Understanding Supply Chain Visibility

Recent risk assessments have highlighted the escalating concerns surrounding macroeconomic and geopolitical risks, particularly in relation to shifts in policies and priorities impacting operations and market conditions. The sensitivity of businesses to geopolitical and security issues, such as tariffs, sanctions, embargoes, and trade restrictions, poses a real threat to operations. To address these risks effectively, proactive risk organizations are implementing integrated risk management practices. These practices involve continuously reassessing enterprise risks, updating exposure information, and aligning operations to develop informed contingency plans. Some of the key considerations and actions being taken include: - Supply Chain Diversification or Re-location: Exploring options to diversify supply chains or relocate operations to mitigate risks associated with geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties. - Negotiated Price Lock-ins, Cost-sharing, or Hedges: Engaging in negotiations to secure price lock-ins, cost-sharing agreements, or hedging strategies to manage financial exposure to fluctuating market conditions. - Inventory Buffers: Building up inventory buffers to cushion against supply chain disruptions or delays resulting from geopolitical tensions or policy changes. - Tariff Engineering, Product Reclassifications, or Exemption Filings: Strategizing tariff engineering tactics, reclassifying products, or filing for exemptions to navigate changing tariff landscapes effectively. - 'Wait and See' :): Monitoring developments closely and adopting a cautious 'wait and see' approach to assess the evolving geopolitical and macroeconomic landscape before making strategic decisions. By aligning risk management practices with operational strategies, organizations can enhance their resilience in the face of geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties, ensuring a more robust and adaptive business model.

Tariffs just changed. Is your supply chain ready? Graphs see what spreadsheets miss. Tariffs and disruptions can ripple through your logistics network, but most organizations don’t have the insights to respond fast enough Knowledge graphs and graph databases provide a better way. Here's how: 📍 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Track inventory movement across multiple tiers of suppliers while highlighting tariff-impacted routes. 🚦 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Graph algorithms can quickly calculate compute tariff-efficient routes and alternative paths, factoring in tariff zones and free trade agreements. 🔍 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Graphs help reveal potential classification alternatives, preferential trade agreement eligibility, and historical classification patterns that spreadsheets would miss. 🤝 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Visualize deep supplier relationships to discover tariff-advantaged sourcing options that would remain hidden. ⚖️ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: Track changing tariff regulations by linking product data with country-specific trade agreements. 📦 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Run numerous 'what-if' scenarios for tariff changes based on real-time, connected data sources. Connected data is driving the future of logistics and supply chain planning. And it is more necessary today than ever. This is why at data² we have built the reView platform on the foundation of graphs. We know that organizations need to be able to see the connections deep in their supply chain to ensure it is cost efficient, robust, and secure. ♻️ Know someone struggling to manage new tariff requirements? Share this post to help them out. 🔔 Follow me Daniel Bukowski for daily insights about delivering value from connected data.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about what the global supply chain will look like in the coming months. I’ve felt like we’ve been playing supply chain on “hard mode” for the past 5 years, banging our heads trying to “get it under control.” Ironic, I know, given our namesake, Ministry of Supply. • 2019 - Regulatory: US-China relations and Sec. 301 changes • 2020 - Demand: COVID volatility • 2021 - Supply: Lengthening lead times • 2022 - Demand: Post-pandemic consumer boom • 2023 - Supply: Post-pandemic inventory bullwhip peak • 2024 - Demand: Inflation-induced softening • 2025 - Regulatory: Uncertainty in global production ecosystem We played MIT’s “The Beer Game” back in 2017 at a Ministry of Supply retreat. It’s a classic simulation that teaches about asymmetric information in production and distribution across 4-5 stages. Orders stream in steadily until, suddenly, an order spikes — without fail, people overcompensate. The key to managing this is resisting the impulse to overreact. Two years ago, and we found ourselves with ballooned inventory at 2x our target levels. Our inventory turns had dropped from 3x to 1x per year. The Problem was Twofold: •Rational: Safety stock is hypersensitive to demand volatility and lead times, especially when they length unpredictably. • Emotional: In theory, a rational actor would order proportionately… but we don’t. As my colleague Ian would say, “It’s like riding a wave; you can never see the bullwhip when you’re in it.” The desire to “gain control” over demand volatility and lead time uncertainty leads us to “plan further out.” Thanks to Sean Willems and Steve Graves, who introduced us to a radically different strategy: Don’t fight volatility. Design for it. The Solution: 1. Multi-Echelon Forecast - Split product forecasts. We use “fabric platforms” where shared fabrics are used across SKUs, pooling demand risk and shortening lead time forecasts. 2. Innovate to Standardize Materials - A double-dye cationic process now lets us create our solid and heathered Kinetic suits from a single fabric, pooling demand. 3. Shorten Reorder Cycles - Shifting from 2-4 buys a year to 12 increases PO frequency and shortens lead times, improving accuracy over forecasts. Connected forecasts like Crest, Flagship, and Singuli help place POs quickly. 4. Strategic Inventory Placement - Use safety stocks of raw materials and intermediate parts based on lead times. Undyed fabric is cheaper than a finished blazer and pools demand across products. 5. Communicate Inventory & Sales with Suppliers - Sharing forecasts and downstream sales data lets suppliers help create the materials strategy. Moving from emails to bi-weekly calls has made all the difference. Hope this helps with robustness in an uncertain climate. Thanks to partners Lever Style, Motives, SINGTEX Group , Teijin Limited, Toray Industries, Inc. for being part of this journey.

