What is supply chain visibility?

Supply chain visibility is the ability to track the progress of your products throughout their lifespan, as they travel from suppliers of raw materials to manufacturers producing finished products to end customers receiving final delivery.

Key elements of supply chain visibility include accurate shipment status and location data, communications in real-time via mobile devices, and frequent, immediate status updates for all partners and customers. Advanced supply chain visibility solutions incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technology and predictive analytics to help identify trends, improve planning and increase operational efficiency.

Any disruption in your supply chain, from upstream procurement of raw materials or products, to final delivery, can create inefficiencies and down time that damage customer relationships and negatively impact your bottom line. Visibility allows you to access and share real-time data across supply chain operations, leading to greater efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction, risk reduction and better profit margins.

Visibility in the supply chain is critical because it gives each player a view of critical touchpoints in the journey of your products. This enables each business across the supply chain to monitor, anticipate and diagnose problems, as well as explore ways to troubleshoot and improve efficiency.

End-to-end supply chain visibility is the ability to track materials and products through their entire delivery lifecycle, from your supplier’s supplier to your customer’s customer.