The impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has on digital supply chain can be found across various functionality, such as inventory management, logistics, procurement practices, customer service and demand forecasting. This article explores the use of AI on various key functional areas and discusses the challenges of job security, talent gap, and ethical issue.
Table of Contents
Inventory Management and Demand Forecasting
The holy grill of inventory management and demand forecasting is to find the sweet spot of balancing inventory levels and consumption levels. Having too much stock drives up inventory cost and having too little risk losing out of potential business. This is especially important for products which are time sensitive in industries like horticulture industry and electronics where with each passing day, food will risk turning bad and electronics growing more obsolete.
An example is the use of Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) module.
MEIO automatically seeks the optimal balance of inventory at the right locations, and provides optimal inventory parameters and positions by stocking location to establish optimal buffer locations and quantities. Using MEIO can reduce total inventories by upwards of 30% while maintaining or improving customer fill rates.
Optimizing Logistics Operations
In logistics, we are focused on optimizing the movement of goods and services and at the same time keeping cost to the lowest. The use of AI in logistic is one of the most visible uses around. Technologies such as route optimization and driverless vehicles can be easily accessible to the public soon.
Many last mile delivery companies have invested heavily in AI to help them plan their route. United Parcel Service for example, reply on a program call ORION, On-Road Optimization and Navigation for their last mile delivery services. During its testing phase of 2010 – 2012, it has already managed to save 3 million gallons of fuel. It is projected by end of the 2017 where all vehicles will be fitted with ORION, UPS will save $50 million by just cutting 1 mile from each driver’s daily route.
Driverless vehicles are in their developmental stage and could hit the markets soon. In the US, Ford and Domino’s Pizza are in the testing phase of using driverless cars to deliver pizzas. Users will interact with an interface that comes with the car to retrieve their pizza. With driverless vehicles and route optimization technology, business and consumer can stand to enjoy not just faster and more accurate delivery forecast, but also in the long run, lower delivery overheads. Thereby increasing the customer satisfaction levels and user experience (UX).
Procurement Practices
In procurement, AI help power various analytics software to aid procurement practitioners in their daily work. An example would be the use of spend analytics software. Instead of relying on people to help manually sort and tabulate spending data, all data will go through a centralized software where it can give real time trends, spot mistakes and raise flags for any over or underspend items. It helps to save the time and effort to do traditional analysis, prevent costly mistakes, keeps a secure ledger of records and prevent possible fraud.
Another aspect of the use of AI analytics is vendor qualification. Algorithm can be built into a software that instantly screens vendor’s record over the internet. Such as spotting any negative news, track share prices and flag out complaints from another customer base. This would help to prevent managers a more holistic picture of the vendor’s standing and remove any human biases and bribery.
This gives procurement mangers more sufficient time to react and switch vendor source before any issues happens which would otherwise be very time consuming and requires daily attention spend on it.
Customer Service
In 1909 the phase “The customer is always right” was created by Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of the Selfridge’s department store in London. Since then, businesses have always tried to strive to be a customer orientated model. With the pace of life ever increasing, do does the pace of doing business and satisfying customer. Chatbots are the latest inclusion in the world of customer service. Instead of having a human operator answering your questions, chances are that you would be talking to an AI robot.
For example, in China, an app developed by the China Merchant Bank called WeChat Messenger, is equipped to answer up to 1.5 to 2 million customer conversation per day. A Task which would otherwise require thousands of operators to do so.
The AI is pre-loaded with frequency asked questions and answers that is harvest from data. Using key word recognition, the AI can interpret your question and give you the answers or direct you to the correct source. Not only is the chatbot able to handle the volume and speed, more importantly, they are able to ensure the customer experience is consistent. You will never get an operator who is in a foul mood with a AI chatbot in place.
The Challenge of Job Security and Talent Gap
The most negative sentiments that AI has created is the type and number of jobs that could be made obsolete.
The full content is only visible to SIPMM members
Already a member? Please Login to continue reading.