数字供应链将品牌推向未来

消费性包装商品（CPG）行业的变革步伐是无情的。即使是那些长期定义行业的消费者品牌也会看到小型企业的潮流浪潮占据了相当大的市场份额。同时，消费者越来越需要速度和便利性，这给这些公司施加压力，要求他们在复杂的多渠道环境中快速销售和分销，设计创新产品和定制的消费者体验。

The pace of change in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is relentless. Even those consumer brands that have long defined the industry are seeing a tidal wave of smaller players assume sizeable market shares. Meanwhile, consumers increasingly demand speed and convenience, which places pressure on these companies to design innovative products and customized consumer experiences with fast sales and distribution in a complex, multi-channel environment.

对于今天的消费品公司来说，通过规模实现的运营效率不再像过去那样提供相同的供应链优势。这使得成为一个更现代，更快速的消费品制造商的举措，对于捕捉未开发的市场增长至关重要。数字供应链有可能成为最大的支持功能之一 那么为什么消费品高管会忽视投资数字化的机会呢？

For today’s CPG companies, operational efficiency through scale no longer provides the same supply chain advantage it once did. This makes the move to becoming a more modern and faster CPG manufacturer essential for capturing untapped market growth. Digital supply chains have the potential to be one of the greatest enabling functions so why, then, do CPG executives overlook opportunities to invest in digitization?

从历史上看，消费品中的技术在很大程度上被视为后台资产。但是今天，新的和新兴的工具可以彻底改变业务功能和运营模式，消除不良的响应时间，消除冲突的优先级并克服低效的履行流程。然而，根据埃森哲的报告“您的供应链是否有助于您成长？”，接受调查的消费品高管中几乎有一半认为，缺乏将新信息技术（IT）整合到供应链中的商业案例是一项关键挑战。这是违反直觉的，因为有证据表明，数字化的现代供应链使企业能够快速行动，更好地适应市场和消费者行为模式 - 这两者都能提高运营效率。

Historically, technology in CPGs was largely viewed as a back-office asset. But today, new and emerging tools can completely revolutionize business functions and operating models, eliminating poor response times, removing conflicting priorities and overcoming inefficient fulfillment processes. Yet, according to the Accenture report “Is your supply chain helping you grow?”, almost half of the CPG executives surveyed identified the lack of a business case to integrate new information technology (IT) in the supply chain as a critical challenge. This is counterintuitive, as evidence suggests that a digitized, modern supply chain enables businesses to move quickly and better adapt to market and consumer behavior patterns both of which enable advanced operational efficiencies.

因此，要真正改变现状，改革的责任就必须落在业务决策者身上，为更新过时的供应链创造一个坚实的商业理由，使其具备利用最新技术的新的、有影响力的能力。为了说服高管成员对供应链进行投资，供应链管理专业人士首先必须解决他们中许多人面临的共同挑战。

Therefore, to truly move the dial, the onus for change must fall on the operational decision-makers to create a solid business case for upgrading outdated supply chains with new, impactful capabilities that leverage the latest technologies. To persuade members of the C-suite to invest in their supply chains, supply chain management professionals first must address common challenges faced by many in their position.

Misplaced measurements

错位的测量

通常情况下，消费品领导者只会评估其供应链是否能够减少支出。但降低成本只是一个关键因素;增长和差异化的实现对于衡量供应链的有效性同样重要。虽然这两个要素并不容易量化，但这种转变可能是巨大的，并且可以促进整个消费品组织的发展。不幸的是，大多数消费品公司都错失了利用供应链来支持这种有利可图的发展的机会。

Typically, CPG leaders evaluate the success of their supply chains on only their ability to reduce expenditures. But cost-reduction is only one key element; the enablement of growth and differentiation are just as essential in measuring supply chain effectiveness. While these two elements are not as readily quantifiable, the shift can be enormous and can advance the entire CPG organization. Unfortunately, most CPG companies are missing opportunities to use the supply chain to support this kind of profitable development.

根据埃森哲的研究，投资于增强和改善供应链所需的新功能通常被视为与IT相关的决策，而不是更广泛的业务战略的一部分。调查发现，首席技术官（CTO）和首席信息官（CIO）是CPG供应链中技术投资决策的主要业务利益相关者。令人惊讶的是，只有16％的公司表示首席执行官（CEO）参与了围绕这些投资的决策，只有23％的公司认定首席财务官（CFO）是决策者。According to the Accenture research, investing in new capabilities required to enhance and improve the supply chain often are considered IT-related decisions, rather than part of the broader business strategy. The survey found that chief technology officers (CTOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) are the top business stakeholders for technology investment decisions in the CPG supply chain. Surprisingly, only 16 percent of companies said the chief executive officer (CEO) was involved with the decisions surrounding where these investments would be made, and just 23 percent identified the chief financial officer (CFO) as a decision-maker.

在不降低CTO和CIO重要性的同时，这一见解也揭示出，CTO和CIO仍未被视为真正的战略性业务促进因素。未来成功的CPG制造商将是那些跨越角色和职能的人，获得正确技术方面的专家指导和知识，从而实现推动增长所需的前沿能力。

While not minimizing the importance of CTOs and CIOs, this insight reveals that IT is still not seen as a true strategic business enabler. Successful CPG manufacturers of the future will be those that work across roles and functions to obtain expert guidance and knowledge on the right technologies to enable leading-edge capabilities required to power growth.

