Lesson Learned from COVID-19: Build Supply Chain Resilience using Cloud Solutions

cloud-based

Table of Contents

COVID-19 not only impacted human health but also changed the way we do things. From buyers behavior, distribution process, and more. If companies, especially supply chain principals, distributors, and service providers don’t respond well to the rapid changes, it will take a huge toll on the overall business that may lead them into a late recovery for their company.

By optimizing supply chains today and for the next several months, companies can build resilience and emerge from this crisis better prepared against future shocks. 

What Can We Do? 

To protect and support your workforce, you need to know what’s actually happening on the ground. Although businesses globally have been realizing the potential of cloud-based supply chain solutions for a while, real-time insights across all supply chain layers are needed now more than ever before. 

A study by McKinsey found that “the average supply chain has a digitization level of 43%”, the lowest among five business areas that they surveyed globally (products and services, marketing, processes, etc.).

What is a Supply Chain SaaS (Software-as-a-Service)?

During this uncertain business period, digitizing supply chain management would improve the speed, accuracy, and capabilities in anticipating risk. Companies must implement solutions that can speed up the flow of data across the supply chain layers. Hence, the goal of the software is to create transparency of  the business process.

Tracking processes throughout the supply chain layers can produce powerful insights. These activities data can help management in predicting market forecasts based on analytics from the latest market condition. However, in this shocking time, these data are particularly useful as it gives greater visibility to manage issues that arise from the complex situation. 

Difference with On-premise Software?

As the government has been starting to implement social distancing and work from home protocol, it’s crucial for employees to be able to access the data wherever and whenever they can. Cloud-based software exists in the cloud so anyone who has access to the internet is able to use it immediately. 

Cloud-based software is also typically more affordable because you only pay for what you need. It is also more scalable than on-premise software because the solutions grow with your company and easier to integrate with other platforms. 

What Can You Do with It?

The main strategy you have to keep in mind is ensuring everyone’s safety by engaging the team & distribution network with clear crisis communication. In order to do this, managers need accurate data to base it from. 

By leveraging data from the platform, cloud solutions can facilitate actionable insights as well as automated execution. Automated execution means that your overall operational efficiency is increased because of the seamless streamlined information management across multiple supply chain layers. Actionable insights mean that your data analysis can support faster decision making and crisis management strategy. 

I. Access Data from Anywhere

On-premise systems come with limitations. Employees must be on-site to access and update information. With cloud-based systems, employees can take their business anywhere with an internet connection. They can update inventory stock, sales reports, employees’ productivity and more. 

If your company owns and manages more than one warehouse and fleets, a cloud-based solution allows you to centralize your data across all locations. For instance, in a warehouse, forklift operators can update product stock through their mobile app. While managers can overview all warehouses’ stock levels at the same time in real-time. 

crate-tractor-factory

II. Visibility & Transparency

Since every device is connected, it’s very easy for supervisors and managers to overview every report on their web-dashboard. The platform collects the smallest/granular sales data from salesman on the field or the store owners directly to monthly sales report analytics. These analytics will help managers to not only access the inventory level but also the demands and latest market activities in each area.

Market condition is important to know in this complex time because it helps managers to support their decision making. Not only that, but predicting market patterns can help managers to make faster and more accurate decision making if they come across issues that need to be dealt with immediately. That way, the company can reinforce the capabilities of anticipating risks. 

Advotics Supply Chain Solutions

Our cloud-based platform simplifies and automates business processes. Deployed as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model allows companies to provide visibility as well as a more predictable and measurable ROI.

Share :