AEB 2016 trade management agenda – collaboration is key

According to latest research by software provider AEB and the University DHBW in Stuttgart, Germany, four out of five global trade and logistics experts (82.6 percent) see cooperation with supply chain partners and working together to optimise workflows results as critical competitive advantages.

Their annual research series “GTM Agenda” sheds light on upcoming global trade management priorities with an additional focus topic each year. This year’s study highlights “supply chain collaboration” and reflects responses from over 300 participants across various industry sectors.

Expectations and benefits

The main result logistics experts hope to achieve through collaboration is “optimised processes”, which was cited by 87.3 percent of respondents. This result is closely followed by “knowledge gains” (83.7 percent) and “accelerated workflows along the supply chain” (81.3 percent).

Collaboration partners and focus areas

For over half of the study’s participants, collaboration with customers (57 percent) and suppliers (55.4 percent) is already a reality. This type of collaboration also frequently extends to carriers and logistics service providers. Transportation is the most important field of collaboration, with 45 percent of respondents already working closely with partners and 26 percent planning to do so. Some 30 percent to 40 percent of respondents also work with other companies in the areas of inventory, forecasting, and order and capacity management.

If you want to read more, the AEB study is available free of charge at www.aeb.com/gtm-study.  

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Read the January Issue of Supply Chain Digital.