Re-thinking the role of supply-chains: incontro e dibattito con la prof.ssa Janet Godsell
Il 27 settembre 2016 abbiamo partecipato, in qualità di sponsor, ad un interessante incontro e dibattito sull'evoluzione del ruolo della supply chain in relazione ai nuovi trend di mercato, organizzato da SCM Portal all'interno dell'iniziativa Supply Chain Innovation HUB.
A condurre il dibattito la prof.ssa Janet Godsell dell'Università di Warwick, docente di Supply Chain e Operations Strategy, che ha proposto una brillante sintesi sui principali trend che stanno coinvolgendo il manifatturiero, la supply chain e il mondo economico in generale.
Janet Godsell ha racchiuso questi aspetti in 5 parole chiave che sono state oggetto della presentazione e del dibattito tra i presenti:
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Industry 4.0
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Circular Economy
-
Omnichannel
-
Market Mediation
-
Consumption Driven Supply Chain.
Temi apparentemente diversi ma che in realtà, come ha sottolineato la prof.ssa Godsell, sono parte di uno stesso grande processo di cambiamento al quale stiamo assistendo e assisteremo nel prossimo futuro. Per questo, pur essendo aspetti distinti, non vanno esaminati separatamente ma affrontati in modo congiunto.
Cosa ci siamo portati a casa: i punti chiave
I temi toccati sono quindi stati molti ed è difficile riassumere il contenuto dell'intero dibattito. Possiamo però provare a riprendere i punti chiave segnati sul blocco degli appunti, riportando alcuni spunti e considerazioni emerse.
1. Industry 4.0
Nei dibattiti in corso sul tema dell'Industry 4.0 si tende a focalizzarsi sulle nuove tecnologie coinvolte in questo paradigma, in realtà per fare il salto verso la quarta rivoluzione industriale non serve solo la tecnologia ma bisogna ripensare i propri processi di business. Industry 4.0 è un nuovo paradigma dove l'innovazione tecnologica e l'innovazione nei processi generano, assieme, nuovi modelli di business per l'azienda manifatturiera e per il sistema economico in generale.
2. Circular Economy
Con questo termine generalmente si intende un sistema economico in cui i flussi di materiali, sia biologici sia tecnici, sono pensati per potersi autorigenerare e in cui i prodotti, i componenti e i materiali sono progettati con l'obiettivo di estendere il più possibile la loro durata o di poterli ricondizionare, riciclare e rigenerare, riducendo la produzione di rifiuti.
Anche in questo caso non si parla semplicemente di riciclo dei materiali ma di cambiare il modello di business delle imprese. Il vantaggio competitivo non dovrà più basarsi sul prodotto in sè, e quindi sulla sua sostituzione, ma sui servizi ad esso connessi.
Per fare questo è necessario anche un cambio di mentalità nel consumatore: dobbiamo cambiare la nostra percezione per cui, a parità di performance e funzionalità, un prodotto nuovo debba per forza essere migliore e superiore ad uno vecchio.
3. Omnichannel
Il concetto di "omnichannel", spesso associato all'ambito retail, si riferisce in realtà a un modello di business trasversale che mette assieme diversi canali di fornitura, di vendita e di comunicazione, sia fisici sia virtuali, con l'obiettivo di migliorare la customer experience. Attraverso l'utilizzo di diversi canali quali location fisiche, web, social network, mobile app ecc., il consumatore è in costante contatto con l'azienda e con il prodotto/brand e, viceversa, l'azienda può entrare in contatto con il consumatore e raccogliere dati e informazioni relative alle abitudini di acquisto.
Questo ha un impatto non solo in termini di marketing ma anche sulla pianificazione della domanda e sulla gestione dell'intera supply chain.
