THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES FOR THE SUPPLY CHAIN INDUSTRY AS WE SEE THE ORCHESTRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND TALENT COMING TO THE FOREFRONT.
INDUSTRY WATCH
THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES FOR THE SUPPLY CHAIN INDUSTRY AS WE SEE THE ORCHESTRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND TALENT COMING TO THE FOREFRONT.
A new report released by MHI and Deloitte finds that 55 % of supply chain leaders are increasing their supply chain technology and innovation investments with 60 % saying they are planning to spend over $ 1 million. Nineteen percent plan to spend over $ 10 million.
This investment includes solutions for orchestrated, end-to-end solutions between tech and human workers, according to the 2025 MHI Annual Industry Report: The Digital Supply Chain Ecosystem: Orchestrating End-to-End Solutions. The report provides new insights into trends and technologies that are transforming supply chains and the priorities of the people who run them.
As a result of these increased investments, adoption of the 11 categories of technology covered in the report is predicted to rise over the next five years.
• Inventory and Network Optimization – 92 %
• Cloud Computing and Storage – 91 %
• Sensors and Automatic Identification – 88 %
• Predictive Analytics – 87 %
• Robotics and Automation – 83 %
• Artificial Intelligence – 82 %
• Internet of Things – 77 %
• Wearable and Mobile Technology – 72 %
• Autonomous Vehicles and Drones – 64 %
• 3D Printing – 57 %
• Blockchain – 54 %
The 2025 report, the twelfth in a series of annual industry reports published by MHI and Deloitte, provides updates on the innovative technologies that have the most potential to transform supply chains in an orchestrated way that maximizes performance gains while also empowering workers.
Today’ s business environment is increasingly complex and volatile requiring a more integrated and agile approach to supply chain management. End-toend supply chain orchestration, which seamlessly connects every stage of the supply chain, has emerged as a critical strategy for organizations to remain competitive.
“ These are exciting times for the supply chain industry as we see the orchestration of technology and talent coming to the forefront,” said John Paxton, CEO, MHI.
“ The future of supply chains will center around striking the right combination of human talent and technology to enhance efficiency, transparency and sustainability.”
AI adoption is surging
AI adoption is expected to rise dramatically, with 28 % reporting that it’ s in use today and another 54 % reporting that they plan to have it in use within 5 years – making the 5-year total nearly triple that of today at 82 % by 2029.
AI is already adding value in a wide range of supply chain processes, from inventory management to demand planning to logistics. Moving forward, supply chain organizations will be increasingly leveraging AI to enhance all aspects of their operations. Agentic AI – which can operate independently without human guidance or oversight – specifically has the potential to quickly and proactively address disruptions, enhance forecasting precision, and improve overall visibility within the supply chain.
“ As the promise of agentic AI for warehouse process automation, real-time inventory visibility, predictive maintenance and demand forecasting grows, highquality data will be essential to utilizing this technology
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