Increasingly often, we hear about the digital transformation that organizations must go through to keep up with the accelerating change that is sweeping the workforce. New technologies are serving as both disruptors and catalysts for significant industry change. In today’s workforce, businesses are facing challenges like the pressure to launch products before competitors, customer demands, the growing complexity of global operations, and managing the rising Supply Chain costs. One way to combat these challenges is to adapt to a new Supply Chain operating model.

As part of Quest Experience Week Cloud Day, Swapan Ghosh from Oracle spoke about how to move your manufacturing processes to the next level through Oracle Cloud’s best-in-breed design and functionality. With Oracle Cloud, you can transform your Supply Chain to meet a new and advanced model, like how TOTO is extending their supply chain online.  This new operating model involves accelerating innovation, embracing customer-centricity, and transforming through technology.

Accelerate Innovation

The first component in the new Supply Chain operating model is to accelerate innovation. This can be accomplished through connected customers, products and innovation.

• Connected customers: Understand the voice of the customer and market and incubate the next best idea before your competition does.
• Connected products: Leverage IoT sensor data from products in use to identify patterns and create innovative products.
• Connected innovation: Collaborate within the organization and outside partners for joint product innovation.

If you can accomplish these three pieces, you can expect results in innovation, development and commercialization. Accelerating your innovation will allow you to launch better products faster and outperform the competition.

Embrace Customer-Centricity

The second part of the new model is embracing a customer-centric Supply Chain. Becoming more customer-centric starts with your enterprise, connected manufacturing and responsive networks.

• Customer-centric enterprise: Sense and segment customer demand while balancing demand and supply to meet ever-changing customer needs.
• Connected manufacturing: Improve quality and throughput while aligning manufacturing to customer needs.
• Responsive networks: Exceed expectations with a responsive, compliant network.

Achieving these steps will help you plan, create and deliver better and faster. Embracing a customer-centric supply chain operating model will help you align end-to-end processes to delight your customers and meet their needs.

Transform through Technology

The third piece of the new operating model is to transform your Supply Chain with the help of emerging technology. Technology will help your business become more insight-driven, intelligent, and interconnected.

• Insight-driven: Drive more effective business outcomes by leveraging IoT signals from products, machines, vehicles and workers.
• Intelligent: Detect anomalies, predict future states, identify root causes and prescribe recommended actions.
• Interconnected: Ease track and trace and regulatory compliance while improving human interactions.

Operating Model For Supply Chain Management

Technologies like the Internet of Things, Adaptive Intelligence, Blockchain, and Chatbots can help transform your Supply Chain operating model. Once you embrace these emerging technologies, you can continue to grow your business and innovate in the future.