4. Market Mediation
Negli ultimi anni abbiamo assistito all'emergere di nuovi modelli di business della cosiddetta "sharing economy" che, attraverso l'uso di applicazioni web o mobile app, facilitano transazioni di beni e servizi tra privati o altre aziende. Queste nuove imprese di fatto si pongono come mediatori tra domanda e offerta di mercato. Il successo di questi nuovi modelli dipende da alcuni fattori quali il drastico abbassamento delle barriere all'entrata in determinati settori, anche grazie all'ausilio delle nuove tecnologie (ad esempio, se un tassista doveva necessariamente sapere a memoria le strade di una città, ora, con uno smartphone, questa conoscenza è a disposizione di tutti), la praticità di accesso e la convenienza economica del servizio per il consumatore/utente finale.
5. Consumption-driven supply chain
Come anticipare cambiamenti nelle abitudini di consumo?
Ad esempio si assiste oggi a una tendenza dei consumatori a fare la spesa più frequentemente in piccoli supermercati sottocasa, piuttosto che una sola volta alla settimana in grandi centri commerciali. Questo nuovo trend può danneggiare le grosse catene che hanno investito in grandi infrastrutture. E' quindi importante conoscere il consumatore e seguire le sue abitudini di acquisto nel tempo.
Come capire se il consumatore usa effettivamente il prodotto/servizio nel modo in cui era stato pensato dall'azienda?
Entrambe queste informazioni possono essere a disposizione delle aziende grazie anche alle nuove tecnologie, come ad esempio l'Internet of Things. Attraverso dispositivi IoT inseriti all'interno dei prodotti o dei negozi, è possibile, da un lato, fornire istruzioni al consumatore sull'utilizzo corretto di un prodotto e, dall'altro, raccogliere informazioni sulle abitudini di consumo.
Avere a disposizione queste informazioni, attraverso i molteplici canali online e offline (il concetto è infatti strettamente collegato a quello di Omnichannel) avrà impatti notevoli sulla supply chain e sui processi operations e produttivi. Si passerà da una gestione tradizionale a una supply chain "consumption-driven" dove il vantaggio competitivo si baserà sulla capacità di rispondere in tempo reale alle esigenze dei consumatori, di pianificare in modo flessibile i flussi di approvigionamento, produzione e fornitura attraverso la collaborazione e la condivisione di informazioni tra i diversi nodi e attori della supply chain.
Spunti interessanti che lasciano aperto il dibattito e che ci fanno intravedere un futuro dove tecnologie, persone, organizzazioni e processi verranno coinvolti in un processo di cambiamento che è appena incominciato.
______
Veronica Peressotti
Tecnest
Re-thinking the role of supply-chains: a meeting with prof. Janet Godsell
On the 27th September 2016 we had the chance to take part, as one of the main sponsors, to an interesting meeting and debate around the topic "Re-thinking the role of supply chains" organized by SCM Portal within its Supply Chain Innovation Hub initiative.
The debate was lead by Janet Godsell professor of Supply Chain & Operations Strategy at the University of Warwick, who made an inspiring presentation on the main trends impacting supply chain and manufacturing processes and economic systems in general.
Janet Godsell summarized these new trends using 5 key words as focus of her presentation:
-
Industry 4.0
-
Circular Economy
-
Omnichannel
-
Market Mediation
-
Consumption Driven Supply Chain.
These are apparently different topics, even though, as professor Godsell pointed out, they are part of the same change process we are experiencing now and in the next future.
For this reason they must be examined together, as different sides of the same main trend.
What we brought home
The presentation touched a lot of topics so it's difficult to sum up the content of the whole event. However, we will try to recap the main points we fixed in our minds after the discussion with Janet Godsell.
1. Industry 4.0
A lot of debates about "Industry 4.0" generally focus on technology rather than business processes. However to pass to the next level and go towards the 4th industrial revolution, manufacturing companies do not only need new technology but also have to rethink their business processes. Industry 4.0 is therefore a new paradigm where technological innovation and business process innovation together will redesign business models for the manufacturing industry and for the whole economic system.
