Forward moving technologies have taken supply chain by a storm! There is a huge amount of data in safety and quality. The next step is pinpointing what each person in a supply chain needs to know to optimize efficiency. Empowering workers with the right information  creates a smoother supply chain, whether it’s peaks and flows in demand or the ever changing lineup of products.

Tech Vault: Digitization in Supply Chain featuring UTC Aerospace Systems and SAP

“IoT forms a digital mirror of the real world” – Hans Thalbauer, SVP IoT, SAP

From the stress level of the truck driver to traffic information, having a holistic understanding of how your supply chain system works can prevent speed bumps within a supply chain.

“Additive manufacturing is playing a critical role in Aerospace Systems” – Felicia Coney, UTC Aerospace Systems

With a digital supply chain, there is even the opportunity to replace physical inventory with a digitized one. 3D printing technology can be used to create products when needed.

For more examples on how big data, VR, blockchain and AI is innovating supply chain, check out our bluEPrint series.

The Amazon and Lyft of Healthcare…what’s next?

  • Healthcare made more affordable: Amazon is partnering with JP Morgan and Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway to launch a new healthcare company.
  • Transport for non-emergency medical situations: Lyft has made partnerships with NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation) companies. Transportation for these cases vary from state to state in the US, and it is a core determinant of health according to the American Hospital Association. For example, the medicine for macular degeneration (which leads to blindness) is getting a shot once a month. However, in practice patients are in average 78 years old and don’t drive, which prevents them from getting their treatment.
  • An opportunity is high: No company has stepped up yet, but the number of pet medical emergencies has gotten high…765% higher with marijuana poison calls. This correlates with the increase of legal edibles and their potency.

Big Brands Going Green

  • Environmentally friendly pet food: Pet owners pampering their pooch with expensive diets are leaving an expensive bill for the planet. To counteract this, Nestle SA’s Purina is experimenting with insects and invasive fish species as cat and dog food.
  • Extra mileage, less gas: Uber is integrating public transit into it’s app. In Denver, users can buy train tickets through the app.

The People Element: Collaboration and Relationships in Supply Chain featuring Google and L’Oreal

While technological advances are front and center, people are still the decision makers in supply chain. Here are some methods from leading organizations on how they foster workplace collaboration and partnerships with other businesses.

“We empower employees to experiment without judgement for success or failure” – Daniel Kaulfus, Global Head of Logistics and Operations, Google

The fail fast approach Google implements is to empower employees to learn from their mistakes so they can improve on the programs they’re working on. They keep teams small for a start-up mentality, and prioritize building fun into the culture.

“Every level of organization needs to be aware of what kind of risks they can be empowered to take.” – Anish Bush, VP of Supply Chain, L’Oreal

A lot of organizations struggle to see what sacrifices they are willing to make. It can be difficult as an individual to make a tough call. Shared growth and metrics between businesses is important to allow for risks to be accessed. Risk often comes with precedence, and history often changes perception of where risk is.

What do you think about these topics? If you have ideas on what you’d like to see or a case study you’d like to share, let us know!

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