70% of Companies Can’t See Past Their Tier 1 Suppliers Despite all the efforts to collect data, build dashboards, and compile reports, most companies are STILL struggling to get the sub-tier visibility they need for effective SCRM. Why? Because the data they’re relying on is: - Disorganized: siloed across tools and departments - Dirty: outdated or inaccurate from legacy systems or manual collection - Disconnected: no clear link between suppliers, site locations, and components Companies know they need visibility. But they can’t trust the data they do have to build effective SCRM strategies. That leaves them vulnerable when disruptions occur. When we work with our customers at Z2Data, we emphasize that visibility isn’t just about getting data from suppliers. It’s about internal data too — and having a strategy that connects parts, suppliers, and locations in real time. #SCRM #visibility #supplychain #supplychainrisk #supplierdata #subtiervisibility

Article I wrote for Forbes: Supply Chain Visibility: Only Possible With Supplier Collaboration. Meet Becky the Buyer. She’s a stone-cold procurement expert, & she’s an incredibly hard worker. Becky focuses a lot of her time communicating with suppliers, doing everything she can to stay in the know about orders, line changes and shipments. Becky rules. When Becky’s information is accurate, forecasting, demand planning and inventory planning are much easier and much more accurate. When her information is outdated or erroneous, issues arise quickly. Unfortunately, most of the time, it’s outdated or erroneous. At the root of Becky’s problem is a lack of true visibility across the supply chain. She and her team don’t have it because they rely on email & spreadsheets to communicate with suppliers and collect the information they need. Emails & spreadsheets?! 2010 called and they want their manual processes back. Disruptions are more common than ever, so you as a supply chain leader must be able to ascertain the problem, develop a solution and pivot quickly to mitigate risk and protect cash flow. If a shipment is going to be late or partial, you need to know immediately—not in a day or two when the email is found in a cluttered inbox (or worse, when the shipment arrives on the dock). I interview supply chain leaders every day who experience many of these same challenges. Their buyers are overloaded with clerical work, the process is slow and error-prone and they don’t really know the full story of what’s going on across the supply chain. Of course, there’s a solution to all this madness, and technology provides it. Modern supplier collaboration solutions bring buyers together with their suppliers in software that consolidates communication and automates the PO workflow from beginning to end. Instead of hoping to catch an email in a stack of emails, Becky’s team is notified the instant a message is sent. All communication happens within the context of specific POs, so everyone is always on the same page. At any moment of the day, Becky can see exactly what’s happening with an order—every last update, line change & acknowledgment. All of this information is written directly into the ERP, which eliminates the need for error-prone manual entry & guarantees the data is much more accurate. Now, demand planning and inventory planning are more accurate and forecast adjustments can be made quickly when new information is available. This exchange of information between buyers and suppliers is true collaboration. Without that seamless connection, there is no complete visibility and everything downstream is affected. A collaboration solution can provide real-time supplier scorecards so you can monitor on-time delivery, responsiveness and other critical key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be tailored to specific suppliers. We call this mutual accountability. 👉👉Full article: bit.ly/3qMYHe4

I spoke to 100+ VPs and Directors of Supply Chain and procurement during the summer. Here are some key learnings: Data dilemma: Data is abundant, yet siloed and trapped across the supply chain. Supply chain teams have a plethora of tools, many built from the 1990s to 2010s with the inefficient design of machines depending on humans for data entry. This causes bottlenecks, leads to errors, and is often "solved" by increasing team size - compounding the complexity supply chain leaders already face. Efforts to create standard data-sharing methods exist, but rarely stick given the ever-expanding network of supply chain participants. EDIs, supplier portals, and templates become masking-tape solutions, adding complexity to the problem they're trying to solve. When many suppliers don't adopt these solutions, they become yet another siloed data source. Cost of fragmentation: Having data trapped and siloed undermines one of supply chain leaders' most important goals: visibility. This lack of visibility adds to the "fog of war" a supply chain leader faces, taking away leverage to optimize costs and decrease lead times. Among many risks across the supply chain, lack of visibility, is an obvious one that can be controlled. Faster horse or horseless carriage: Current solutions are viewed through the lens of existing technology. The Innovator's Dilemma taught us how technologies behave in S-shapes; as tech gets cheaper, new applications emerge. Few supply chain teams are aware of what generative AI can do to help them. As the cost of intelligence decreases, new applications are arising that will allow supply chain teams to solve these problems and do things they couldn't have imagined. At Mentum, we're working with our first customers to reimagine solutions that address these challenges. Interested in learning more about our learnings? Send me a message!

