How data can help logistics firms defy supply disruption

By Naggi Asmar
Matillion Chief Engineering Officer Naggi Asmar explores how logistics firms can leverage data to 'do more with less’ in testing economic times

In the past few years, we have seen a flurry of business-altering disruptions for organisations to contend with. Supply chain has had to navigate a host of difficult circumstances. 

Like most other industries, the supply chain is being forced to make greater productivity an imperative, But how can this be achieved? Data must be central to such efforts. 

The scale and complexity of the global supply chain means it generates data in abundance and in real-time. But it’s not being fully harnessed – or in many cases, totally disregarded. 

If data doesn’t flow fast enough, its use in informing decision-making, automating planning execution, optimising inventory and other key processes is significantly compromised. 

Now is the time for logistics organisations to deliver data more efficiently, by converting it into business-ready analytics.

Organisations are seeking to extract  greater value from supply chains, and the fast and reliable supply of goods and services is critical to this. This means staff have to keep things moving forward, while unlocking new levels of productivity.   

The supply chain’s fuel – analytics from suppliers, ports and warehouses – is essential to helping stretched teams increase impact and ensure the on-time fulfilment of goods. 

The logistics data transformation journey

Organisations need greater visibility, demand, capacity, inventory and supply across the ecosystem if they are to transform data fast enough. It is surprisingly difficult – and often wildly inefficient – to engage suppliers and other parties in a dialogue about improving their performance. 

It is about tapping into cleansed and enriched data across the business, and if data-driven insights can be used to improve supply chain network design – and satisfy more customers without an increase in stock levels – then the opportunity to become more productive is there for the taking. 

If a supply chain organisation centralises its workflows, teams and costs, then insight can be managed more intelligently and efficiently throughout its lifecycle.

Testing economic conditions means logistics firms need to be more productive, as they seek to leverage data. Modernising and orchestrating data pipelines is key to keeping pace with increased complexity, demand and resource pressure. 

A modern data stack with an ‘extract, load and transform’ data integration process can help teams automate, accelerate and build integrations that deliver insight that shows how the wider business performs, and delivers a response to potential disruption in the supply chain.

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