In the news again, retail giant Walmart has revealed that it is taking control of its own rail supply chain. The company has launched a pilot programme that will see them use name-brand freight containers to cut out third-party rail companies and middleman fees.
The Raymond Group in India has announced that it plans to reshuffle its own supply chain so as to manage demand and supply more effectively. The move is powered by the shifting sands of economic outlook and market demand and is designed to put the company on a more competitive footing.
A smart sensor that allows for total supply chain visibility and increased security has been implemented by Kerry Logistics Network. The sensor forms part of the organisation’s shift to using the Internet of Things (IoT) to optimise its supply chain and its deliverables.
On the security frontier, research from security specialist Symantec has found that vulnerabilities in commercial software and operating systems were increasingly being used to launch cyberattacks. These supply chain attacks use loopholes in third-party solutions and increased by a startling 78% from 2017 to 2018.
Along with security issues, technology and the changing nature of the supply chain will be hot topics at the 2019 Retail Supply Chain Conference that opened its doors in Orlando, Florida, today. Keep an eye on the hashtag #Link2019 to keep up to date on insights and commentary from the event.
ResearchAndMarkets has released its global supply chain analytics market forecast to 2023 today. Focusing on supplier performance analytics, demand analysis and inventory analytics, the research has estimated that the market is set grow to $US 7.1 billion by 2023 with a CAGR of 14.6 percent. The release stated that there is a ‘need to analyse demand patterns, develop effective production plans and improvise forecast accuracy…’ To add some weight to the research burden, Acumen Research and Consulting released its own research on 24 February that outlined how the supply chain analytics market will be worth around $US10.7 billion by 2026.
Meanwhile: the release of foldable smartphones – a trend that’s now impossible to ignore as Samsung reveals remarkable, Huawei competitive and LG broken – has a knock-on effect on the supply chain; there are fabrics that can remember your passwords; a Business Insider Intelligence’s research report examines the impact of edge computing solutions; and IBM reveals five technologies that it believes will disrupt the food supply chain.
