Watch: Deloitte’s Annual Technology in Supply Chains Report

In a recent industry survey conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP in partnership with MHI, Wanda Johnson, a supply chain technology fellow at Deloitte, shared the findings regarding the adoption of technology in supply chain operations. The report, based on input from 1,500 executives, takes a “human-centric, technology-driven” approach, focusing on keeping humans in the loop at all times. This year marks the 10th year of the survey, which aimed to tie together the major issues that have emerged in the past decade and help industry leaders understand where trends are heading.

According to Johnson, the report underscores the importance of understanding the human angle in technology advancements. Change management and how people respond to new technology and its impact on their roles in the workplace are key considerations that must be addressed. The report identified robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence as consistent themes in the evolution of supply chain technology. Generative AI, in particular, has been a significant topic of discussion due to its potential to enhance human capabilities, facilitate reskilling, and improve decision-making processes by providing better data for predicting outcomes.

Data governance was another area of focus in the report, emphasizing the importance of obtaining clean data to ensure accurate results. Despite the capabilities of Generative AI to process large amounts of data and assist in decision-making, Johnson points out that human planners must remain vigilant as there is a risk of inaccurate results. It is essential to carefully analyze the data before making decisions based on technology-driven insights.