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November 5, 2024

Impact of Real-Time Data on Fulfillment & Supply Chain Efficiency

What is Real-Time Data?

Real-time data refers to information that is collected, analyzed, and visualized instantly as it is generated. In contrast to traditional data that is gathered in batches or periodically, real-time data provides continuous insights into operations and events as they occur in real time.

Some key characteristics of real-time data include:

Immediacy – Data is streamed and processed immediately without any delays. This enables real-time monitoring.
Frequency – Data points are generated very frequently, providing granular details. This frequency can range from milliseconds to seconds.
Contextuality – Real-time data includes contextual details on the events happening, which supports better analysis.

Examples of real-time data use across industries:

Transportation: GPS tracking real-time vehicle movement for logistics efficiency.
Healthcare: Patient vital sign monitoring in hospitals to enable rapid response.
Banking: Analysis of online transactions to spot fraudulent activities instantly.
Sports Analytics: Sensors tracking player performance during live games to inform coaching decisions.

Real-Time Data vs Traditional Data

While traditional data is gathered at longer intervals through surveys, batches, ERP systems, etc., real-time data is instantly generated through sensors, apps, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This key difference has implications:

Speed – Access to data in seconds rather than days or weeks results in greater agility and responsiveness.
Granularity – Higher frequency measurements enhance analytical insights.
Operational Focus – Ability to monitor current processes in real-time instead of past performance.

Together, these advantages enable data-driven decision-making based on actual events as they emerge.

The Role of Real-Time Data in Supply Chain Management

Enhancing Supply Chain Visibility

For many supply chains, there is limited visibility beyond immediate upstream and downstream partners. Real-time data fills these blindspots through:

Tracking inventory levels, orders, shipments, and supplier performance live to identify delays.
Enabling rapid response to supply-demand mismatches, logistics bottlenecks, and risks as they manifest.

Walmart implemented the Retail Link satellite network in the 1980s to enable suppliers to monitor inventory at stores in real time. This radically improved their supply chain agility.

Inventory Management Improvements

Granular data on inventory changes allows for dynamic calibration of stock levels and production schedules. Strategies enabled by real-time inventory data include:

Automated inventory replenishment based on live demand signals keeps availability high while reducing safety stock levels. Amazon leverages its real-time data to achieve over 97% order fulfillment rates.
Reduced wastage for perishable items by aligning refresh cycles to actual consumption rather than estimates. Walgreens optimized fresh food expiration losses across stores using sensors.

Demand Forecasting with Real-Time Insights

While historical data provides the overall demand trend, real-time signals such as web traffic, purchases, and inquiries capture evolving customer preferences. Blending both yields accurate demand forecasts.

Tools like Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics offer real-time dashboards for customer engagement. Feedzai uses machine learning with real-time transaction data to predict demand changes.

Fulfillment Efficiency Explained

Defining Fulfillment Efficiency

Fulfillment efficiency refers to the accuracy and speed with which customer orders are processed. Metrics used to gauge efficiency include:

Order accuracy – Percentage of orders fulfilled correctly in terms of items and quantities.
Perfect order rate – Orders delivered in full, on time, and damage-free.
Order cycle time – Time duration from order receipt to delivery.
Warehouse productivity – Speed of storage and order picking activities per employee.

Factors that contribute to high efficiency include inventory availability, warehouse organization, order visibility, and coordination between teams. Poor performance on any factor creates bottlenecks and delays.

Challenges in Achieving Fulfillment Efficiency

Despite the best efforts, businesses face roadblocks that limit their fulfillment efficiency:

Inaccurate demand forecasting leads to stockouts and expediting costs.
Inventory inaccuracies due to misplaced stock result in picking delays.
Lack of warehouse labor management causes activity bottlenecks or excess staffing.

Strategies to overcome these challenges include buffer stock calculations, warehouse layout optimization, and improved labor planning.

Technologies Enabling Real-Time Data

Tools for Real-Time Data Collection

Emerging technologies now allow cheap and efficient real-time data capture:

Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in products, vehicles, and equipment track status, location, utilization, and environment.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags monitor inventory flow through supply chain phases.
Smartphones, cameras, and wearables enable real-time tracking by employees.
Automation in data collection via IoT eliminates manual efforts to boost frequency while reducing human errors.

Analyzing Real-Time Data for Operational Insights

Best Practices for Real-Time Analytics

Streaming analytics techniques help manage and interpret the velocity of real-time data:

Filtering, aggregation, and pattern analysis to process high-frequency events into operational metrics.
Interactive visualization tools like Power BI dashboards to spot trends.
Anomaly detection using machine learning identifies patterns requiring intervention.

For example, by combining real-time warehouse sensor data with order data, staffing needs during order surges can be predicted and addressed before delays occur.

Predictive Analytics: A Complementary Approach

While real-time analytics focuses on current events, predictive analytics examines future outcomes. Combining both allows for planning the best response in advance. Predictive analytics can forecast:

Future sales will align inventory and production capacity.
The risk of stockouts from supply variations is predicted through supplier IoT data.
Optimal delivery routes based on real-time traffic pattern analysis.

For example, Ocado, an online grocery retailer, integrates predictive analytics with its IoT and automation to achieve industry-leading accuracy despite thin profit margins.

