Supply chain execution has emerged as the defining battleground for competitive advantage, according to The Supply Chain Execution Readiness Report released by Infios.
The survey reveals that nearly eight in 10 enterprises (79%) now view fast, dynamic execution—not planning or visibility alone—as their primary source of competitive differentiation in volatile markets.
"Supply chains aren't struggling because leaders lack intent or investment," says Richard Stewart, EVP of product and industry strategy at Infios. "They're struggling because execution environments were never designed to sense disruption, coordinate decisions and act in real time. When systems operate in silos, even minor delays quickly cascade into missed commitments and rising costs."
Key takeaways:
· 59% of organizations plan to increase spending on supply chain execution solutions over the next 12 months, even as economic headwinds persist. Yet the research exposes a troubling paradox. While supply chain leaders recognize execution as their competitive edge, most organizations lack the fundamental capabilities to execute at speed.
· 58% cite manual workflows as their biggest inefficiency, nearly half lack automation for daily tasks (46%) and only 20% have real-time visibility across operations.
· Most remain trapped in reactive mode, relying on delayed information and manual firefighting. In fact, when asked to best describe their decision-making approach during a major supply chain disruption, only 6% of respondents say they use analytics and/or AI for automated, prescriptive responses, while the majority primarily react to events as they occur (51%) or use technology for predictive alerts and manual interventions (43%).
· Only 23% have implemented AI in select workflows across supply chain execution and 41% remain in pilot stages.
