Supply Chain Movement 39 | Digital Twins

The main theme of the Q4 issue of quarterly Supply Chain Movement is Digital Twins. A digital twin of your own could do more than just simple paperwork. Thanks to advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, the digital twin could look into the future to test the outcome of different actions and tell you which steps you need to take and in which order. But in order for that to work, you first have to make sure the digital twin is aware of your financial, social, technological, commercial, logistical and planning-related preferences and bottlenecks.

14 | Profile Frank Baur, Parker Hannifin

Frank Baur joined Parker Hannifin two years ago to lead its EMEA supply chain from its regional headquarters in Étoy, Switzerland. The company manufactures a wide range of products that facilitate motion within an industrial application, which, put simply, ‘enable engineering breakthroughs that lead to a better tomorrow’. “I was attracted to its winning culture, passionate people, engaged leadership, and true focus on valuing customers,” says Frank.

20 | Expert views on trends: Shippeo

B2B customers are increasingly looking for a B2C customer experience. Many supply chains have emerged from the coronavirus crisis stronger than before and are now more agile and better prepared to cope with rapid changes. Visibility is crucial, and is especially challenging in multimodal and international supply chains.

21 | Roadmap multi-echelon inventory

Supply chain executives worldwide face an ongoing dilemma: improve customer service levels but don’t create excess or obsolete inventory when doing so. It’s a double-edged sword for supply chain performance. Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) packs a financial punch by freeing up working capital while boosting service.

22 | Management: Digital twins in supply chains

Companies are accelerating their supply chain optimization efforts and are using new technologies to integrally plan and manage their end-to-end supply chains. Both SKF and Medtronic have set up a digital twin of their supply chain for this purpose. This is time-consuming and cost-intensive, but the results are worth it.

42 | Top 28 supply chain executives Europe 2020

Business transformation and digitalization is the most important boardroom topic by far according to European supply chain executives. As part of the annual research for its Top 28 Supply Chain Executives in Europe ranking, Supply Chain Media conducted a survey among the shortlisted supply chain leaders. The analysis reveals a clear picture of the most influential supply chain executives in Europe and their strategic approaches.

51 | Expert views on trends: Anaplan

‘An effective supply chain is more crucial to growth than ever before’. The far-reaching impact on supply chains caused by the coronavirus pandemic has actually been on the cards for some time. These extraordinary developments acted as a trigger, forcing companies to improve their flexibility in order to be able to respond quickly to changing circumstances. This is accelerating the demand for connected planning.

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