2. Circular Economy
This term is generally referred to an economic system where both biological and technical cycles are restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times. It's not only a matter of recycling but, again, a change in the companies' business models which will shift from a "product-oriented" to a "service-oriented" model. In order to do that we have to change our way of thinking as consumers: we have to change our perception that new things are better than old things, even if they provide the same functionality and level of performance.
3. Omnichannel
Generally associated with the retail industry, the term "omnichannel" actually refers to a cross-channel business model that companies use to increase customer experience. The approach can be applied to different sectors and is based on the use of different channels such as physical locations, webpages, social media, live web chats, mobile applications, etc. through which the consumer can be in constant contact with a company. On the other hand, companies can gather data and information about the consumer and his purchasing behaviour.
This has a big impact not only on marketing strategies but also on demand planning and supply chain management.
4. Market Mediation
In the last few years, new business models connected with the concept of "sharing economy" have been developed. These companies, through the use of web applications or mobile apps, enable and facilitate the exchange of goods or services between people or companies. They act as business mediators between market demand and offer. Their success depends on some factors, such as the lowering of entry barriers in specific market sectors, thanks also to the use of new technologies (for example, if in the past a taxi driver had to know all the roads of a city by heart , now this information is available to all on our smartphones) and the accessibility of the service, also in terms of convenience, for the final consumer/user.
5. Consumption-driven supply chain
How can we anticipate a change in consumer behaviour?
An example: grocery shopping habits are now changing since consumers would rather make daily purchases in small next-to-home shops than a once-a-week purchase in big stores. This new consumer trend can be an issue for those retailers who invested in big structures in the past. That's why companies need to know their consumers and how their purchasing behaviour is changing over time.
Who checks if the consumer uses the product in the way the company think it should be used?
Both these questions can be answered thanks to the information and data gathered through new technologies, such as the Internet of Things. IoT devices applied to products or inside the stores, can provide customers with instructions and information on how to use a product properly and also collect data and information on consumer behaviour.
The information gathered through different channels, both online and offline (the consumption driven supply chain concept is stricly related to the omnichannel one) will of course have a strong impact on supply chain and operations management. We will pass from a traditional supply chain to a "consumption driven" supply chain where the competitive advantage is based on the capacity to response in real-time to consumer demand and to manage flexible planning cycles thanks to the collaboration and visibility shared across the supply chain.
The debate is, of course, still open but we came back with interesting suggestions which let us glimpse a future where technologies, people, organisations and processes will be involved in a process of change which has just started.
____
Veronica Peressotti
Tecnest
Re-thinking the role of supply-chains: a meeting with prof. Janet Godsell
On the 27th September 2016 we had the chance to take part, as one of the main sponsors, to an interesting meeting and debate around the topic "Re-thinking the role of supply chains" organized by SCM Portal within its Supply Chain Innovation Hub initiative.
The debate was lead by Janet Godsell professor of Supply Chain & Operations Strategy at the University of Warwick, who made an inspiring presentation on the main trends impacting supply chain and manufacturing processes and economic systems in general.
Janet Godsell summarized these new trends using 5 key words as focus of her presentation:
-
Industry 4.0
-
Circular Economy
-
Omnichannel
-
Market Mediation
-
Consumption Driven Supply Chain.
These are apparently different topics, even though, as professor Godsell pointed out, they are part of the same change process we are experiencing now and in the next future.
For this reason they must be examined together, as different sides of the same main trend.
What we brought home
The presentation touched a lot of topics so that it's difficult to sum up the content of the whole event. However, we will try to recap the main points we fixed in our minds after the discussion with Janet Godsell.
1. Industry 4.0
A lot of debates about "Industry 4.0" generally focus on technology rather than on business processes. However to pass to the next level and go towards the 4th industrial revolution, manufacturing companies do not only need technology but also have to rethink their business processes. Industry 4.0 is therefore a new paradigm where technological innovation and business process innovation together will redesign business models for the manufacturing industry and for the whole economic system.
