Charting the Journey from Point Control Towers to True Supply Chain Orchestration

This IDC Market Perspective highlights supply chains' maturity journey from linear-based management to end-to-end supply chain orchestration. This requires advancements in tools, capabilities, and organizational skills. Much like proprioception for biological systems or a symphony orchestra, supply chain orchestration will enable optimizing the whole while keeping all parties in harmony. Advancements in AI will further accelerate adoption of these technologies and methods. "With advancements in AI/ML - including generative AI - along with developments in supply chain orchestration, the capabilities companies will seek will be to truly orchestrate the full supply chain. Tools will develop, which integrate internal and external supply chains, identify exceptions, take routine response action (e.g., expedited logistics flows for late product), support human intervention, and enable end-to-end IBP and top-down strategic influence of all plans." - Eric Thompson, research director, Worldwide Supply Chain Planning, IDC