{"id":38122,"date":"2018-06-26T11:19:38","date_gmt":"2018-06-26T18:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=38122"},"modified":"2025-06-02T05:11:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T12:11:45","slug":"manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain","title":{"rendered":"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1001,369822,791,1021],"tags":[21622,1331],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-38122","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commercial","category-digital-supply-chain","category-digital-transformation","category-transportation","tag-digital-twin","tag-supply-chain","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain digitization, but few have invested enough to realize them.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"A new study by Deloitte and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) reveals that while many manufacturers believe they're primed to benefit from digital transformation, only 28 percent have even begun to digitize their supply chains.\r\n\r\nA <em>Logistics Management<\/em> article, \"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.logisticsmgmt.com\/article\/digital_supply_chain_expectations_outpace_reality_says_new_study\">Digital Supply Chain Expectations Outpace Reality, Says New Study<\/a>,\" notes that companies are sold on the benefits of a digitized supply chain, but have been cautious about taking the digital plunge. Although it seems sensible, this wait-and-see approach can be a dangerous strategy in a fast-moving economy.\r\n\r\nWhat's at stake? For one, competitive advantage. Waiting gives the competition a head start on gaining detailed digital awareness of their supply networks. What's more, capturing physical changes to the supply network as digital information gives companies a global operating picture of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/digital-twin-for-supply-chain-management\/\">how their supply network chain is performing<\/a> and where it\u2019s failing. It also quickens their reaction time, moving companies closer to satisfying the demands of the empowered consumer."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":20001,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/digital-transformation?adumkts=branding&aduc=advertising&adum=house_ad&utm_Source=advertising&aduca=branding&aduco=dt_learn_more&adut=wherenext-digital-supply-chains-slow-go&adupt=awareness"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p class=\"ai-optimize-11\">By the numbers, the status of digitization hasn't changed much since <em>WhereNext<\/em> published its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/digital-transformation-walk-guide\/\">guide to digital transformation for business executives<\/a> a year ago. At the time, a Harvard Business Review-Genpact study found that 21 percent of business executives had seen \"significant results\" from digital transformation.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"ai-optimize-12\">But the pressure to create more digital connections\u2014particularly in the supply chain\u2014has not abated. Forrester principal analyst James McCormick calls the backdrop the \"age of the customer,\" and noted in a recent podcast that customers \"can always look over the fence to our competitors and disengage with us and engage with our competitors whenever they want; that's just part of the reason they're so empowered.\"<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"ai-optimize-13\">If a manufacturer or retailer can\u2019t anticipate stock outages or missed deliveries throughout their network in real time\u2014all possible through digital supply chains (DSN)\u2014the empowered customer will move on to another brand.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"form","form_type":"aside","form_position":"Right","form_title":"THE ESRI BRIEF","form_desc":"A biweekly email connecting senior executives and business leaders with thought-provoking articles on location intelligence and critical technology trends.","form_button_label":"Sign up now","form_content":"https:\/\/go.pardot.com\/l\/82202\/2017-10-12\/jw1bmb","form_tag":"low-commitment-form\/sign-up-form"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p class=\"ai-optimize-6\"><strong>Committing to Supply Chain Visibility<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"ai-optimize-7\">Still, the Deloitte-MAPI report's bad news disguises good news, according to <em>Logistics Management<\/em>. Despite being perhaps overconfident about their digital supply chain capabilities\u201451 percent of those surveyed say they're \"above average\" compared to competitors\u2014manufacturers are at least committed to creating pathways that enable all stakeholders to see the supply network in real time.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"ai-optimize-8\">A first step to this kind of supply chain visibility is to take advantage of the millions of \"digital eyes\" connected to the Internet. Through now-ubiquitous IoT technology, nearly anything in the supply chain can be tracked in real time\u2014not just finished goods but also the trucks, planes, and pallets that are used to transport those goods.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"ai-optimize-9\">With that information, companies can create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/digital-twin\/overview\">digital twin<\/a> of the supply network\u2014a map showing where assets are and what their status is. Additional digital information from third parties\u2014pinpoint weather warnings, social media sentiment, and traffic alerts and hazards\u2014can create a smarter digital twin and a more efficient supply chain. And by analyzing this real-time data over time, supply chain professionals can develop predictive models to foresee demand and proactively mitigate disruptions.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"ai-optimize-10\">With manufacturers and retailers under constant pressure from impatient consumers to quickly deliver goods, most brands don't have the luxury of waiting another year to see what the next survey on supply chain digitization will reveal. Nearly a third of their competitors are already angling toward a digital edge.<\/p>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain Digital Supply Networks a Slow Go<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain visibility, but have been slow to adopt supply chain digitization, a new study finds\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain visibility, but have been slow to adopt supply chain digitization, a new study finds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-02T12:11:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/06\/wherenext-manufactures-hopeful-slow-digitize-Card-826-x-465.jpg\" \/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/06\/wherenext-manufactures-hopeful-slow-digitize-Card-826-x-465.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain Digital Supply Networks a Slow Go\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-26T18:19:38+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2025-06-02T12:11:45+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain visibility, but have been slow to adopt supply chain digitization, a new study finds\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"description\": \"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.\",\n\t            \"sameAs\": [\n\t                \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814\",\n\t                \"https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain Digital Supply Networks a Slow Go","description":"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain visibility, but have been slow to adopt supply chain digitization, a new study finds","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain","og_description":"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain visibility, but have been slow to adopt supply chain digitization, a new study finds","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2025-06-02T12:11:45+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/06\/wherenext-manufactures-hopeful-slow-digitize-Card-826-x-465.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""},{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/06\/wherenext-manufactures-hopeful-slow-digitize-Card-826-x-465.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain","name":"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain Digital Supply Networks a Slow Go","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-06-26T18:19:38+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-02T12:11:45+00:00","description":"Manufacturers believe in the benefits of supply chain visibility, but have been slow to adopt supply chain digitization, a new study finds","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/manufacturers-committed-but-slow-to-digitize-the-supply-chain#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Manufacturers Committed, but Slow to Digitally Transform the Supply Chain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376","name":"Chris Chiappinelli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","caption":"Chris Chiappinelli"},"description":"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814","https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip"],"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/38122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wherenext"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/38122\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38122"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=38122"},{"taxonomy":"wherenext-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext-category?post=38122"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=38122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}