有时，无法为供应链的数字化提出业务理由，是因为本组织没有适当的资源，无法在适当的能力投资的推动下开展有效的业务。例如，调查答复者报告说，缺乏信息技术技能和与遗留系统的兼容性问题是阻碍它们前进的主要问题。

Occasionally, the inability to create a business case for the digitization of the supply chain comes down to the fact that the organization does not have the proper resources in place to enable effective operations that are driven by the right capability investments. For instance, survey respondents reported a lack of IT skills and compatibility issues with legacy systems as the primary issues holding them back.

消费品公司如何开始解决这些问题？没有一刀切的办法，因为该战略必须与公司的愿景，市场地位和独特挑战保持一致。但是，消费品制造商可以通过三种方式开始转变：

How can CPG companies begin to address these problems? There is no one-size-fits-all approach because the strategy must align with the company’s vision, market position and unique challenges. However, there are three ways CPG manufacturers can begin the shift:

1.改变思维模式。变革必须来自高层，它需要一种新的前景，供应链才是真正的增长动力。埃森哲的研究表明，仍有大量工作要做，69％的高管表示他们将供应链管理活动视为支持功能。也就是说，61％的人确实认为供应链在成本效率方面起着关键作用。

1. Modify the mindset. Change must come from the top, and it requires a new outlook in which the supply chain is a true growth driver. The Accenture research suggests that there is still considerable work to be done, with 69 percent of executives reporting that they view supply chain management activities as support functions. That said, 61 percent do believe supply chain plays a key role in cost efficiency.

好消息是转型即将来临。在接受调查的所有消费品高管中，近一半表示他们认为供应链将在2020年成为竞争优势。同样，55％的人表示供应链将成为增长的推动因素，67％的人认为供应链可能会发挥作用。改善客户服务的作用。

The good news is that transformation is coming. Nearly half of all CPG executives surveyed stated that they believe the supply chain will be a competitive differentiator by 2020. Similarly, 55 percent report that the supply chain will be a growth enabler, and 67 percent see the potential for the supply chain to play a role in improving customer service.

2.专注于供应链成为推动者。随着执行思维方式的转变，将供应链决策与业务战略决策相匹配变得越来越重要。对于重新定义供应链的技术，消费品公司必须在整个高管的支持下，将供应链作为其品牌体验战略的关键部分。为了实现这一目标，消费品制造商需要向行业领导者学习 - 并推动决策投资供应链的新技术来自首席执行官和首席财务官，而不仅仅是首席技术官和首席信息官。

2.Focus on the supply chain becoming an enabler. As the executive mindset shifts, it becomes increasingly important to match supply chain decisions with business strategy decisions. For technology to significantly redefine the supply chain, CPG companies must make the supply chain a key part of their brand experience strategy, with support from the entire C-suite. To achieve this, CPG manufacturers need to learn from industry leaders and push for the decision to invest in new technology for the supply chain to come from CEOs and CFOs, rather than just the CTOs and CIOs.

以可口可乐为例。为了给客户提供更加个性化的体验，制造商在可口可乐自由式机器的开发中完全将其供应链数字化。 Freestyle提供100多种不同的饮料选择，所有公司的饮料产品在销售点从单一来源提供给消费者。甚至还有一个可口可乐Freestyle应用程序，它允许用户创建自定义混音并获得奖励。这些机器以完全自动化的方式管理和补充原材料。为实现这一目标，可口可乐将供应链中的IT投资与总体业务战略结合起来，并确定每个项目产生最大影响的位置。

Take Coca-Cola, for example. To give its customers a more personalized experience, the manufacturer completely digitized its supply chain in the development of Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. Freestyle presents more than 100 different beverage options, with all of the company’s drink products available to the consumer from a single source at the point of sale. There is even a Coca-Cola Freestyle app, which enables users to create custom mixes and earn rewards. The machines are managed and replenished with raw material in an entirely automated manner. To achieve this, Coca-Cola aligned IT investments in the supply chain to the overarching business strategy and determined where each would have the greatest impact.

3.关注成功案例。在某些情况下，消费品业务的供应链投资过于分散。为了避免这种情况，行业专业人士必须更加重视以业务战略为基础的重点投资。一家消费品跨国公司正在实现这一目标：百事公司在其直接商店配送模式背后的技术上投入了大量资金，从而改善了公司计划业务的方式并改善了客户关系。同样，法国达能与JD.com合作建立了一个新的仓库，该仓库采用大数据分析来确保精确的补货和更快的库存周转。

3. Highlight success stories. In some cases, CPG businesses spread their supply chain investments too thin. To avoid this, industry professionals must place a greater emphasis on focused investments that drive the most opportunity based on the business strategy. One CPG multinational company is getting this right: PepsiCo invested heavily in the technology behind its direct store delivery distribution model, thus improving how the company plans its business and improves customer relations. Similarly, France’s Danone partnered with JD.com to build a new warehouse that employs big data analytics to ensure precise replenishments and faster inventory turnover.

Look to the future

展望未来

对大数据分析和智能计算的投资可能对规划，履行，采购和采购功能产生重大影响，而机器人和虚拟现实则有可能改变仓库管理运营，制造，产品开发和设计。由创新技术驱动的数字化供应链将使消费品制造商更智能，更具适应性，更容易感知和响应消费者和市场需求模式。通过投资他们的供应链，消费品公司投资于整个业务的未来。

Investments in big data analytics and smart computing can have a significant impact on planning, fulfillment, sourcing and procurement functions, while robotics and virtual reality have the potential to transform warehouse management operations, manufacturing, and product development and design. Digitized supply chains powered by innovative technology will make CPG manufacturers smarter, more adaptable and more readily able to sense and respond to consumer and market demand patterns. By investing in their supply chains, CPG companies invest in the future of the entire business.