Introduction

The industry 5.0 Standard, which the world is moving toward, will cause a huge rise in the number of products, services it generates, processes, and collect enormous data in the future. This leads to the creationof "Big Data," which is composed of enormous amounts of data sources whichis difficult to be processed by conventional processing techniques. Big Data Analytics was developed to find the pattern in the massive amounts of data andget insightful knowledge from it. Big data includes diversified data which benefits greatly from the input of Supply Chain. Supply Chain gathers data from significant companies in the manufacturing, shipping, and retail industries.

Big data has expanded quickly throughout time and will do soin the future. Many businesses are using big data to increase their revenue,which has enabled this rise.

Why BigData in Supply Chain?

All supply chain activities are being impacted by big data. Players in the supply chain are gaining from big data platforms in a number of ways. As a result of globalisation and constantly shifting dynamics of demandand supply, supply networks are getting more complicated. As a result, businesses are utilising big data to bring about transformational changes at all supply chain management levels. 97% of executives agree that supply chain management can benefit from big data analytics. Despite the fact that just 17%of businesses currently use big data analytics for supply chain management. We can start gathering and analysing the supply chain data, establishing a radar for your organization that identifies both concerns and opportunities in advance by layering the appropriate analytic techniques and tools over your current information architecture. This allows you for a transition from a reactive to a proactive and ultimately a predictive approach.

Firstly, let’s try to understand an overview of where big data can be used in each of the processes of the supply chain

Process - Planning

Benefit - Forecast the demand for products accurately

2. Process - Sourcing & developing

Benefit - Determine hidden costs and evaluate contractor performance in real time.

3. Process - Executing

Benefit - Maximize your resources and output

4. Process - Delivery

Benefit - Significantly increase performance in terms of effectiveness, precision, and quickness.

5. Process - Return

Benefit - Reduce return expenses and increase process visibility

Applications of Big Data in Supply Chain Management

Enhanced inventory management
- Operations managers can identify bottlenecks that slow down supply chain activities by using big data analytics to get a minute-by-minute snapshot of their operations.
Streamlined eCommerce
- The biggest giants in e-commerce use big data analytics to improve their management procedures.
- They improve their algorithms to properly forecast delivery dates, expand warehouse automation, and optimize new channels through cutting-edge mobile technology.
Consumer behavior
- Businesses can manage production and subscribe retention using analytics reports. Their opportunities are greatly expanded as a result. These reports might assist businesses in streamlining their supply chain operations.
Improved Demand forecasting
- Historical sales and inventory data are inputs used by big data platforms to analyze historical trends.
- By fusing these patterns with seasonal shifts and other variables, the corporation anticipates demand for each product and places warehouses in real-time.
Better sourcing and supplier management
- Businesses use big data to analyze the past performance of their suppliers.
- They evaluate the providers based on important performance indicators such as customer reviews, profitability, location, and service quality, choosing the best local source for any commodity.
Enhance production efficiency
- Information from IoT sensors installed on a lengthy manufacturing line offers the chance to maximize production quality and quantity.
- On big data platforms, manufacturers analyze this data to identify trends and business opportunities in each stage of the production process.
Improved Distribution and Logistics
- Fleet managers use big data to optimize thedelivery routes
- They use information from several sources, including GPS, weather forecasts, traffic reports, personal schedules, and vehicle maintenance schedules, to create a system that advises the car to choose the optimum route and reroute as necessary.
- Flexible Routing - Vehicles can have sensors installed to analyze the quickest path to the destination. The weather, traffic, and other factors will all be considered in this dynamic routing strategy.
- Capacity Planning - Predictive analysis is used to examine the workforce's availability. This provides more effective operation by preventing multiple trucks from traveling in the same direction.
- Smart Warehousing - Warehouse robotics are improved by the use of big data analytics and tracking sensors, which results in more effective resource allocation and lower costs.
- Customer satisfaction - Semantic analysis and text processing assist in analyzing client input, which will eventually lead to the creation of an immediate feedback loop.

For example,

One of the largest package delivery companies in the world is UPS. Every second, they use a vast range of data. To dynamically optimise routes, they leverage big data. Routes can be changed automatically and in real-time by the system. UPS may predict traffic congestion, inclement weather, and other events by doing this.

References

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/big-data-and-the-supply-chain-the-big-supply-chain-analytics-landscape-part-1

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327979282_Big_Data_Analytics_in_Supply_Chain_A_Literature_Review

https://erpsolutionsoodles.medium.com/benefits-of-using-big-data-in-supply-chain-management-1bcc1f6c915f

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/69320

https://www.talend.com/resources/big-data-supply-chain/