Research released this week tracks a turning point in supply chain strategy as organizations start to prioritize speed of execution as their main source of competitive differentiation. That’s according to research from supply chain software provider Infios.The company surveyed 100 U.S.-based supply chain leaders and found that nearly 80% said fast, dynamic execution—rather than planning or visibility alone—is their best competitive weapon in today’s volatile marketplace.The strategic shift is driving big investments in supply chain technology solutions, according to Infios: Nearly 60% of organizations surveyed said they plan to increase spending on supply chain execution solutions over the next 12 months.Despite those goals, the researchers found that most organizations lack the fundamental capabilities to execute at speed—and that most are being held back by manual workflows and processes.Among the key findings: 58% cited manual workflows as their biggest inefficiency;Nearly half (46%) said they lack automation for daily tasks;Just 20% said they have real-time visibility across operations;Only 6% of respondents said they use analytics and/or artificial intelligence (AI) for automated responses, and the majority (51%) said they react to events as they occur, or use technology for predictive alerts and manual interventions (43%);Just 23% said they have implemented AI in select workflows across supply chain execution.“Supply chains aren’t struggling because leaders lack intent or investment,” Richard Stewart, executive vice president of product and industry strategy at Infios, said in a statement announcing the findings. “They’re struggling because execution environments were never designed to sense disruption, coordinate decisions, and act in real…
