The Supply Chain in 2030. A vast subject and numerous perspectives around people, processes and new technologies on which Jérôme Bour, CEO of DDS Logistics, gives us his prospective vision.
The rise of the consumer towards the “consum'actor” extends beyond the borders of BtoC. From now on, a customer, whether individual or professional, no longer just wants to consume, he wants to act on the value chain. In terms of Supply Chain, this is reflected in an increased need in terms of visibility and interactions on flows and the entire ecosystem that surrounds it. At all levels of the chain, players will equip themselves with dedicated tools to manage their interactions with all of their stakeholders. This fundamental trend, increasingly significant, will undoubtedly be major by 2030.
A resilient, collaborative and predictive Supply Chain
All this will be possible through an increasingly collaborative supply chain in which the interaction between different actors will be native. And for this essential cooperation between players in real time to take effect, a whole set of tools and new technologies including the development of the cloud on demand will be made available. Furthermore, the implementation of these approaches will gradually build up significant reservoirs of data to be processed, analyzed and exploited.
The acceleration of inter-actor collaboration and the advent of predictive models based on machine learning will thus help to create and make available data which, today, does not exist. Because if currently, the horizon still remains limited in terms of application of predictive, the digitalization of processes will contribute to making data available on a larger scale, thus accelerating the development of predictive analysis in the future.
The challenges of Smart Supply
All this will be part of Smart Supply, “a connected supply chain that will make the value chain more efficient in the future. So imagine connected buildings, connections with transport companies and better communication with cities to optimize supplies”, explain SprintProject, at the very origin of the concept. And the latter fits perfectly into the vision of DDS Logistics on the supply chain in 2030. But to achieve these goals of efficiency and interconnection between players, supply chains are faced with numerous challenges. Among them, we identify four:
- Human Resources: whatever the qualification levels, there is a shortage of resources in Supply Chain professions.
- The reappearance of borders: if in recent years we have witnessed the development of a world devoid of economic and commercial borders favoring the circulation of goods, flows and information, it now seems that the trend is tending to be reversed. Trade tensions, cyber risks, migration issues, Brexit… multiple phenomena are favoring the appearance of new barriers between states. As evidenced by the example of Russia, which recently demonstrated its capacity to establish a digital border.
- Shortages of raw materials, components and transport capacities: Dealing with successive and prolonged shortage phenomena has become a major challenge for supply chains. Indeed, beyond the shortages generated by the rapid economic recovery after the COVID crisis (on semiconductors or maritime transport for example), supply chains will also have to adapt to shortage phenomena due to changes in course of our economy, such as the shortage of certain materials created by the switch from thermal vehicles to electric vehicles, or the shortage of drivers due to the aging of the population.
- Finally, and not least, the environmental issue which, we hope, will take an increasingly important place in the world of the supply chain. A real source of opportunities, the subject will also lead to a certain number of impacts which must be taken into account today in order to prepare for a change in balance. And for good reason, transport still remains one of the main activities emitting CO2.
What solutions for the Supply Chain of tomorrow?
We believe that promoting collaboration, interaction and real time, is essential to the supply chain of tomorrow. Among the key success factors is the ability to involve all the players in its ecosystem. To do this, numerous solutions are emerging, promoting the availability of data and the connection of all players in the transport chain: from the supplier to the recipient customers.
At DDS, we are constantly working on the emergence of real-time collaborative tools that promote network operation. More and more manufacturers and distributors no longer want to just receive information when it arrives: it must be received in real time in order to be able to act on the various fluctuations in activity. To manage this interaction, the use of a collaborative platform such as Join2ship developed by DDS Logistics, allows them to take on the role of consumer player in their Supply Chain.
At the same time, the development of prediction and the digitalization of processes make real-time location data available, offering precise ETA calculation, capable of influencing the organization of the entire chain in a much more efficient manner. The Join2ship platform integrates this predictive ETA functionality. From the GPS coordinates of the truck, the number of kilometers remaining to be covered between its position and its next stop, the calculation of the estimated duration and the analysis of old shipments, Join2ship now determines the most adjusted and most accurate ETA. realistically possible.
Anticipate and support the evolution of transport, logistics and Supply Chain professions
The Supply Chain is evolving quickly, very quickly. So much so that the academic world that feeds it still lacks forward-looking vision. It is therefore up to companies, centers of innovation in this area, to take charge to promote the dissemination and increase in skills of players in the sector. All this through new approaches and a consumption of knowledge different from what was done before. Short, mobile formats adapted to lifestyles are necessary to support the evolution of our professions, our driving forces and those of tomorrow.
At DDS, our approach lies in the implementation of blending learning which consists of mixing online and face-to-face learning methods. The creation of our DDS Academy bears witness to this, allowing us to improve the skills of our employees and our customers both through digital tools but also through elements of human interaction.
Spreading knowledge and skills to build tomorrow’s Smart Supply together is among our priorities. Our presence at the SITL exhibit, and more particularly at the heart of its Smart Supply Village by SprintProject, fits into this idea. That of demonstrating our roots and the importance we attach to people and innovation in the face of the changes in this rapidly evolving world.
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