Supply chains have always had to contend with disruptions, and that will not stop, says Lusi Zheng, senior director, advisory at Gartner. That's why planners must remain agile.

Bill Benton, co-founder of Gains, details why planning processes don't meet and solve inventory challenges.

Artificial intelligence is enhancing the operations of retailers and consumer goods manufacturers, says Sivakumar Lakshmanan, chief executive officer of Antuit.AI, a Zebra Technologies company.

The manufacturing floor operates in the blind in the absence of real-time data from suppliers on arrival of parts or raw materials, says Jeffrey Luft, portfolio development executive with Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Risk mitigation has always been a part of supply chain management and will continue to be of great importance, says Jamie Rutherford, director of sales, supply chain, for Vector Security Networks.

Getting the warehouse "closer" to the end user is important in supply chains today, says Brian Keiger, director of business development and marketing with Stow Robotics.

It's important that companies prepare now for a coming growth spurt, says Gregor Baumeister, director of warehousing and distribution at Beumer Group.

Companies of just about any size can take advantage of robotics technology, says Brian Reinhart, vice president of sales, solutions and marketing at HAI Robotics.

The “democratization” of the digital twin means companies of any size can benefit from the technology, says Guy Courtin, vice president of industry and advanced technology at Tecsys.

Will Quinn, director of industry solutions and strategy at Infor, outlines the technology needed to deal with the labor shortage and other issues faced by distributors.