WHY IT MATTERS: Digital Transformation

WHY IT MATTERS: AI delivers real value in the manufacturing and production side of business. The McKinsey report shows ML and AI impacts bottom line more than top line, and that the field remains immature with the need for center of excellence and help from academia. Overall a useful reference when planning for back office and supply chain improvements.

WHY IT MATTERS: I was surprise to see that the retail industry has the highest potential to leverage AI. This report provides the insights and the analysis.

WHY IT MATTERS: an amazing overview of technologies that are on the horizon. They range from bizarre - empathy design? - to the probable and useful - supply chain tech improvements. Read it.

WHY IT MATTERS: once we get over the health crisis, we will need to address the economic crisis. Key supply chain technologies will offer retailers and manufacturers solutions to reduce cost and their dependency on global trade fluctuations.

WHY IT MATTERS:  post crisis actions should include actions to embrace digital solutions that may have been skipped in the past: go cashless in stores? embrace eCommerce for all products & services? This article provides many paths to investigate (see #5 in particular)

WHY IT MATTERS: consumer package goods companies (CPGs) are being hit by digital transformation as we disintermediate the retailers with direct delivery (drop shipping), online distribution and the need to continue to serve traditional retailers with warehouses and stores. Moreover, beyond the supply chain, CPGs have a increased need to know their customer, something that is often difficult to do with retailers blocking access to valuable data. This survey by BCG provides useful categorization of the impact to CPGs, along with some %

WHY IT MATTERS: the website provides a number of use case and examples of the use of AI in supply chain, along with a very comprehensive framework to put the pieces together.

WHY IT MATTERS: this Harvard paper shows that recent advances in 3D printing make additive production a reality today. Reading between the lines you have to realize the digital transformation this requires across your sales and distribution channels to support the level of customization that 3D printing enables. It is not just a matter or replacing machines with printers on the factory floor.

WHY IT MATTERS: this is a concrete example of a use case for blockchain that shows it is now possible to trace the products from source to consumer. Blockchain technology provides a "distributed" system that can be "trusted". Why is this important? recently the US FDA has recalled 207M eggs due to salmonella: with proper traceability this number could have been much much lower: https://qz.com/1252939/egg-salmonella-recall-how-to-tell-if-a-specific-carton-is-affected/ 

That is why Starbucks is also considering similar technologies as explained here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bringing-blockchain-to-the-coffee-cup-1523797205 

For more on the technology, see the video and explanation here: https://www.boulderai.com/ai-vision-systems-integration/ 

WHY IT MATTERS: drones and autonomous vehicles have applications in business settings that may be more valuable and faster to deploy short term than consumer applications we have come to see in recent years - like self-driving cars or drone following humans in the wild. Here MIT has adapted drones to perform inventory control using RFID tags in warehouses. At the recent CES 2018 event, drones from company Eyesee are equipped with high definition cameras perform similar tasks of inventory control and management. These solutions have short-term benefits for enterprises that warrant deployment of what is still a very new technology. In the future, Artificial Intelligence image recognition software should enable even more advanced inventory control.

More on Eyesee autonomous inventory-taking drone:

- https://www.hardis-group.com/en/news/ces-2018-eyesee-autonomous-inventory-taking-drone-wins-innovation-award 

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wo-5oS1J_0 

- https://eyesee-drone.com/ 

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

IBM has been an early adopter of blockchain technology and now videos such as this one begin to show where this new technology can be used in real businesses. Here the video presents blockchain in use for grocery food traceability from harvest to store shelves, in the grocery industry. The video is not great quality but the content is interesting.

Always interesting reading on digital transformation by Capgemini which has been at the forefront of defining digital transformation. Read this one, then flip through old ones...

To succeed in eCommerce you need to master one thing: delivering products to your customers rapidly at the lowest cost possible.

This is why events such as this one have become essential. I would even say that delivery is the single most important aspect of an eCommerce solution, as it is where your margins are made or lost. Ensure you have a comprehensive last mile model and you will be guaranteed not to loose money.

A detailed white paper from capgemini on how to improve the last mile, from your warehouse to the customer door and back if required. Full of ideas, strategies and solutions to improve logistics, returns, supply chain, etc.

Amazing review of OMS, PIM, inventory management and 20 other applications that are key to transform the digital logistics in any organization.