2. Circular Economy
This term is generally referred to an economic system where both biological and technical cycles are restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times. It's not only a matter of recycling but, again, a change in the companies' business models which will shift from a "product-oriented" to a "service-oriented" model. In order to do that we have to change our way of thinking as consumers: we have to change our perception that new things are better than old things, even if they provide the same functionality and level of performance.
3. Omnichannel
Generally associated with the retail industry, the term "omnichannel" actually refers to a cross-channel business model that companies use to increase customer experience. The approach can be applied to different sectors and is based on the use of different channels such as physical locations, webpages, social media, live web chats, mobile applications, etc. through which the consumer can be in constant contact with a company. On the other hand, companies can gather data and information about the consumer and his purchasing behaviour.
This has a big impact not only on marketing strategies but also on demand planning and supply chain management.
4. Market Mediation
In the last few years, new business models connected with the concept of "sharing economy" have been developed. These companies, through the use of web applications or mobile apps, enable and facilitate the exchange of goods or services between people or companies. They act as business mediators between market demand and offer. Their success depends on some factors, such as the lowering of entry barriers in specific market sectors, thanks also to the use of new technologies (for example, if in the past a taxi driver had to know all the roads of a city by heart , now this information is available to all on our smartphones) and the accessibility of the service, also in terms of convenience, for the final consumer/user.
5. Consumption-driven supply chain
How can we anticipate a change in consumer behaviour?
For example grocery shopping habits are now changing since consumers would rather make daily purchases in small next-to-home shops than a once-a-week purchase in big stores. This new consumer trend can be an issue for those retailers who invested in big structures in the past. That's why company need to know their consumers and how their purchasing behaviour is changing over time.
Who checks if the consumer uses the product in the way the company think it should be used?
Both these questions can be answered thanks to the information and data gathered through new technologies, such as the Internet of Things. IoT devices applied to products or inside the stores, can provide customers with instructions and information on how to use a product properly and also collect data and information on consumer behaviour.
The information gathered through different channels, both online and offline (the consumption driven supply chain concept is stricly related to the omnichannel one) will of course have a strong impact on supply chain and operations management. We will pass from a traditional supply chain to a "consumption driven" supply chain where the competitive advantage is based on the capacity to response in real-time to consumer demand and to manage flexible planning cycles thanks to the collaboration and visibility shared across the supply chain.
The debate is, of course, still open but we came back with interesting suggestions which let us glimpse a future where technologies, people, organisations and processes will be involved in a process of change which has just started.
____
Veronica Peressotti
Tecnest
Tecnest presents the project in Akrapovic at the Global Logistics Summit 2011
Tecnest will participate to the 17th edition of the Global Logistics Summit taking place on the 23rd and 24th at the Centro Congressi Hotel Parchi del Garda, in Lazise (VR).
Here Tecnest will present the results of the Case History Akrapovic, world leader manufacturer of top-quality exhaust systems for motorcycles and sport cars. The project carried out by Tecnest consists in the implementation of a scheduling solution baszed on the innovative "Assembly Line Crew Scheduling" Model, thanks to which the company increased its efficiency of + 10%.
The presentation, performed by Mr. Massimiliano Oleotto, Tecnest Supply Chain Expert, is scheduled at 2 pm on the 24th November.
For more information on this event please see the event website.
Tecnest presents J-Flex at the "IT systems for the operations" workshop in Milan
On 22nd February Tecnest had the pleasure to present its J-Flex software solutions for Operations Management during the Workshop "IT systems for the Operations" held by the important University "Politecnico" of Milan.
Tecnest had the cahnce to present the J-Flex software suite for production planning and management, focusing in particular on the ERP Operations features.
For more inforamtion of the workshop please visit:
www.mip.polimi.it/scm/operations
