Supply Chain Technology Predictions for 2024

01/18/24 • 24 min

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Host Thomas O’Connor and Gartner VP Analyst Dwight Klappich dive into Dwight’s Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology, a set of five predictions for growth and change in supply chain technology between 2026 and 2028.

Thomas and Dwight explore the value these predictions hold, the research that drives them and the broad challenges they address, particularly in regards to workforce and talent management. They take close looks at two key predictions surrounding smart robots and employee engagement tools, respectively, then close the show with a review of past predictions in supply chain technology.

Dwight Klappich has been with Gartner for 21 years and has over 40 years of experience in supply chain management applications and technologies, having served in various commercial and leadership roles at technology vendors in this market. Dwight focuses on warehousing and fulfillment technologies plus logistics automation processes, best practices, applications and emerging technologies, such as robotics.

This episode explores:

The value of Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology. (1:13)
How Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology addresses broad challenges like geopolitical uncertainty, talent strain and improved customer outcomes. (2:39)
A deep dive into the prediction that smart robots will outnumber frontline workers in manufacturing, retail and logistics by 2028. (9:04)
Why 40% of large warehouse operations will deploy employee engagement tools by 2028. (13:09)
A review of both accurate and inaccurate past predictions. (19:23)

This episode explores:

The value of Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology. (1:13)
How Predicts 2024: Supply Chain Technology addresses broad challenges like geopolitical uncertainty, talent strain and improved customer outcomes. (2:39)
A deep dive into the prediction that smart robots will outnumber frontline workers in manufacturing, retail and logistics by 2028. (9:04)
Why 40% of large warehouse operations will deploy employee engagement tools by 2028. (13:09)
A review of both accurate and inaccurate past predictions. (19:23)

Previous Episode

A New Way to Think About Supply Chain Organization Design

his episode explores:

Why organization design has become so important to chief supply chain officers (CSCOs). (1:15)
Reasons for the recommended shift away from centralization and decentralization. (2:35)
Examples of integration in real supply chains. (4:29)
An overview of the six supply chain “archetypes” — that is, distinct ways supply chains organize themselves through integration and differentiation. (7:53)
Recommendations for redesigning supply chain organizations. (15:28)

Host Caroline Chumakov and Gartner Senior Research Director Alan O’Keeffe dive into supply chain organization redesign through the lens of integration and differentiation. They discuss six supply chain “archetypes,” frameworks that supply chain leaders can use to cleanly evaluate their enterprise’s reporting lines, leadership, scope of work and more, as they design fit-for-purpose supply chains.

Caroline and Alan also explore pitfalls prevalent in traditional “centralization versus decentralization” supply chain organization design, specifically its polarized, all-or-nothing approach. Finally, they close the show with recommendations for supply chain leaders pursuing supply chain organization design by offering the six archetypes as a starting point.

Next Episode

Future of Supply Chain 2024

This episode explores:

The “intangible” items supply chain leaders must manage, and why it’s been difficult to extract value from them. (3:08)
Human economics, and what elements of “people productivity” supply chain leaders should focus on. (7:24)
What’s missing from investments in digital economic value. (11:55)
How supply chain leaders can enhance output from their resources. (14:54)
Which of the three economic elements supply chain leaders should focus on first. (18:30)

Host Caroline Chumakov and Gartner research vice president Ken Chadwick explore how supply chain leaders can extract value from “intangible”, off-book items like data and human knowledge. As presented in Executive Report: The Future of Supply Chain 2024, Ken broadly categorizes these intangibles into three “economics”: human, digital and resource.

Caroline and Ken discuss what supply chain leaders should do to improve output and productivity from these three economics, including which one should be prioritized first.

Download the Future of Supply Chain eBook