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Top 10 Blunders #8 – Haphazardly Implementing Technology

There is a dizzying array of technology available to help manage the fresh produce supply chain.

Tools are available to plan resources, enhance visibility, ensure cold chain integrity, manage operations, and analyze performance.

The problem is some organizations adopt these tools in a piecemeal fashion. Other organizations miss the technology opportunity by trying to run supply chains via accounting systems and elaborate Excel spreadsheets.

Neither group gains the potential benefit of systems integration, real-time data access, or process optimization.

Technology adoption planning and investment decisions cannot be made at the supply chain facility level.

The supply chain leadership team should follow a logical process to ensure technology capabilities align with strategy, software selection prioritizes ease of connectivity and information sharing, and users are properly trained.

An integrated systems approach will reap better decision making based on the most timely and accurate data.

This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.

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Dr. Brian Gibson is executive director of Auburn University’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation and a former logistics manager. He is coauthor of Supply Chain Management: A Logistics Perspective (10th ed.) and active in supply chain executive education, research, and consulting.