The Case for Supply Chain Visibility

An in-depth review of a conceptual technology model of a supply chain visibility hub

As economic success relies more and more on superior agility and collaboration capabilities, marketplace competition is being won and lost on the supply chain front.
Companies able to control supply chain costs, satisfy customer demand and bring products to market faster than their competitors succeed. At the same time, the disparity between top-performing and average organizations widens.

Clearly, despite widespread efforts to enhance operations among companies and their suppliers, partners and customers, a great deal of potential benefits and areas for improvement remain in supply chain operations, as yet untapped. Over the past several years, a wide range of technology initiatives have been implemented to improve supply chain processes. However, many have failed to live up to expectations or realize their full potential. There are several reasons for these shortfalls, including a lack of visibility into supply chain events; poor understanding and communication of business processes (both internally and with trading partners); and, most significantly, insufficient data quality.

This article will discuss how companies can implement a supply chain visibility platform as a foundation for improving and extending the return on investment (ROI) of existing supply chain systems. In addition, a visibility hub can drive more efficient collaboration among organizations, their customers, suppliers and trading partners. Finally, this article will show how companies can make dramatic enhancements to operational efficiency, without spending a great deal of time or money on new technology.

Visibility Defined

There are numerous definitions for supply chain visibility