U.S. labor productivity soared at a 4.9% rate in the most recent quarter as compared to the typical annualized rate of 2% during the current business cycle. We are seeing productivity gains across the board as manufacturers utilize predictive processes such as SIOP and advanced technologies such as AI, robotics, and the automation of processes and better utilization of ERP.
As supply chains have increasingly become more complex with greater risks, volatility, and costs, digitizing with smart supply chains has become integral to success. Smart supply chains powered by AI are helping industrial producers improve forecasting, streamline operations, and increase their bottom line.
Global supply chains started a full transformation in 2025 spurred on with geopolitical risk and encouraged by tariffs, and the pace accelerates as the New Year kicks off with geopolitics dominating the conversation and fundamentals making a comeback. We review learnings from the prior year and priorities for success in 2026.
In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson outlines three priorities for the year ahead. These priorities set the foundation for resilience, growth and sustained success in an increasingly complex environment.
In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson explains why manufacturers must upskill their workforce not only to improve efficiencies and reduce low-level work done by highly skilled employees, but also to preserve critical knowledge as Baby Boomers retire.
Priorities that power the triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial performance are gaining momentum. Sustainable advancements, smart manufacturing and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence are trending as they can deliver win-win improvements, supporting profitable growth and success.
Manufacturers must reexamine the role of technology and data in driving real-time business performance. Markets shift, demand changes and supply disruptions emerge overnight. The best-performing manufacturers are those that can plan and pivot because they trust their data, have optimized ERP and utilize SIOP.
The most successful companies are better utilizing ERP to automate processes, enhance customer value and better prioritize resources to support growth and scalability. Every company can better utilize their ERP system to drive bottom line results. Thus, we review top ways to better optimize ERP including a case study.
ERP systems sit at the core of modern manufacturing—but most companies use only a fraction of their capability. In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson gives examples of how optimizing the ERP system can strengthen the supply chain—capacity, staffing, planning & scheduling and on-time delivery.
Artificial intelligence is sweeping through every corner of the enterprise. The winners will be those who apply it with discipline, tying use cases to real bottlenecks, aligning Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) with data and keeping humans in control for judgment, safety and accountability.
