SCM Trends in Management and Operations 2020 and beyond

Project name:
SCM Trends in Management and Operations 2020 and beyond
Project type:
free research project
Research assistents:
Kseniia Frolova and Daria Shestova
Section:
Logistic and Supply Chain Management
Run time:
24 months (January - December 2017)
Cooperation partner:
HSE Moskau

Executive Summary

One of the greatest challenges for mid- to senior management is to know where and when to invest in new technologies. This problem is compounded for supply chain managers, whose duty is to know the ideal methods, services and technologies that will ensure their company's products are moved successfully and efficiently down the chain to the final customer.

To aid in this task, the following white paper has been prepared to provide supply chain managers in the fields of retail, automotive, electronics, consumer goods and food supply, among others, with an overview of the trends expected to have the greatest impact on the logistics industry between 2020 and 2025. Specifically, it will look at the four key trends of Omni-Channel Logistics, Segmentation, Big Data Management and the Internet of Things.

According to our findings, these four trends are likely to have a greater influence on resource allocation decisions than other trends also predicted to affect the industry, such as drones, blockchain and radio frequency identification. Coupled with the growth of these trends is an expected increase in demand for qualified staff with technological and strategic expertise who can provide the right infrastructure to drive competitiveness in these four core areas.

The issue of resource allocation will continue to play an essential role as the industry moves forward in the age of e-commerce, cloudbased systems and real-time tracking. Despite the new technologies, however, opportunity cost continues to be a major consideration influencing purchasing decisions and the preparation of sound business cases.

Our goal with this paper is to therefore ensure managers are presented a concise overview of logistical trends expected in the near future as a means to assist in such decision-making processes. We plan to ensure the data remains in tune with market opinion in the years to come by periodically updating our findings via new surveys that take into account unforeseeable factors and developments.