29 Mar 2023

How Is Artificial Intelligence Used in Supply Chain Management?

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How Is Artificial Intelligence Used in Supply Chain Management?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted the landscape of numerous industries, and supply chain management is no exception. This super-advanced form of technology has revolutionized the industry and offers several promising benefits. For example, the optimization of existing processes, enhanced efficiency, and even waste reduction. Below are just some of the ways in which supply chain management firms are implementing AI into their supply chain operations.

How Is Artificial Intelligence Used in Supply Chain Management?

Inventory Management Automation

Warehouses are a vital part of the supply chain. As such, they need to run and handle inventory as efficiently as possible. If not, a kink in the supply chain, so to speak, could occur that can spark a damaging ripple effect that would be felt throughout the entire supply chain.

Warehouses can implement artificial intelligence to automate the management of the inventory they hold, which could translate to significant time and cost savings. To illustrate, warehouses could track the status of each item with IoT (Internet of Things) tags to keep track of important information, such as location, freshness, and more.

Outcome Prediction

Artificial intelligence can be used for data analysis to predict specific outcomes. Supply chain providers can utilize this function of AI to enhance their operations via simulations. AI tools can evaluate specific operations setups and detect potential issues, such as backups, and correct them. With the flexibility that AI-based simulations provide, supply chain providers don’t have to worry about the effects that real-world operational disruptions can cause.

Reduction of Errors and Waste

Artificial intelligence has also proven to be an invaluable tool that supply chain businesses can use to reduce both errors and waste – and ultimately improve quality control, overall. The error and waste reduction that AI enables is primarily the result of machine learning and its amazing capabilities. This makes things like computer vision to understand the automation of highly complex processes possible. By joining together AI and IoT, supply chain providers can reduce errors and cut back on waste production.

Cybersecurity

With the influx of cyberattacks in the supply chain, it’s more important than ever for supply chain providers to implement cybersecurity. The number of cyberattacks in 2022 alone had increased exponentially, largely due to the introduction of ransomware-as-a-service, which allows for the emergence of an entirely new generation of hackers.

Big supply chain companies aren’t the only ones being targeted by hackers; small- and mid-sized independently-owned companies are, as well. As such, in order to survive and thrive, supply chain businesses need to implement cybersecurity.

AI is an extremely effective way that supply chain providers can implement cybersecurity programs and protect themselves and the people they serve. For instance, a warehouse management team could institute an AI program that monitors logins on its servers on a constant basis. If the program identifies login attempts that are questionable or unauthorized, it can notify security and even block shady accounts.

The Future of Supply Chain Management is Driven by AI

In a short period of time, AI has already proven that it will have a profound impact on supply chain management. As AI technology advances, it will further alter the supply chain and how businesses and consumers interact across the world.

How Has Technology Changed Business Logistics?

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