The last few years have not been kind to supply chain planning professionals. Tariffs, geopolitical tensions, a pandemic, numerous sea freight issues, and the war in Ukraine are some of the many issues that have affected global supply chains.

Today, business leaders are looking for answers to power business continuity despite the volatility around the world. The 2022 State of Smart Manufacturing Report asked 321 manufacturers how they are currently managing supply chain planning and how they expect to manage it in the future. Below are some of the key findings:

• 70% of respondents are using supply chain planning systems that rely on spreadsheets and manual processes.
• Supply chain planning ranks 2nd in terms of organizational critical components.
• 80% of organizations’ software usage objectives aim to connect people, systems, machines, and supply chains.

The stats above reveal an evolving story. One of the key findings from the main report was the acceleration of smart manufacturing adoption, which increased 50% year-over-year. Even if this pace decelerates significantly, 75% percent of manufacturers are expected to have adopted some component of smart manufacturing by next year.

The pace of change is so fast right now that it’s important for businesses to adopt a modern supply chain planning solution just to keep pace with the competition. The companies that responded that their current solutions still rely on spreadsheets and manual processes are going to fall behind, while those that move towards digital, connected software solutions will reap the benefits.

Supply chain planning solutions pull in data from multiple sources in real time to provide the most accurate information possible and model different options when there is some form of disruption to the plan. This helps to better confront change and keep pace with supply chain volatility, from the cost of materials coming in to reforecasting and shipping out.

This report will help you benchmark your supply chain planning efforts and technology usage and uncover best practices to help your organization stay competitive and thrive not just today or tomorrow, but next year and every year thereafter.

Start your journey today by downloading the Supply Chain Planning Edition of the 7th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report here.