Supply Chain Frontiers issue #1. Read all articles in this issue
What will supply chains look like 15 years from now and how can corporations be prepared for the new competitive environment? Without time travel there is no sure way of finding out, so the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics has created the next best thing: the Supply Chain 2020 project.
The multi-year, multi-million dollar project, launched formally on May 24 2004, will chart new territory by mapping the forces that shape the winning supply chains of today and tomorrow. "We also will be looking at a host of external factors, such as global economic trends, advances in technology, and energy costs to discover what will distinguish the leading supply chains of the future," said Project Manager Dr. Larry Lapide, Research Director at CTL.
Supply Chain 2020 kicks off with the inaugural meeting of an Industry Advisory Council, a group of supply chain thought leaders from more than 20 companies. With member from well known organizations such as General Motors, Cisco, P&G, Staples and UPS, the Council brings a wealth of supply chain experience that will help to guide the research.
The project comprises two parts. Phase One aims to gain a deep understanding of the principles that underpin successful supply chains and the major factors that influence them. Phase Two will build on the initial research work and project the likely development paths of supply chains over the next decade and beyond. Armed with such foresight companies will be in a much better position to plan for the future.
Fifteen years ago Amazon.com was a misspelling of the famous river in South America, and a young, aggressive computer company called Dell was celebrating its fifth birthday. Which organizations will be the supply chain innovators of the future? "No doubt there will be some familiar names, but there also will be some surprises, and we plan to identify some in advance," said Lapide.
Find out about Supply Chain 2020 by accessing the project web site at: http://ctl.mit.edu/research/sc2020