Why supply chains urgently need an upgrade (and what McKinsey, Accenture & Co. have to say about it)

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Chapter 1: The story of an overwhelmed supply chain

Let's imagine: Our beloved supply chain is called Sabine. Sabine has been loyal, reliable, and somehow... solid for decades. But then the world went off track: a pandemic, container ships stuck in the Suez Canal, raw material prices zigzagging, and customers who order today and want delivery yesterday.

Sabine? Completely overwhelmed.

And while she is still trying to hold Excel spreadsheets together with tape, her colleagues from the future – let's call them “AI Alina” and “IoT Ingo” – are already sitting in the metaverse, proactively optimizing their suppliers' carbon footprint. Something is seriously wrong here.

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Chapter 2: Help is on the way – and it's wearing a suit

Zum Glück kommen die Strategen von Accenture, McKinsey, EY und Gartner zur Rettung – mit PowerPoint, Buzzwords und erstaunlich vielen Statistiken.

👉 Accenture says: Only 30% of companies are even “capable of transformation.” The rest? Still looking for the PowerPoint template for digital transformation.

👉 McKinsey means: AI is the new oil. But without leadership, data quality, and change management? It'll fizzle out faster than an e-scooter with an empty battery.

👉 EY paint us a picture of supply chains in 2035, with drones, autonomous trucks, and robots that even make coffee in the warehouse (okay, almost).

👉 Gartner One thing is certain: anyone who doesn't have at least 17 dashboards, 8 predictive models, and an AI-controlled hamster in their warehouse by 2025 will be considered obsolete.

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Chapter 3: The transformation begins – with a to-do list

So what should we do?

Sabine (our supply chain) needs a makeover. Not a yoga weekend, but a radical UPGRADE. In six steps:

🧠 1. Determine maturity level

If Sabine were a smartphone, she would be a Nokia 3310. Time for an update! Accenture offers a maturity model with 29 competencies. Sounds like a lot? It is. But it's necessary.

🤖 2. Integrate technology

GenAI, IoT, Digital Twin – it sounds like science fiction, but it's reality. If you don't test it now, you'll only scale problems later.

👩‍💼 3. Take people with you

Transformation is not a solo endeavor. Sabine needs support—in the form of further training, new roles, and a CEO who says more than just, “Go ahead and implement AI!”

🛡️ 4. Build resilienc

Lieferausfälle? Nein danke. Multi-Sourcing, Simulationen und Notfallpläne sind Sabines neue Superkräfte.

🌱 5. Integrate sustainability

Scope 3 emissions are not a tax bracket. EY believes that companies that fail to become transparent now will be dropped from the supplier league.

💰 6. Business case with substance

CFOs don't want visions, they want return on investment. Gartner's advice: make it measurable or forget it.

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Chapter 4: Success à la Netflix instead of fax machine

Successful companies no longer treat their supply chain like property management (only there when there's a problem), but like Netflix: always available, learning, personalized.

Example: Accenture and Kinaxis have jointly built a platform that essentially helps supply chains think. The result: faster response times, better planning, and less inventory chaos.

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Chapter 5: What you can do today

So, if your supply chain is still called Sabine, rename it Alina. Conduct a maturity assessment, invest in the right technologies, and (important!) get people on board. Digitalization without cultural change is like sushi without soy sauce: possible, but pointless.

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Conclusion in three lines

🛠️ Supply chain transformation is not an IT project, but a business survival plan.
💡 Those who invest in AI, automation, and sustainability now will be at the forefront of value creation.
😄 And yes: a little humour helps, because transformation is sometimes just... chaotically beautiful.

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Curious about how you can transform your supply chain without getting bogged down in buzzword bingo?
Then book a 30-minute strategy session – with real people. No bots. No hamsters.