The State Of Supply Chain Complexity In 2020 Is Growing

The State of Supply Chain Complexity in 2020 is…growing.

As the supply chain becomes an increasingly digital function, many businesses are struggling to keep up – in fact, only 9% feel they can stay ahead of their greatest supply chain challenges. A few of the findings from our first-ever State of Supply Chain Complexity survey:

91% of businesses can’t stay ahead of their supply chain complexities.

Supply chain is a critical function in an increasingly digital economy – but an alarming number of businesses can’t keep up with supply chain challenges.

COVID-19 doesn’t exist in a vacuum – even in a pandemic, supply chain experts are managing complexities driven by customer expectations and technology integration.

48% of supply chains have seen their complexity grow in the last year.

51% of businesses can only tackle one supply chain complexity at a time.

In the warehouse, a hiccup in the picking function won’t wait for a reverse logistics challenge to be fixed. But many supply chain experts can’t manage both at once.

Today’s supply chain demands seamless integration – from the manufacturing plant to the store shelf. Yet even with Industry 4.0 solutions, the term “end-to-end” gives experts the cold sweats.

48% of supply chain experts continually face challenges with integrating software, hardware and technology.

1 in 4 businesses are still reliant on manual processes for core warehouse operations such as picking and packing.

Automation could revolutionize the supply chain. Still, many businesses are holding out, continuing to rely on manual processes for critical operations.

Supply chain complexity is a constant. However, most experts believe their executives see conquering supply chain challenges as a priority.

73% of supply chain experts say senior leadership views their business area as mission critical.

Read more about the complexities keeping global supply chain experts up at night – and how they’re managing these challenges – in our first ever State of Supply Chain Complexity survey. Then, learn more about how having a partner like Körber can help you #conquersupplychaincomplexity.