The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the inadequacies of many supply chains when it comes to ensuring the safe, secure and rapid delivery of drugs and other critical supplies in a health crisis.

Supply-chain executives in North America have a lot on their plates these days, to say the least.

Although the transportation industry was among the earliest adopters of mobile technology, upgrades have been lagging for the last decade.

Automation was proceeding at a rapid pace in many factories and warehouses before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, however, concerns over worker health, the need for social distancing, and the relentless push for cost-cutting are accelerating the progress of robots for order fulfillment.

The pandemic didn’t launch the retail industry on the road to radical transformation. But it unquestionably sped the journey up.

5G will soon become the new technology standard for cellular networks, and the benefits for business in general, and the supply chain specifically, are immense.

Rob Valdez, director of cybersecurity and automation services with CPA and advisory firm Kaufman Rossin, describes how artificial intelligence can help companies weather the current coronavirus pandemic, as well as other major supply-chain disruptions.