How to Leverage Intelligent Automation in Your Supply Chain Through a Centre of Excellence
As demand for advanced automation technology grows in supply chains across different industries and company sizes, organizational readiness to adopt it is lagging. This means that Chief Supply Chain Officers need to rethink the organizational structure necessary to support this type of automation. One way to do this is by creating a Centre of Excellence (COE), which brings together experts from various fields such as engineering/operations technology (OT), IT, and supply chain functions.
This COE would be responsible for managing flexible, intelligent automation over the long term. To make this happen, companies must identify reasonable use cases for intelligent, flexible automation and robotics - which can be achieved through developing evaluation methodologies. Additionally, they should consider alternative funding models, such as venture capital, rather than more traditional payback and ROI expectations which could prove limiting.
A COE focused on intelligent, flexible automation can help bridge the gap between technology demands and organizational readiness. As part of this COE, companies should consider creating dedicated teams that understand each use case's technical and functional requirements. These teams should include a mix of knowledge from supply chain functions, engineering or operations, technology (OT), IT, and other relevant stakeholders.
The COE should also be responsible for managing change management efforts and implementing new processes as needed to ensure adoption across the company. This includes creating training plans to educate staff on the benefits of using automated systems, understanding customer needs and adapting solutions accordingly, developing necessary technological integrations between systems, and providing ongoing support to the organization. Additionally, the COE should work closely with experts in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify best practices for deploying these types of technologies in a controlled manner.
To ensure that intelligent automation is employed efficiently, companies must develop evaluation methodologies tailored to their specific industry and business strategy. These methodologies should include criteria such as return on investment (ROI) expectations, payback periods based on cost savings generated by automation technologies, and risk/reward analysis when dealing with uncertain market conditions. Moreover, organizations may wish to consider alternative funding models, such as venture capital funding, instead of relying solely on traditional ROI metrics, which could limit their ability to take advantage of new opportunities.
The Centre of Excellence model can be instrumental in helping organizations leverage intelligent automation technology more effectively and efficiently - allowing them to stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape. By bringing together experts from various fields within an organization into one team dedicated to exploring how these technologies can improve their supply chain operations - companies can ensure they are ready for whatever changes come down the line with minimal disruption or delay.
Organizational readiness to adopt intelligent automation technology is lagging behind the potential of this powerful tool. By creating a Centre of Excellence (COE) that brings together experts from various fields, companies can ensure they are ready for whatever changes come down the line with minimal disruption or delay. If you’re interested in exploring how these specific technologies can improve your supply chain operations, reach out to Critical Risk Solution today and let us help guide you through this process. We have a team of knowledgeable professionals who understand each use case's technical and functional requirements - helping you stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape.
