“I think about it from an analytics perspective. The level of data that AI and IoT builds for us, and puts it in a structured format we can use to make our day-to-day decisions, is phenomenal.

“When you have structured data that can drive decision-making, it takes away the pain of crunching numbers and working through high volumes of data.”

Shedding light on another major benefit brought about by these technologies, Aniebo turned his attention to forecasting and planning.

“In supply chain, we deal with a lot of history,” he continued. “What happened in the past? How did that happen? How can we use that to predict the future? How can we use that as a lesson learned so we don’t make the same mistakes?

“Digital helps us to do that in an improved way. You can view trends, analyse those trends and say, ‘based on this, I believe this will happen in the next 48 hours’.”

The importance of change management

Aniebo went on to highlight the importance of having working systems already in place before implementing digital tools. 

“If you automate what is not working, you end up with chaos,” he explained.

By applying automation to an already-working system, Aniebo says companies stand to increase productivity, enhance efficiency and achieve the results for which they are striving. 

However, he emphasises that, like almost any major transformation in business, the initial priority must be change management. 

“The very first thing you need to worry about is change management,” he adds. “Are your people ready for the change? Are they ready to embrace the change.”

The next consideration, Aniebo says, must be the skillset of employees – and whether they have the necessary capabilities to adjust to new digital tools. 

He asks: “Have you built the muscle within the organisation to embrace the system? Because, if you haven’t, you’re handing a Lamborghini to people who want to drive a Toyota.”

To hear more from Aniebo Etudor, simply follow the video link at the top of this story. 

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