The value of visibility

KPMG hosted chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) across industries in a discussion on navigating supply chain disruption through a strategic focus on inventory levels, partnerships, and digital technologies.

Key takeaways

• Post pandemic, CSCOs are finding it difficult to predict supply needs and rebalance inventory across the value chain given unpredictable demand.
• In an environment where inventory levels for many products have flipped from being out of stock to over stocked, nodes in the value chain are working to run through existing inventory to improve working capital and free up cash.
• Digital technologies are being leveraged to improve visibility with first- and second-tier suppliers, conduct scenario planning to prepare for potential disruptions, and apply advanced analytics to decision making.
• More broadly, organizations are moving toward automation in factories and warehouses to make up for ongoing staffing shortages, which have plagued companies in terms of available supply and rising costs in recent years.