Supply chain management isn’t always the simplest of tasks. Long-term issues, like an unpredictable climate, are set to cause more difficulties if companies don’t take preventative action now.
This is where technology comes in. With a fleet of digital systems at your fingertips, you can drive efficiency and boost resiliency, helping your supply chain stay ahead of delays.
To learn more, we’ve taken a look at current supply chain management technology shaping the future of the industry for 2026.
Technology to Optimise Financial Management
Difficulties in the supply chain can quickly lead to problems with cash flow.
In the face of uncertainty, businesses can overstock inventory to mitigate shipping delays, see a rise in refund requests from customers, and face an imbalance in their income and expenses.
Fortunately, technology is fast becoming a staple in improving financial management, making it easier to ensure you have enough liquidity to cover your expenses while improving transparency.
There are solutions, for example, that enable better tracking of income and inventory. Financial software can create useful insights into demand predictions and areas where costs can be cut. It can enable clearer overviews of current inventory, too, and make management simpler.
Payment technology is also enhancing cash flow management within supply chains. The predominance of card readers, for example, makes taking in-person payments instantaneous and quick.
Blockchain is another technology that improves financial management within supply chains. 81 out of the global top 100 companies are already using blockchain, and its benefits for supply chain management include:
- Improved supply chain transparency
- Better traceability of assets
- Reduced tampering with supply chain traceability data
- Quicker verification of transactions
There’s also the opportunity to automate payments with blockchain. When a contractual obligation is marked as complete by an autonomous system, the payment is released quickly for a more efficient, seamless supply chain.
Embracing Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm over the past few years.
In terms of the future of supply chain management, it’s expected that 30% of businesses will have initiated widespread adoption of AI tech by the end of 2025, with a further 38% finding AI critical to their supply chain operations.
There are a number of clear advantages to using AI, including automating inventory management. When your AI software registers that a certain item has reached the threshold for a new delivery, it automatically triggers an order placement for seamless fulfillment.
Other key benefits of AI in the supply chain include:
- Improving efficiency in your warehouse designs
- Cutting costs by taking over repetitive tasks, like documenting inventory
- Reducing human error
- Running operations simulations to improve logistics
AI can even analyze global traffic patterns throughout your supply chain. By detecting frequent disruptions at certain ports, for example, it can suggest other ports that could increase the speed of your deliveries or shipping at certain times of the year when delays are less frequent.
Getting Ahead With Demand Forecasting
Tech-enabled demand forecasting uses advanced software and AI to predict fluctuations in demand better. This is crucial for reducing errors - like overstocking or understocking inventory - and optimizing profits in your business.
AI and machine learning (ML) can use historical data to find patterns in demand. These technologies can also compile real-time data from multiple sources (both internal and external to your business) to create crucial insights into inventory needs.
For example, by tracking product mentions on social media, your software could predict a spike in a product before it happens. Your automated systems can then order the product for a customer-focused supply chain that manages itself.
Sustainable Technology and Renewables
Volatility over recent years has made resiliency a key focus when looking at the future of supply chain management. By reducing your reliance on third parties, you can create a supply chain that’s less vulnerable to global disruption.
For example, you can use technology to tap into renewable, sustainable fuel alternatives during shipments. Take inspiration from McDonald’s, who use its own cooking oil for biodiesel, creating a readily available fuel from its existing resources. When petrol and diesel prices fluctuate, their supply chain will be less negatively impacted and more resilient to the disruption.
Another critical supply chain issue affecting businesses is the reduced supply of products due to a more volatile climate. Erratic weather in Brazil, for example, has led to a poor orange harvest and costs for oranges skyrocketing, leaving orange juice manufacturers scrambling for fruit alternatives.
Supply chain technology, though, could help mitigate these problems. For example, by investing in water-conservation technology when working with suppliers, you can improve crop resiliency to drought. From cotton to fruit, this could drastically enhance your supply chain reliability for years to come.
Enhanced Tracking Using RFID
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is becoming increasingly common in supply chains. Using radio waves, RFID makes it easier to tag and track items as they move through the supply chain, improving efficiency and traceability.
This drastically improves the speed at which inventory is counted. Employees can simply scan products to count them, with some scanners able to pick up all tags in an area simultaneously for vastly quicker tracking.
RFID can be used on transport vehicles and storage containers, too, allowing for the easy location of inventory and enhancing the movement of goods from one handler to the next.
Final Thoughts
From dealing with a more unstable climate to a focus that’s increasingly shifting towards AI, supply chain management technology is shaping the future of global business.
To learn more and start investing in supply chain transformation, keep up with the latest news through ASCM – the largest non-profit for supply chain management.
