05/06/2021
4 Major Takeaways from the Supply Chain Visibility Webinar
With continuously evolving and increasingly global supply chains, the complexity of processes is a big challenge. Cost increases, changing consumer behavior, market volatility, and changing industry dynamics affect supply chains globally. Internally businesses struggle with complex communication loops, siloed operations an evident disconnect between the physical and information flow through a supply chain.
On 14th April 2021, we hosted a webinar in association with SAP & ClearMetal on 'Supply Chain Visibility-Manage your cargo affected by disruptions like the Suez Canal incident.' The session saw Manuel Flubacher, Business Development MEE, Digital Supply Chain Logistics, SAP, Thomas Kofler, VP Sales EMEA, ClearMetal and Furkan Aydeniz, Business Development Consultant, Novigo, as the speakers.
The discussions revolved around how present-day supply chain disruptions are causing havoc within the industry. The impact of these disruptions is massive and can bring entire economies to a halting standstill. However, the brighter side of the discussion focused on how technology and partner solutions can help companies manage disruptions better.
By March-end, there were 369 ships stuck in a tailback waiting to pass through the 193 km Suez Canal on either side of the blockage. Supply chain visibility is of paramount importance when it comes to mitigating supply chain risks such as these. A distinction is being drawn between a resilient supply chain and other vulnerable or decentralized legacy systems due to powerful forces that have disrupted industries.
Watch the webinar on-demand by clicking below:
1. Lack of Supply Chain Visibility + Supply Chain Disruption = An Explosion.
Lack of supply chain visibility combined with supply chain disruption is no less than a massive explosion. Supply chain disruptions have occurred several times in the past. However, wisdom lies in accepting that we can’t control external forces that cause these disruptions but we can mitigate and manage the risks and consequences better with the power of data. Under such circumstances as the Suez Canal blockade, with visibility data, we can gain insights into the impact on the business. What can we tell the customers whose containers were probably stuck on the EverGiven vessel or the anticipated delay in the number of days? Such answers can help businesses assess the impact and devise strategies to deal with it.
2. SAP LBN's Freight Collaboration and Global Track & Trace can enhance operational visibility
Operational visibility refers to knowing where your shipment is at any given time, as well as how well components, pieces, or items in transit can be tracked from the manufacturer to their destination. The increased control and visibility into shipments and analytics result in shorter lead times, quicker reaction to disruption, and fewer costs. Enabling real-time visibility to predict better expected time of arrival & milestones through geo-tracking will go a long way in building robust supply chain visibility systems for businesses. Freight Collaboration and GTT functionalities of SAP LBN both have visibility content. Partnerships with ClearMetal and Novigo can help enterprises leverage both operational and business benefits.
3. ClearMetal translates critical data into critical business intelligence.
ClearMetal improves the reliability tracking through their ML/AI algorithms by geofencing all the berthing locations for major ports worldwide and leverage live AIS to enhance the accuracy of vessel arrival and departure. Within 24 hours of the Suez Canal incident, the ClearMetal clients were intimated about the impacted vessels, giving them granular insights into the extent of the impact. ClearMetal could inform whether the client's cargo was on these ships. Swift identification of the exact sales orders impacted on these containers helped clients pass on the intelligence to their customers to prepare for disruptions in their supply chains. Furthermore, the Discharge Prediction Accuracy with ClearMetal's platform is 26-37% more accurate than the Carrier ETA's, thereby empowering businesses with better predictions, planning, and cost reductions.
4. A Control Tower approach can help businesses enhance their supply chain visibility.
At Novigo, we help customers use SAP Logistics Business Network's Global Track and Trace to engage and consolidate all the data from visibility providers, logistics service providers, and other business partners. SAP LBN GTT platform enables customers to track their order fulfillment process, help monitor milestones and provide exception alerts. Using predictive intelligence through geolocation tracking, assessing accurate ETAs, and identifying shipment delays becomes easier. Thus, we can improve situational awareness and decision-making through track-and-trace and genealogy data.
It doesn't need to be a black swan event to understand the importance of supply chain mitigation strategies. It is therefore important to understand the kind of transformation you wish to implement in your supply chain. Risk mitigation is created through transparency and visibility in your processes and access to quality data. With innovative visibility solutions like ClearMetal combined with SAP Logistics Business Network, we have one holistic view on one data source that is highly reliable and effective in the current supply chain scenario.
By having accelerators deployed, Novigo provides value added solutions to assist the Logistics transformation journey of customers. Your organization can leverage Novigo’s expertise for creating the business case and processes to be designed for your industry's best practices. In compliance with the value drivers retrieved from your business case, Novigo provides packaged and tailored offerings for the system migration and the realization of Business Network solutions. To further explore the right supply chain solutions for your business, please reach out for a complimentary consultation session with a Novigo expert. We can also help you build a business case starting with a discovery workshop, ROI analysis, and solution demo to fulfill your digital supply chain transformation needs.