the answer will eventually be found in supply chain social networks. The Internet is not only the most cost effective vehicle for driving supply chain integration, it is also a "technology" that everyone understands.
Still, the biggest challenge is integration. How can disparate systems, including ERP, WMS, SCM, and all the rest, "talk" each other without dropping critical information?
Ken Lyon, Managing Director Virtual Partners Ltd., weighed in on a discussion we started at the Third Party Logistics Group on LinkedIn. Ken wrote, "One of the biggest challenges facing anybody seeking information across a multi-party, multi-tier supply chain, is maintaining context. In other words, being able to identify items, orders, consignments and parties precisely. This is harder than it seems, as each organisation references items in their own context."
