The Danger of Over Reliance on Automating Supply Chains

The pandemic put supply chains in the spotlight.  Companies doubled down on identifying weak links and looking for solutions to ensure greater resilience in the future.Most people believe the solution - or at least the foundational part of it - is greater automation and digitisation.  But what if we are misunderstanding the problem? Or maybe just need to look at it from a different perspective?Could we be overlooking incredible supply chain strengths and opportunities that resulted from the unexpected stress test of a global pandemic?I’m Jane Singer and today we’re talking with Dr. Yossi Sheffi, an award-winning global supply chain expert and Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics.  He is the author of nine books, including the soon - to - be -released The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and The Future of Work. According to Dr. Sheffi, the pandemic was proof of how resilient supply chains actually are. He further challenges our conventional wisdom by arguing that despite the power of AI, there are many things that we still need people to do.There’s a lot to unpack - and I would have loved to spoken with Dr. Sheffi for much longer if time permitted.  However he covers a lot of thought provoking insights here … and for the rest … well we’ll just have to read his new book.In this episode of a Seat at The Table Dr. Sheffi discusses:1. Where global supply chains proved how resilient they actually are.2.  The greatest vulnerability in over reliance on automation.3. Where humans surpass computers in supply chain operations.One of the biggest challenges companies face is finding the right people with the right expertise to help them adapt to an environment that is increasingly driven by advanced technology.The developments are happening so quickly that even seasoned IT people are struggling to keep pace.That’s why a growing number of companies are looking to Asianet Consultants to help them find that all important IT talent.Asianet has a long history of being able to fill even those really difficult to fill positions.  The team there has a vast network within key supply chain functions giving them access to some of the region’s top talent.In the meantime, let’s sit down with Dr. Sheffi and find out what we might be overlooking about supply chains.USEFUL LINKS:Asianet Consultants:  https://asianetconsultants.comConnect with Dr. Yossi Sheffi:  https://sheffi.mit.edu/   or  https://www.linkedin.com/in/yossi-sheffi-b38b731/Dr. Yossi Sheffi's newest book:   https://sheffi.mit.edu/magicbeltSEND US A MESSAGEVisit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm