We tend to take technological advancements for granted a lot of the time. We all enjoy the benefits that technology provides to our businesses in terms of information distribution, analytics capabilities, communications, and operational efficiencies. However, are we truly adept at keeping pace with the advancement of technology in all areas of our business, or do we find ourselves being reactive, instead of proactive when it comes to technology adoption? The answer to this question will be different for every company, as we all have a unique set of circumstances that influence the adoption of technology into our organizations, including the supply chain.

Fortunately, there are strategies that can be employed to help any company improve their ability to keep pace with emerging technologies and set the stage for future growth and success. These strategies are tied closely to the culture of a company, and their effectiveness depends greatly on the ability for a company and its leadership to adapt and adjust to a rapidly changing business environment.

It’s essential for all companies to recognize the pivotal role that technology plays in their success, and that adopting these approaches as part of their supply chain operations can play a large role in helping any company achieve a stronger position in their markets now. and in the future.

Get Your Executives Immersed in Technology

Corporate culture starts with its leadership, so if you’re going to have a company that is dedicated to staying at the front of the pack in terms of technology adoption and integration, you’d better have a leadership team that reflects that position. This can be more challenging than most companies tend to assume. Established leadership can be rigid and dedicated to ‘staying the course’ with strategies that are familiar and have worked in the past. While this is often a sound strategy when it comes to many aspects of business, it can hinder the ability to adapt to technological advancements, which can obviously impact growth.

Leadership should be constantly informed of tech trends and be leading any important new technology adoption efforts. Recognizing the opportunities that technology can present to an organization and its supply chain operations should be a top priority for executives in all areas of the business, from the President and CEO, through to all the VPs and Directors. Having multiple perspectives on the potential impact of technology on the business will ensure that opportunities are explored more deeply, and that all the benefits that may exist are brought to light. This allows you to get a more complete understanding of the impact that new technology can have on your business and whether it’s something your team wants to pursue.

Discussions about technology should be commonplace among the leadership teams in all environments, from the boardroom, to industry conferences, to informal conversations with colleagues. It’s important to foster an open dialogue within the organization about the importance of technology and cultivate a positive view of what it can mean for the future of the business.

Attract and Retain Talent that can Lead and Innovate

Along the same lines of having leadership invested in the adoption of technology, it’s critical for companies to have a serious emphasis on attracting and retaining talent within the company that is comfortable with utilizing innovative technology in your supply chain. These individuals, who exist at all seniority levels of the business, are essential to having company-wide buy-in for new technologies and processes that improve the ability for the business to grow and succeed. Through an empowered and engaged team, companies will notice an increased frequency of new ideas and innovative thinking coming from areas and levels of the business that may be unexpected.

This cultivation of a collaborative environment at all levels of the organization, as well as with team members in your distribution facilities, in the field or in remote locations, helps foster improved employee satisfaction and talent retention. This corporate culture of engagement, appreciation, and empowerment is a huge factor in attracting top talent that is searching for a dynamic and evolving team to be part of.

Invest in Cutting Edge Digital Security

Another critical element of adopting advanced technologies is to ensure that you also invest in the necessary security measures that are required to safeguard your team members, your company data, as well as private information of customers and business partners. Cyber security has never been more important, and the dangers of breaches and loss of data have never been more severe. As more and more processes continue to shift to digital methods, and the volume of data grows exponentially, it will be essential that your company deploys an effective set of security measures to provide safety and assurance that data will be properly protected.

One important element of digital security is proper training within the organization. Even the most secure systems and technologies in the world can be compromised by improperly trained individuals. Investing in thorough training for your team will help make sure that the investment in digital security measures is backed up and reinforced with knowledgeable people who know what to do, and how to do it properly.

Conclusion

Keeping pace with tech trends isn’t something that can be ignored in your supply chain. Time and time again, it’s been proven that the most innovative and successful companies are those that invest in the right technology at the right time and capitalize on its benefits faster and more thoroughly than their competitors. This kind of success is achievable by creating strategies that include savvy and engaged leadership, a corporate culture of fostering and retaining talent, and investing in top-tier technology and security solutions.

A large portion of the benefits that can be realized through technological investment and innovation often comes from improved efficiencies and effectiveness of logistics operations.

SCI can assist with planning & strategies, as well as the implementation of advanced logistics technologies in the areas of transportation, order fulfillment, warehousing & distribution, inventory management, reverse logistics, regulatory compliance and much more.

To learn how SCI can help your company select and deploy the best in advanced logistics technology designed to grow your business, contact our team of logistics experts today.