Adoption at a faster pace than competitors, Epicor study reveals
According to the 2024 Agility Index research study from Epicor and Nucleus Research, nearly half of surveyed companies across the make, move, and sell industries cited concern over escalating costs as the foremost challenge confronting supply chains, with more than half using artificial intelligence, automation, or machine learning for at least one supply chain management application to address.
Nucleus Research surveyed more than 1,700 supply chain management leaders worldwide to understand how they are leveraging powerful technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to thrive while navigating challenges like supply chain disruptions, escalating costs, and skilled labour gaps.
Agility Index
“Our 2024 Agility Index underscores the growing adoption of AI and other automation technologies as an essential factor in enabling supply chain businesses to better thrive and compete. These cognitive capabilities are coming together to empower workers and their businesses to more readily adapt to shifting market conditions and better serve their customers,” stressed Vaibhav Vohra, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Epicor.
Businesses are also implementing machine learning most frequently in inventory optimization (45 percent) and demand forecasting (40 percent), underlining the critical role of these technologies in managing inventory levels and accurately predicting future demand.
According to survey respondents, the greatest hope for the impact of automation technologies lies in increased efficiency and productivity (32 percent), cost savings (26 percent), and improved supply chain automation (23 percent). This reflects a strong belief in the potential of these technologies to drive significant improvements in supply chain management.
