Matt Fain, chief executive officer and co-founder of Popcapacity, describes the technologies needed to eliminate supply chain pain points.

Whether it’s labor shortages, war in Europe or waterways blocked by ocean vessels run aground, the supply chain has experienced bottlenecks of many kinds in recent years. “Friction” is the term Fain uses for these pain points. “There are friction points throughout the supply chain,” he says. “Our goal, and I think every supply chain professional's goal, is to identify the friction points that can be resolved by leveraging technology.”

Fain notes that as the industry evolves, traditional methods and processes give way, and that causes friction. Adapting to e-commerce, particularly with the heavy order volume brought on by the pandemic, has been difficult for most companies. “Now, everybody is expected to offer direct-to-consumer deliverables,” Fain says. “So the supply chain is changing the way it moves product, and with change comes friction points. But we have technologies today that can pull us out of that. I think understanding the technologies and where they can be applied is crucial to what we're doing as supply chain professionals.”

The digital marketplace is an invaluable technology, Fain says. “It adds transparency and visibility to what’s available, and it's aggregated all in a single platform. From shoes to cars to food, we use a marketplace in everyday life. I think the supply chain is now slowly adopting some of these technologies. Look at digital freight brokerage. You can now procure a 53-foot van at your fingertips. You can procure a warehouse at your fingertips. You can procure final-mile capacity at your fingertips. We're starting to see that the digital marketplace can be a very big tool to have enhanced visibility and connectivity, but to do it at our own pace.”