Early uses of big data were concentrated in two areas: customer segmentation/marketing effectiveness, and financial services, particularly in trading. Recently, supply chain has become the "next big thing."
IATA's global head of cargo, Glyn Hughes, said the logistics business is not keeping up with technology - a sentiment that's been expressed before, but one he said cannot be emphasized enough. Hughes also called for more communication across the airfreight supply chain.
Elemica says its new sourcing optimization solution not only enables procurement professionals to make better buying decisions but improves the entire supply chain.
Like many of their larger competitors, today's mid-market companies are beginning to focus on expanding their footprint. The economy is strengthening in a number of areas and based on recent indicators, confidence is increasing as well. One of the challenges, however, is that while the basic fundamentals of responsible business growth haven't changed, the landscape for technology and supply chain solutions has shifted remarkably since the manufacturing sector downturn in 2008-2009.
Moving from manual spreadsheets to a global planning execution control tower solution brings major operational improvements to complex animal pharmaceuticals supply chain.
Pervinder Johar, chief executive officer of Steelwedge Software Inc., defines the characteristics of the "next-generation" supply chain, and offers a perspective on how companies are adapting to globalization, "consumerization," and the growing power of social networks.