Technology isn’t strategy

For the past several years, supply chain conversations on artificial intelligence, robotics, and other automation solutions have been dominated by the technology itself.

Yet after dozens of conversations with supply chain leaders, software providers, consultants, and practitioners over the past year, I’ve come to realize that many organizations see the technology itself as the solution to their supply chain pain points. It is not.

The companies seeing the greatest success right now with AI aren’t necessarily deploying the most advanced tools. They are the ones that start with a business problem and work backward. Two recent conversations helped reinforce that point. Amazon Web Services’ Petra Schindler-Carter and JBF Consulting’s Tony Wayda both told me that companies looking at the entire problem, and bringing in other departments such as finance, marketing, etc., are having the greatest successes.

It turns out that technology alone is not the answer, but a holistic approach to the problem
is. That is not some groundbreaking thought, but too many organizations have lost sight of that. Too often, organizations begin with a declaration that they need AI, a digital twin, a transportation management system, or the latest automation platform. What frequently comes next is a lengthy implementation effort that never fully delivers the expected return because the organization never clearly defined the operational problem it was trying to solve, or integrated the partners necessary to make it work.

The challenge becomes even greater with AI because success depends on far more than the technology itself. Data governance, change management, process design, and training all matters. Those require cross-functional alignment.

Supply chain leaders cannot deploy AI in isolation and expect transformational results. Finance needs to be involved to establish business objectives and measure outcomes. Operations must help define workflows and decision-making processes. IT and security teams must ensure governance, integration, and scalability. Human resources may need to rethink skills development and organizational readiness.

In other words, AI is not a supply chain initiative; it is a business initiative.

NextGen Supply Chain Conference

We are deep into the planning and marketing stage for our 2026 NextGen Supply Chain Conference. This year’s event will take place Oct. 21-23, 2026, at the W Nashville hotel in downtown Nashville. We will have Keynote addresses from Tractor Supply, Wayfair and Eli Lilly. Speakers will include senior supply chain leaders from companies like Amazon, Fanatics, Mars, Target, Evonik, Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Evonik, GXO Logistics, Penske Logistics, Apple, Stanford Healthcare and DP World to name just a few. More speakers are being added regularly.

Early bird registration is ongoing. We still have a few slots available for sponsors, if you are a technology or solution provider interested in participating. More information, including registration, is available on our conference website at nextgensupplychainconference.com.

I hope to see you there.

SC
MR