How AI is making supply chains smarter, faster and more resilient

One disruption has not yet been resolved or the next is already presenting itself: from raw material shortages to cyber attacks. Anyone who produces must think ahead, anticipate and, above all, not fall behind the times. Moreover, a disruption in one place often affects the rest of the chain. Artificial intelligence (AI), supply chains and their integration together offer the solution: a combination of intelligence and automation that not only reduces risks, but also increases competitiveness.

Dealing smarter with supply chain disruptions thanks to automation and AI

The Business Continuity Institute's (BCI) Supply Chain Resilience Report 2024 shows that nearly 80 percent of organizations experienced supply chain disruptions in the past year. Most organizations experienced one to 10 incidents. This is a significant increase from the previous year. The report also shows that third-party problems remain the leading cause of these disruptions, followed by cyber attacks and natural disasters. Manufacturers who still manage their processes largely manually are structurally behind and need to change. And they can do so thanks to automation and AI.

AI has long since ceased to be a newcomer to industry: it has been used for simple automation tasks since the 1960s. Meanwhile, the applications have changed, with systems that not only take over tasks, but also improve decision-making, productivity and efficiency. Where classical systems signal errors, AI predicts them in advance. Reducing errors means less downtime, lower costs and better availability of raw materials and parts.

First steps with automation

For small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, automation has brought many efficiencies. This is evident from the practical experiences of Van Assem Interieurbouw and Frits de Jong Interieurbouw, among others, who have automated their order and purchasing processes via Gatewise, the supply chain integration platform of ECI Software Solutions.

Peter Jager, Manager of Operations at Van Assem, sees this reflected in practice: "Previously, we used to send PDFs manually or place orders through web shops. Now we automatically forward an order from Proteus ERP to the supplier's ERP system. That saves an enormous amount of time."

Faster turnaround and fewer errors

Frits de Jong Interieurbouw also notices that lead times decrease and errors are prevented. Purchase amounts are automatically checked and deviations are immediately signaled. Calculator Jan Oudshoorn, explains: "With ECI Gatewise we wanted to raise our pre and post calculation to a higher level. This involved a lot of manual work on several levels. Differences crept in that were difficult to find afterwards. Thanks to Gatewise this has changed: purchase amounts are now automatically checked by the system, so that deviations are processed immediately. The ordering process and the associated receipts now run much more smoothly."

The power of automation and AI

Automation is the stepping stone to more strategic value creation. By eliminating repetitive operations, companies save not only time but also costs, and they avoid mistakes. Employees get room for tasks with more impact, such as innovation, customer relations and process improvement. Where automation focuses primarily on standardization, AI adds intelligence. Think of algorithms that predict when bottlenecks arise in the chain, or suggest alternative suppliers when shortages threaten. In this way, AI helps companies make faster, smarter decisions and future-proof each link in the chain.

Towards a future-proof manufacturing industry

The interplay of AI and supply chain integration is slowly but surely transforming the manufacturing industry from reactive to strategic. With platforms like Gatewise and smart AI applications, companies are creating a digital chain that adapts as easily to disruptions as it does to growth. In an unpredictable world, this is not a luxury, but pure necessity.