There is an ongoing demand for businesses to provide superior goods and services to customers at affordable prices. In normal situations, this calls for a logistics system that can reliably meet demand, streamline operations, and plan for and recover from different kinds of interruptions.
The worldwide outbreak demonstrated the increased challenges inherent in business in a very unstable and disorganized setting. CSCOs and other company executives were told how important it was to have strong supply networks that worked well.
But most businesses lack the supply chain insight and knowledge to develop more robust and flexible supply networks. As a result of demand, stock, and logistic data being distributed and fragmented between internal and external sources, visibility is low. Consolidating data from several sources is time-consuming and expensive when using the conventional data integration method, and it must be performed whenever new systems or data requirements arise.
What Is a Control Tower Supply Chain?
More comprehensive end-to-end visibility is what a control tower supply chain aims to achieve. A common aspect of these solutions is a centralized data dashboard that provides insights into critical company KPIs and events. As a result, cutting-edge technologies like AI and ML are increasingly being used in today’s control rooms to facilitate the elimination of data silos, the automation of routine tasks, the acquisition of real-time visibility, and generate insightful, actionable intelligence. An updated control tower will make it easier for cross-functional groups and partners to work together and share organizational knowledge. This will help improve and speed up decision-making and results.
What Are the Benefits of the Control Tower Supply Chain for Businesses?
The idea and technology of control towers are always developing. Different service providers and research organizations will use different terminology and organizational structures to describe the same thing. However, there is broad agreement that intent control towers are crucial to every successful modern business. Some examples are:
- Logistics and transportation command centers provide real-time access to information on incoming and outgoing shipments, transportation, and other related processes, such as advance shipment notifications, delivery status updates, and tracking information. These tools are often included in retail analysis software and provide additional value.
- Its goal is to combine data on fulfillment and demand so that the cost to serve customers is lower and the “ideal order” is delivered to customers more often.
- Real-time visibility and analytics into inventory mismatches, bottlenecks, stock-outs, expired inventory, and other relevant variables make inventory management more efficient.
- It ensures that supplies will be readily available, delivered promptly, of high quality, and supported by reliable suppliers.
- It provides oversight of all operations, whether they are internal or external. Depending on the industry and company, this could include distributors, sales and purchases, logistics, and/or stock.
The Bottom Line
Keep in mind that not all supply chain control towers are the same, as each business has its own unique goals. A control tower supply chain is a symbol of the path to increased transparency and understanding that each organization must undertake. These innovations are crucial to the ongoing transformation of the supply chain.
