way up the supply chain . Companies will need to focus on agility , and the ability to adjust on a dime to changing demand , in order to serve an IoT-equipped retail world .
What are the challenges facing today ’ s manufacturing supply chains ?
Palmquist : For manufacturers , looking ahead to the IoT is a smart move that can inform the way they solve major problems today . IoT models can feed real-time data into predictive models , aligning production with actual demand . Often , getting ready for adopting a new technology is painful . But in this case , it doesn ’ t have to be . Preparing your manufacturing supply chain to take advantage of the IoT means getting your centralised visibility platform in place to handle big data . There are already wellestablished ways to do just that .
Manufacturing today is tough because demand is capricious . Markets saturate . Geopolitical events disrupt commerce . Emerging regions develop . Companies are discovering they need to stay on their toes to eke out a profit . Gone are the days of simply creating a good product and selling it . These days , process matters just as much as product . Supply chains need to be agile and adept in order to deal with volatile demand .
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