It’s fascinating to explore how the concept of innovation has evolved over the years in the business world in general, and supply chain management in particular. History celebrates the paradigm-busting genius, who periodically emerges to make a lot of noise and shake things up. (Or, in modern buzzword-loving parlance, disrupt.) We embrace these larger-than-life individuals as they pursue the “move fast and break things” ethos that has epitomized Silicon Valley and other strains of the tech world in recent decades. By this definition, “innovation” is both devastating in its impact, and rare. 

Fine. Give these legendary, headline-worthy figures their due. (Even if their accomplishments are frequently counterbalanced, if not undermined, by erratic behavior. Here’s looking at you, Mr. Musk.) But maybe, just maybe, we oversell their accomplishments while overlooking another kind of innovation that’s anything but rare. In fact, it’s everywhere these days, effecting change in quieter ways that are no less transformative in their impact. Just Google “supply chain innovation” to find (minus the usual P.R. fluff) countless examples of fresh ideas and applications. See how many companies and educational institutions have set up “Innovation Labs” that embed the concept within everyday business practice. These less-ballyhooed thought leaders are responding to a wave of challenges brought about by COVID-19 — as we’ve said many times before, crisis births innovation — and their efforts deserve to be celebrated. 

Which brings us to the annual Supply Chain Innovation Award, launched 18 years ago by SupplyChainBrain and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. The goal was to showcase these very accomplishments — the kind that rarely come into public view. (Although one could argue that the pandemic made the term “supply chain” very public indeed.) Over the years, the editorial staff of SupplyChainBrain has been proud to be among the judges of hundreds of case studies about true innovation in supply chain. And 2023 was no exception. 

This year’s winner out of more than two dozen entries is Roambee, which found a cost-efficient way to track the status of hundreds of millions of reusable packaging containers (RPCs) through “grouped” sensor-driven asset intelligence. We offer that case study here, along with these three additional finalists: 

Intel, which employed computer vision and artificial intelligence to detect and classify damage to boxes entering the warehouse. 

Cisco, which supercharged the business process around its Adaptive Test toolset to assess and manage product quality. 

FastFetch and Saddle Creek, which partnered to create a scalable fulfillment strategy for personalized orders generated by beauty products seller IPSY. 

Also in this issue, we offer two more valuable case studies submitted by IBM and Estes Express Lines. 

We congratulate all of the finalists in this year’s SCIA competition. We’re confident that you’ll be impressed by their efforts and, if you’re not already aware of it, gain a new appreciation of the quantity, quality and scope of innovations that are being devised by supply chain leaders everywhere. You don’t have to be a media star to make a splash. 

Finally, we hope you’re inspired by these examples of innovation to submit your own accomplishments to the 2024 Supply Chain Innovation Award competition. The entry period opens right after the new year.