Dave Evans, chief executive officer and co-founder of Fictiv, details what's happening in visibility, digital security and productivity in manufacturing.

The volume of information that supply chain leaders have to contend with has never been greater, says Evans. It has led to “cognitive overload” and “decision-making fatigue.” Usable data is what’s required, because it’s at the core of supply chain visibility.

“We talk a lot about agility and resiliency,” Evans says. “Agility is really the ability to sense and respond, while resiliency is the ability to make a change when something happens. So if you think about the pandemic that's happened, or any of these major kind of force majeure events, if you had better visibility into your supply chain, could you adapt or have more agility, or could you have more resiliency in your decision-making? I think data is at the core of that.”

By training, Evans is a mechanical engineer, who thinks the required visibility rests on more than technology. “I think about it from a system structure. How are your systems plus your people digesting all of that information? So to the supply chain leaders out there, I think you need to look at both your system architecture and what you've put in place, but also your people and the business processes behind those and how productive they are.”

He notes that digital security is top of mind for many today. Part of the reason is that while investment in digital systems is rising, people often are unsure of their security practices, especially as they move into the cloud. It’s therefore critical to ask your chief security officer about your systems, policies and what your suppliers’ suppliers’ security practices are. “This is critical,” Evans says. “Unfortunately, for many, security isn’t an issue until it’s an issue.”