New report by Precisely and SAPinsider uncovers how innovation in process automation, fuelled by trusted data, is key to a robust supply chain during economic uncertainty

Precisely, the global leader in data integrity, in collaboration with SAPinsider, today announced the results of new global research that highlights the importance of process automation in building robust supply chains. Findings from the new benchmark report, Process Automation in Supply Chain, show that 51 percent of respondents cite resiliency as the top supply chain concern driving the need for process automation, with agility close behind at 46 percent. A backdrop of disruptive world events means businesses are increasingly battling against global supply chain disruption, as well as mounting pressures to keep pace with changing consumer preferences for digital, local, and sustainable goods – resulting in an urgent need for supply chain transformation.

The research found that 89 percent of respondents believe process automation in the supply chain is either “important” or “very important” to attain digital transformation objectives. However, a major gap remains between where the industry needs to be and where it currently stands: nearly three quarters (72 percent) indicated that less than 50 percent of their supply chain processes are currently automated, with this dropping to just 25 percent for a further one third of the respondents.

“With recent world events including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and impacts from climate change, it’s no surprise that supply chain resiliency is top of mind for businesses worldwide,” said Mark Vigoroso, chief content officer at SAPinsider. “While adoption of technologies has been slow to-date, the need to create a resilient supply chain ecosystem has never been more apparent, and we’re seeing organisations increasingly turn to process automation as a way to build robust supply chain capabilities and help navigate the uncertainty in the market.”

“These new findings from SAPinsider highlight the importance of automation when it comes to complex, data intensive, SAP processes, such as for supply chain,” said John Reda, SVP – product management for data integration at Precisely. “The Precisely Automate Evolve platform, formerly Winshuttle Evolve, helps customers to gain agility and speed by simplifying and streamlining processes. The flexible, scalable nature of the platform helps create and maintain resilient supply chains – delivering increased efficiency, visibility and governance that improve results and reduce the risks inherent in today’s unpredictable business environment.”

The research additionally shows that the key objectives for deploying process automation have become more strategic over time, and include the realisation of benefits such as:

• End-to-end process visibility (82 percent)
• Increased process efficiency (79 percent)
• Defining and documenting standardisation (77 percent)
• Integrated processes across end-to-end supply chain (75 percent)
• Building internal skillset (72 percent)

 

It also uncovers an increased appetite to explore more advanced automation technologies as businesses plan for 2023 and beyond — with nearly half of all respondents (47 percent) stating intelligent automation, such as AI and machine learning, is a key capability they are considering implementing over the next 24 months.

“Ultimately, supply chain resilience relies upon a programmatic approach for improving end-to-end process visibility and risk monitoring. To be successful, supply chains must become both digital and autonomous to keep pace with disruptive global events and changing consumer expectations,” continued Reda. “It’s clear that process automation is critical, but the success of digitised processes and workflows will also rely upon the accuracy, consistency and context of the data feeding them. Supply chain transformation, fuelled by data integrity, will be the key to confident decision-making during the uncertain times ahead.”

Read the full SAPinsider Benchmark Report Process Automation in Supply Chain here or for further insights on the role of process automation in building robust supply chains, view our on-demand webinar “Process Automation Trends in SAP Supply Chain for 2023”.