You think that everything is fine and then here comes this chain of trains of goods and shelves on top and happy customer and you are almost free to breathe, in case something might go wrong. This is what has been witnessed in the planning of supply chains over the years. You get your plans, the best you have, up, and wait and prepare to attack.
However, it was not so in the last several years. It is not exactly so blatant, but when you just happen to be in it, then it does come to you. Planning has ceased to be the semblance of the sort of guesswork—at least with respect to the teams that are based on newer systems with an AI and machine learning foundation. No, it is not that the warehouses will be taken over by the robots. It is much more convenient than that.
Smarter, Quicker, and Just a Bit Sneaky
The most desirable AI systems are not obnoxious, and what I have noticed is that they do not come into the limelight of the articulation of dashboard reporting or dramatic reporting. They just quietly... help.
They watch the deliveries, orders, tendencies, delays, misconceptions of demands—all those little moving wheels which had to be traced by the majority of those masterful planners. When the second hands start to come or even the eyes or both, and when something is beginning to run out of clock, they tell you that the slack suppliers are increasing, or that a seasonal storm is approaching to blow, they do it. No waiting. No panic. It is just a slight step in the direction, which occurs in a way that you do not even know it occurs.
What’s Under the Hood
Machine learning is the key to all of this. This is how I conceptualize that this system can work, even though I am not an engineer. However, I believe that this system is tracking what has already happened, what is happening, and what ought to happen later. And it does it, hour after hour, day after day, and does not seem to be either tired of the business or out of humor.
It’s not always perfect. But it doesn’t need to be. It only needs to pick up the issues at an early stage, in advance of a human being—and more often than not, it does.
In my case, I had an experience whereby the system of one of the retailers knew that there were minor discrepancies in the search information of the identical product online. No one noticed. But the proactive step of the system to correct the forecast by ordering additional products was correct, and it would have resulted in no stock-out the following week, unlike what actually happened. But one of these lesser conquests.
Still a Human Game
It is one of the things that is lost in the hype. Human beings are the ones who are left in the centre stage. Great plans are not established by such systems. Instead, they might be considered consultants, and they are able to filter through the thousands of data points available to them and deliver you their filtered version.
It is their remark: “Hey, this supplier is not keeping up with the times. Are we going to make a change?” Or, “Here, we shall pay high next week unless we book shipment.”
It is merely this: that this time, you are not going to be rattling about trying to get things back on track.
Live, Not Lagging
The biggest change? Timing.
Planning was planned. Weekly meetings. Monthly targets. Quarterly reviews. Now? It’s constant. It’s live. The system will trace everything 24/7 and will not wait until Monday morning to form an alarm. It is—or it has been—time to tell you that it is.
And with everyone being linked together—sites of suppliers, logistics applications, warehouses—in case a change has occurred, then everyone will know. No wait. It was not like that before; now, everything is now.
Better Prepared, Not Just Faster
I also noticed that companies were able to bring themselves to their feet within hours, not days. That’s not luck. The reason behind this is that with these systems being developed, speed is being established, keeping in mind that resiliency is also being established.
They do not simply cause you to travel at a quicker pace, but cause you to be smarter.
And in the background, they are also assisting you in shaving the fat, shipping cheaper, and selecting suppliers with a reduced footprint. No, not because someone told them. The system considers it more business efficient.
Peeking Ahead
People always ask what’s next. Will I say that I know it all? No. But as far as my case is concerned, the future brings forth the invisible helpers. Mechanisms that forecast the occurrence of effects.
Artificial intelligence, in which speech is not required—in a truck system installed on the truck, or a sensor installed in a warehouse.
There are robots that talk and have sorted your troubles before you even heard about what was happening to you.
No fanfare. No big launch events. Just smoother operations. Better margins. Fewer headaches.
Bottom Line
This happens to be a life which is hard to sustain when you carry on with the figures of the previous year and hope that nothing could go wrong. Trust me, I’ve been there.
However, it is not that you are afraid of using these more modern AI-powered tools anymore. A little less firefighting. A little more control. The system has not riveted your back in the ideal—but rather satisfactorily—to change the game.
It is what they do not talk loudly enough about. Not a headline. Wiser decisions, day by day.
This story was distributed as a release by Sanya Kapoor under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program.