There’s a lot of discussion about how the internet of things (IoT) connected to big data analytics is changing the way we manage a complex supply chain. This recent blog post about the Port of Hamburg is a great example. However, sometimes this big idea glosses over that fact that managing a supply chain requires many technical components that must work together. That’s because a supply chain encompasses a range of activities spread out over a large geographic area.
In fact, a supply chain execution platform must receive, analyze and process data from many sources in every part of the chain, including inputs from business management applications, RFID chip and barcode readers to identify packages or components, sensors built into machines and equipment, GPS data from vehicles, sensors in roads and traffic control systems, and other data sources as well. That data only becomes useful when applications analyze it in ways that enable actions meaningful to managing supply chain operations.
Building a fully integrated supply chain execution platform has been an evolutionary process. The good news is that a great many of the core technologies and components needed to manage an extended supply chain are real, proven, and available. To show this, I’d like to review some of the applications available today that leverage IoT generated data in ways that support the key activity centers of an extended supply chain: transport management, warehouse management, and track and trace.
When these software applications using IoT data and real-time analytics work together, they create an integrated supply chain execution platform capable of tracking, controlling, and automating an extended supply chain. In addition, SAP’s supply chain management applications integrate with a broader portfolio of SAP business process management apps. This makes it possible to more tightly integrate the supply chain to other business operations, as described in this recent blog: How the Network Economy Is Revolutionizing Supply Chains.
To learn more about how IoT technologies are becoming critical to managing an extended supply chain, check out the upcoming SAPPHIRE conference. You can see a sample agenda for Supply Chain here.
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