Success Stories: Real-Time Data in Action

Case Study 1 – Kroger Optimizes Food Waste with Real-Time Data

The challenge: Kroger was throwing away $46 million worth of unsold perishable food annually in its 2900+ stores. Their original expiry-based disposal policies failed to account for demand volatility.

How real-time data helped: By installing sensors in refrigerators and display cases, Kroger began monitoring temperature, humidity, and food weight in real time. This allowed identifying actual food freshness based on conditions rather than fixed expiration dates.

The impact: Kroger reduced operating costs by $6 million in the pilot stores within the first year. The solution is now standard for new stores while being phased into existing stores.

Case Study 2: UPS Leverages Real-Time Telematics for Delivery Optimization

The challenge: UPS gets over 16 million packages daily with a tight delivery window expecting reliability. Unexpected delays can rapidly cascade into backlogs impacting large areas.

How real-time data helped: UPS outfitted its delivery fleet with sensors that track real-time location, speeds, starts/stops, and fuel usage. This data feeds into its ORION algorithm that continuously reroutes trucks based on actual conditions to avoid delays while minimizing mileage.

The impact: UPS optimizes route efficiency, improves on-time delivery, and has saved over 85 million gallons of fuel since ORION was introduced. The use of real-time telematics data was key to making this possible.

Enhancing Customer Experience with Real-Time Data

Impact on Customer Satisfaction

Access to real-time order status and inventory availability allows firms to provide transparency as the order progresses. Accurate promise dates and proactive delay notifications powered by live data also improve relationships.

Personalization through Data Insights

Real-time data reveals differential needs, ordering patterns, and preferences of customer micro-segments. These support personalized promotions and experiences.

For example, Uber leverages real-time car GPS data and traffic conditions to provide customized ETAs and optimal routes for riders.

Streamlining Operations with Real-Time Data

Warehouse Operations Optimization

Warehouse operations have numerous constraints around labor, equipment, and infrastructure capacities. Long delays occur when the planned workload exceeds these limits.

Real-time data enables dynamic balancing of workforce, space, and equipment usage with incoming work to minimize bottlenecks. As tasks are complete, idle resources take on new assignments based on priority rules.

Reducing Lead Times Effectively

Order lead time is comprised of processing, queueing, and transfer times. Real-time alerts on emerging backlogs and risks allow mitigation steps before delays accumulate.

In distribution centers, alerts on delayed inbound deliveries allow staging of inventory in advance or re-prioritization of order picking tasks once stock arrives. Such agility minimizes lead time despite variability in supply.

Overcoming Challenges with Real-Time Data Adoption

Common Obstacles to Implementation

While promising, real-time data projects face roadblocks, including:

Prohibitive sensor costs, especially for brownfield environments.
Complex data infrastructure integration with legacy systems.
Concerns around data security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
Lack of analytical skills to manage streaming data pipelines.

Solutions to Address Security Concerns

Robust data security is critical for real-time data success. Recommended best practices include:

Encryption of IoT data during transmission and at rest using the latest protocols.
Access control and activity logging mechanisms to prevent unauthorized usage.
Separate networks for operations systems and data analytics to limit attack surfaces.

Integration Strategies for Existing Systems

Integrating Real-Time Data with ERP Systems

While IoT infrastructure and analytics collect real-time data, ERP systems containing transaction, inventory, and order data provide critical context for maximizing insights.

Tight integration between operational data from ERP platforms like SAP, Oracle, and analytical databases is essential for value realization using methods like:

APIs and web services enable the real-time linking of events with the context of the business.
Enterprise service buses (ESB) ferry messages between sources and databases.
Cloud data lakes act as central repositories where data is aggregated before unified analysis.

API Connectivity and Cloud Solutions

For greenfield implementations, purpose-built cloud IoT platforms ease real-time data capture, communication, visualization, and integration challenges through:

Managed connector APIs to detect, onboard, and control IoT devices.
Cloud data streams that handle large data volumes with high reliability.
Integrated dashboards that blend IoT data with business data.

By eliminating the need for on-premise infrastructure, cloud platforms reduce time-to-value and allow focus on core analytical tasks.

Conquering Complexity with Versa’s Clear Vision

Managing endless spreadsheets, delayed reports and siloed systems leaves many manufacturers blindfolded in their own operations. Without real-time visibility, it’s impossible to keep pace with modern demand. But complexity doesn’t need to crush your capacity.

Versa Cloud ERP cuts through the fog with a single source of truth. Its intuitive dashboard pulls back the blindfold, giving you 20/20 oversight of inventory, orders, production, and more. Versa provides clarity on KPIs so you can make smarter decisions faster. No more waiting days for data – you have current answers at your fingertips.

Versa also speaks the language of your ecosystem. Its flexible platform seamlessly translates between your systems, suppliers, and customers. Whether data comes from shop floors or shipping docks, Versa translates in real time so everyone’s always on the same page.

Are you ready to conquer complexity? Book a free personalized demo of Versa’s dynamic and adaptable solution tailored for your unique workflows. Our experts will show how Versa simplifies even the most intricate supply chains. With Versa, there’s no need to navigate in the dark. Take the first step towards a clear vision by scheduling your free personalized demo today!