In this article we will address the theme of process automation in the international Supply Chain, considered as the system that covers all the logistical stages of companies, from customer request to delivery to the final destination, always presenting solutions that reduce costs, as well as maintains commercial relations with consumers with greater agility.
The technology enables the best management of Supply Chain processes with greater efficiency and effectiveness, which helps companies to gain space in new markets, as well as rationalizes procedures more productively and with a better competitive advantage over the competition.
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Why is digital transformation necessary in the Supply Chain of foreign trade?
Soon after all the changes caused by the health crisis, the digital transformation in foreign trade, through the automation of processes in the Supply Chain, became an initiative of great importance for the innovation of international logistics procedures, since it was necessary to recreate the standards with the use of state-of-the-art technology.
In this way, the operational processes have made companies less dependent on other resources, being evident to all who work in international trade that the lessons learned from the event, made the sector reinvent itself to survive, taking the initiatives through disruptive actions.
That is, more and more companies surrender to new technologies in operations, through Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing or Big Data, among other digital automation tools that bring numerous investment opportunities or new possibilities in the foreign market.
Digital transformation restructures the vital processes of companies in a way that can achieve good results, in addition to remaining present in all stages of the international logistics flow.
As a result, it optimizes the use of resources, streamlines the execution of routines with the integration of all external agents, generating greater competitiveness of products in the chosen target markets.
What has already changed with the automation of processes in the Supply Chain?
Certainly, the digital transformation with the automation of the processes in the Supply Chain brought several benefits to the tasks performed, such as paperless port, new import process and Siscomex via web.
The emphasis given to the expansion of the use of new technologies and operational routines, through Artificial Intelligence, impacts decision making in a very positive way, as it will be based on data, which optimize processes, identify opportunities in new markets and also help in the analysis of the competition.
The latest technology improves the accuracy of the results, as it will replace repetitive tasks with automatic ones, with greater assertiveness in the conference of data, evident for the aid in the performance of the work.
How does process automation impact the international Supply Chain?
For companies to start applying the benefits of automating processes in the Supply Chain , it is necessary to know what the real needs are at the current moment.
In principle, the manager needs to make a financial planning to know how much to invest in the technology that will assist in operational agility, without excess expenses, focusing on some main pillars, such as:
- better visibility;
- digitized processes;
- adoption of the internet of things;
- use of mobile devices.
Greater control of the supply chain
Technology contributes to the reduction of time to access products, that is, through automatic processes, which integrate data, the manager can make the analysis of operational activities and customer history, eliminating bottlenecks and realizing what else the customer consumes, in how long or in what period.
Faced with the access of the information of each system that controls the processes, the data provided enter into the management strategy for the analysis of the development of logistics operations. Thus, planning has greater agility, being fed automatically and becoming increasingly efficient.
In this way, the manager will have greater control of the supply chain with an increase in the efficiency of international operations, in addition to the increase in the agility of operational flows in real time.
Process optimization
With the application of process automation in the Supply Chain, the operational logistics of the processes becomes more assertive, due to the improvement in the definition of efficient routes, in routes with greater productivity and lower costs.
As well as the organization of the stock that will receive the contribution in the internal movement of the goods, without errors and in less time, through the work of autonomous robots that perform pre-defined tasks.
Tools for automating processes in the Supply Chain
The investment in tools that give rise to comex 4.0 is important because companies have greater training in solutions targeted to their activities, through operational partners specialized in cutting-edge technology.
As well as, think about the issue of information security so that it has relevance at the time of choosing the type of technological resource ideal for your real demand.
Supply chain automation
The digital tools for the automation of processes in the Supply Chain bring greater assertiveness in the measurement of the results obtained throughout the chain, going through the operational stages in an automated way, which will provide greater support in the decision making of top management, which will be able to keep the focus on the business business.
Big Data
This tool performs a data analysis for the processing of information relevant to companies, with the intention of reaching the most satisfactory conclusions and that offer the strategic opportunities for managers to explore in the best possible way.
Big Data is based on the advanced use of capturing, storing and processing data in large volumes.
More “resilient” supply chain processes with technology
Through analysis and appropriate solutions, the automation of processes in the Supply Chain can be monitored, from one end to the other, in a much more agile way, because with the implementation of technologies occurs the digital transformation that will impact several sectors.
Currently, it is found that digitalization raises the level of business competitiveness, improving the connection with stakeholders, as well as increasing the efficiency and agility of the supply chain, which fosters the “resilient Supply Chain”.
That is, the automation of processes in the Supply Chain results in the value chain that will possess the ability to adapt in the recovery of a disruptive event, mitigating the impact on the customer experience, operating costs and also on the sustainability of the business.
2023: A more efficient Supply Chain
Faced with a scenario of many uncertainties and turmoil in the business environment of companies, supply chain teams need to deal with unpredictable and constant challenges.
Therefore, it is essential to have a good strategic planning to know how to act with respect to the oscillations in the market, always staying ahead of the trends in Supply Chain management, for the achievement of business success.
For the coming years, digital technologies will be adopted for process automation in the Supply Chain, with the intention of improving decision making and warehouse management.
We list below, some of these predictions that will already happen in 2023, namely:
- autonomous robots;
- efficiency in sharing data;
- microservices to boost productivity;
- cloud technology for business management.
