Industries

Future-proof your supply chain with next-gen traceability

With heightened awareness and regulations around sustainability, supply chain traceability solutions have become a cornerstone for consumer products and retail companies aiming to meet these expectations. These innovations ensure compliance and foster a supply chain that is transparent, responsible, and efficient, standing up to scrutiny from all stakeholders.

Whether it’s lawmakers, consumers, or even port authorities, everyone is penalizing companies for missing sustainability targets. But in a global environment and a supply chain that spans it, how do consumer products and retail (CP&R) companies make the sustainability grade?

The magnitude of that answer could seem crippling, but it doesn’t have to be.

By accelerating digital transformation with supply chain traceability solutions integrated into your digital platform, you can answer any sustainability, quality or transparency question with confidence.

Delivering products whose sustainability and quality are traceable and measurable at every step of the way—from sourcing to store shelves—requires the sort of end-to-end synchronization and collaboration that only a next-generation digital platform can provide.

Sustainability and business success with a digitally integrated supply chain platform

At a high level, digitally integrated supply chain and logistics deliver fewer product recalls, fewer unnecessary trips and fewer missed deadlines. This framework, empowered by innovative digital tools, underscores the efficacy of supply chain traceability solutions and provides partners with the necessary visibility to verify everything from climate-friendly strategies and shipping container capacities to transportation delays, directly from the source.

But how is this all done; how can this all be accomplished?

Teamwork—and effectively leveraging smart IT devices and software solutions—makes the dream work.

Warehouse supply chain traceability solutions

Connected IT devices connect teams, and connected teams maximize connected IT devices

As the digital revolution becomes ingrained in our operations, supply chain traceability solutions are becoming essential tools on the factory floor, to the weight station, to the port, has seen an influx of smart components capable of generating unprecedented levels of product and process insights.

This data offers valuable information if it can be captured, aggregated and communicated in an accurate and efficient manner.

But if you want to connect and center your supply chain’s data stream, you must optimize collaboration between human and machine—and human-to-human on either end of a machine.  

The key to connected digital logistics: smart control tower solutions

The IT devices that make a digital supply chain platform coalesce around control towers. The control towers are the means by which these platforms integrate sites, suppliers and service providers. These control towers enable the over-arching themes of collaboration and optimization of supply chains based on validated data that’s visible to all members of the product lifecycle.

In more specifics, these tools of the cloud-based IT solutions can, among other things, allow key stakeholders the ability to regularly check the scheduled shipping and other transit routes against real-time traffic or weather conditions so they can respond swiftly to delays.

This same ability allows companies to make more sustainable transit decisions because of this end-to-end visibility. This holistic view of the entire supply chain makes combined transport more attainable. It allows companies to easily visualize how they’d swap in more emissions-conscious modes of transportation like trains and barges into their supply chain for legs of the trip. Companies can then conveniently calculate how these additional modes of transportation affect deadlines, costs and sustainability scores.   

Get the full story in this white paper

Now that you’ve reached the conclusion of this 101-level crash course, it’s time to dig into the real thing. Download this white paper to get the total emersion. Learn in complete detail how a digitally integrated supply chain platform will save your CP&R company time, money and headaches by uniting your entire supply chain in a single platform. Dive into the white paper to learn all of the specific possibilities for sustainable manufacturing and financial success in great detail.

Keaton Walkowski
Lorraine Abazeri

As a passionate advocate for sustainable innovation in the consumer products and consumer packaged goods industry, I am excited about the incredible strides we're witnessing at Siemens and the remarkable work being done by Blendhub. The concept of transforming everyday access to nutritious food on a global scale is a cause that deeply resonates with me. The way Blendhub is redefining food production, bringing it closer to those who need it the most, is not just inspiring; it's a blueprint for the future. Being part of a team at Siemens that supports these transformative initiatives gives me a sense of pride and optimism. Every day, we're not just talking about change; we're actively participating in making it happen. I am excited to see how technology is leveraged to forge a more sustainable, accessible, and healthier world for for everyone, everywhere.

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.stage.sw.siemens.com/consumer-products-retail/2024/03/12/supply-chain-traceability-solutions-cpr/