It’s interesting that even as we are in the midst of Industry 4.0—a fusion between technologies that blurs the lines between the physical, digital, and biological—there are some areas of business that are still woefully behind the digital power curve. One area that specifically suffers is supply chain systems.

Barriers to New Technology for Supply Chain Systems

For some, supply chain digitization simply isn’t a priority, because the technology is seen as “too new” and therefore too volatile. Others don’t entirely understand what a digitized supply chain means. Is it just upgrading technology? Is it integrating systems to communicate with each other? Maybe it’s a complete overhaul of what supply chain management means through optimized processes and streamlined planning and production strategies.

Or, maybe it’s a little bit of all of that. The digital supply chain uses top technology that is integrated across the enterprise to communicate and share data, optimizing workflows and, in many cases, completely reimagining how supply chain management strategies operate.

What Does Digitizing Do for Me?

Your supply chain today may be a series of siloed steps that make their way through marketing, product development, manufacturing, distribution, and finally customers. Digitizing removes those walls and integrates the system to be transparent to everyone involved.

If you’re on the front end of digitizing your supply chain system, you stand to gain a clear competitive edge. A digitized supply chain can adapt at a moment’s notice to plenty of unknowns, including inventory shortages, order modifications, and availability of resources. This gains you lower production and operational costs, accelerated lead times, and enhanced reporting and data analysis capabilities. This means you can create better planning and production programs.

If you’ve already got an ERP in place, digitizing your supply chain systems should be much easier, as the ERP is a key player in the digitization. The right ERP solution will help you with:

• Streamlined processes, resulting in higher efficiency, increased flexibility, shorter lead times, and better quality with decreased waste, not to mention advanced analytics.
• Strategic strengths, such as ease in expanding offerings, giving you a shorter time to market, and increased flexibility
• Organizational benefits via a user-centric work environment that promotes work-life balance. The right ERP can even improve workplace safety levels and customer relations.

Do You Really Need a Digitized Supply Chain?

A digitized supply chain is becoming a necessary part of a business remaining competitive. If you’re not already looking at digitizing your supply chain systems, you might want to start.

No matter where you are in the supply chain system digitization journey, having the right ERP in place sets the foundation for positive forward motion in your business. With more than 15 years of experience implementing business software solutions for companies of all sizes, PositiveVision is committed to helping your business create the most innovative and efficient solutions for your needs through ERP, manufacturing, and warehouse management systems.

Don’t let Industry 4.0 pass you by. Contact PositiveVision today to find out exactly how much digitizing your supply chain system can change your business for the better.