Supply chain consultant and analyst Bob Ferrari, Managing Director of The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group, provides actionable advice on how to make the transformation from a linear supply chain to a highly responsive and collaborative multi-enterprise network. He also shares his thoughts on the evolution of agility.

Key Takeaways

• Supply chain professionals need to stop thinking in terms of rigid, linear supply chains and instead focus on the idea of highly coordinated, collaborative, and agile multi-enterprise response networks.
• A growing number of industries are embracing outside-in, demand-driven supply chain strategies, which originated in the consumer goods and high-tech sectors.
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems once served as the technology cornerstone for achieving agility. But the idea of “agility” has come to encompass much more than just technology—it also depends on people, processes, and leadership.