AI is transforming supply chain risk management. What used to take weeks: - Identifying risks - Analyzing data - Making decisions Can now happen in real time. Here’s how AI is reshaping the game: - Predictive Analytics AI models analyze vast amounts of data to forecast potential disruptions before they happen. - Real-Time Monitoring Sensors and AI tools provide 24/7 visibility, flagging risks as they emerge. - Scenario Planning Simulations powered by AI allow companies to test “what if” scenarios and prepare for the unexpected. - Dynamic Risk Scoring AI continuously evaluates risks based on changing conditions, helping prioritize where to focus resources. - Automation Routine tasks like supplier audits or compliance checks can now run autonomously, freeing up teams for strategic decisions. But here’s the challenge: AI isn’t a magic bullet. It’s only as good as the data and processes behind it. The companies that succeed will: - Invest in high-quality, integrated data systems. - Build teams that understand both supply chain risks and AI tools. - Blend human expertise with AI-driven insights for better decisions. The future of supply chain risk management isn’t just smarter. It’s faster and more proactive. Are you ready for what’s next?

🚢Supply chains aren’t broken. They’re brittle—too rigid for a world that changes by the hour. To stay resilient, companies must adjust their sails—modernizing not just for efficiency, but for agility, visibility, and adaptability. Here are the technologies powering this transformation: ⸻ 🔧 Tech That’s Reshaping Supply Chains 1. AI + Predictive Analytics (Microsoft Azure AI) → From reactive to proactive: anticipate demand shifts, optimize routes, and rebalance inventories dynamically. 2. Digital Twins (AWS IoT TwinMaker) → Simulate your entire supply chain—see where stress points form before they break. 3. Intelligence Layer (Palantir Technologies Foundry) → Integrate siloed data into one operational picture to make better decisions, faster. 4. Edge Computing & IoT (AWS Greengrass, Microsoft Azure Percept) → Real-time monitoring at the source: track goods, detect issues, and respond instantly—even without centralized systems. 🚢 “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean ⸻ 📌 3 Business Takeaways 1. Visibility is no longer optional. If you can’t see your supply chain in real time, you’re driving blind. 2. Resilience comes from orchestration, not overstocking. You don’t need more—just smarter, faster coordination. 3. It’s not about control—it’s about seeing around corners, responding to good data. 🧭Build a supply chain that can bend without breaking. 🧠 How are / would you increase adaptability? How important is flexibility and agility in YOUR world? #SupplyChain #DigitalTwins #AI #IoT #MicrosoftPartner #AWSpartner #Palantir #LogisticsInnovation #Resilience #Softura #PoweredByAgility

In today's fast-paced world of supply chain management, visibility and transparency are paramount. The ability to monitor, analyze, and optimize operations has never been more crucial. That's where the fusion of cameras and machine vision technology steps in, revolutionizing the way we ensure the integrity and efficiency of supply chains. 🚀 Unlocking New Frontiers with Cameras & Machine Vision By combining cameras with advanced machine vision algorithms, supply chain professionals are now equipped with a powerful toolset to detect and differentiate between good and bad activities along the supply chain. 🔍 Enhancing Visibility Cameras can provide a real-time view of operations at various touchpoints in the supply chain, offering unmatched visibility. Whether it's tracking the arrival of goods, monitoring production processes, or assessing the condition of inventory, the eyes of machine vision are always watching. 🛡️ Mitigating Risks Identifying anomalies and irregularities has never been easier. Machine vision can flag potential issues such as theft, damaged goods, or unauthorized access, enabling rapid response and risk mitigation. 📈 Boosting Efficiency On the flip side, cameras and machine vision also help streamline operations. They can optimize warehouse layouts, automate inventory management, and identify bottlenecks in production lines, ultimately leading to improved efficiency. 🌍 Sustainability & Compliance For businesses committed to sustainability and regulatory compliance, this technology offers a way to monitor adherence to environmental and ethical standards, ensuring responsible practices throughout the supply chain. 🔒 Data-Driven Decision-Making The data generated by cameras and machine vision systems can be leveraged for data-driven decision-making. Analyzing trends and patterns allows supply chain managers to make proactive adjustments and drive continuous improvement. 💼 Strengthening Partnerships Transparency and accountability are key to building trust with partners and customers. Demonstrating a commitment to using technology for good not only enhances your brand but also strengthens relationships within the supply chain ecosystem. In a world where supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and global, the integration of cameras and machine vision technology represents a giant leap forward. It's not just about monitoring; it's about empowering supply chain professionals with the insights they need to drive excellence. #SupplyChain #MachineVision #Technology #Innovation #Logistics #Transparency #Efficiency #Sustainability