Supply chains become more sophisticated and complex

July 23 2013

As technology has advanced, the world has gotten smaller. It is now possible to open up a computer and video conference with customers or suppliers on the other side of the world with the click of a mouse. However, this has also added new complexity to the supply chain and delivery services, as more companies are looking to capitalize on opportunities to do business outside of local areas.

According to a recent article in GigaOM, this has lead to the creation of some of the world's most sophisticated and complicated supply chains ever. Staying on top of it is becoming a challenge in itself.

"Supply chains today are big, complex and global," the article reads. "Keeping them humming is an enormous challenge. But does it have to be that way? We think the world is entering the era of small, simple and local supply chains, powered by a new generation of manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing, intelligent assembly robotics and open-source hardware – also known as the Software Defined Supply Chain."

The article goes on to say that many companies will be looking to simplify their supply chains to save costs over the coming few years. In some cases this will involve investing in technology and in others it will require businesses to rethink their entire strategy.

One option is for organizations to start looking into local courier services and warehousing solutions to handle expedited delivery needs. This helps businesses that need on-call delivery or to securely send critical information into the hands of consumers and vendors.