We attended SIL BCN 2022 to find out first-hand how logistics operators face the future in the face of the situations we have been experiencing in recent years.
In the presentation Supply Chain & Digitalization, Pere Roca (General Manager of Districenter) argued “We cannot think of competitiveness and efficiency without collaboration” and that is that the complete digitalization of supply chain processes will not be possible without collaboration between all the parties involved, have to share data from manufacturers to customers.
On the other hand, Ana Isabel González (Senior Director of Procter & Gamble) advocated that “Although years ago it was a competitive advantage, today collaboration must be understood at another level”.
The coronavirus pandemic and the different disruptions in the supply chain have made it essential to share data to be efficient and agile. And this communication must be both internal and external. Good communication will allow knowing how to act in the face of volatility in demand and understanding what is happening on the shelf at all times. There is a lot of work ahead, because many times “this collaboration is confused with a decrease in competition”, which is why Pere Roca opted for “transforming consumption” to generate value, since today it is the consumer who holds the reins of the demand.”
We have to keep working on it as data does not flow through the supply chain, so we face this challenge on a daily basis. Added to this is the lack of professional profiles with these capabilities and current teams must be made capable of analyzing data and making decisions. A. I. points out that “Digital transformation will occur to the extent that we are able to embrace cultural transformation in companies”.
There are several factors involved in digital transformation, but the first step is the elimination of bureaucratic management. The technology, the degree of maturity of the company, the team and the economic part must also be taken into account. In Europastry for example, they use a digital platform where customers can contract transport and have a eliminated the human interaction of drivers through QR codes to avoid language barriers when carrying out operations. In this way, they can offer, in real time, information on all operations and personalized reports to customers. Along the same lines, Nestlé has robotized its most routine processes, order confirmation and the identification of anomalies.
Following the same line, Ana Isabel González from P&G explains that they avoid stock outs thanks to the information they obtain from their data points: “Thanks to these algorithms and technological solutions, we can approximate the issue of availability in the world of sales of a more productive way“. On the other hand, and also related to stock management, Districenter has managed to reduce the walk through the warehouse by 90% by giving digital locations to its products in the different channels. At the same time, they have integrated reverse logistics management into this process: “By crossing the demand for product services and reverse logistics, they reduce 90& of operating costs”, adds Pere Roca.
With everything described, it is clear that, in order to achieve an efficient digital transformation, it is necessary for all members of the supply chain to share data. It is a teamwork!
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