The supply chain A&DI technology market spans capabilities that provide different types of analytics, focusing on predictive and prescriptive ones. Many of these offerings have been enhanced with AI and DSML capabilities to support supply chain decision making. These capabilities could either be part of a broader supply chain application/suite or a separate encompassing A&DI platform. Such a platform consists of existing and emerging technologies, including: Graph technology, Advanced analytics, AI, DSML, Model development & Digital supply chain twin (DSCT).
Gartner defines network design as the optimization of the location and function of supply, manufacturing and distribution networks in support of an overarching company strategy and customer requirements. Supply chain network design tools support the creation of network models with the application of analytics to determine the optimal supply chain design in a structured, scalable and repeatable way. Supply chain network design tools support the determination of recommendations about the structure of the supply chain network. This includes decisions about facility locations and size, transport lanes, and modes in the end-to-end supply chain. The scale of the changes being evaluated vary from small modifications, such as changing a mode of transport or swapping transportation lanes, to large-scale changes that involve opening/closing/repurposing several facilities in the network and the associated knock on impacts. The use of supply chain network design tools to support the decision-making process enables companies to review more potential configurations for the network than a manual process allows, supporting a complete, data-driven decision making process. These decisions are usually made in strategic and tactical time frames.
Gartner defines supply chain planning (SCP) solutions as platforms that provide technological support to enable a company to manage, link, align, collaborate and share its planning data across an extended supply chain. An SCP solution supports planning, ranging from demand planning through detailed supply-side response planning and from strategic planning through execution-level planning. It is the planning decision repository for a defined end-to-end supply chain. It is also the environment in which end-to-end-integrated supply chain decisions are managed. It establishes a single version of the truth for planning data and decisions, regardless of the underlying execution technology environment. Organizations use SCP solutions to improve their supply chain planning decisions and reach higher levels of maturity.