Long overdue wake-up call for us all

The giant container ship "Ever Given" was stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking one of the world's most important shipping routes. The 120-mile link between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean is traversed by an average of around 50 ships a day and almost 19,000 annually.

This accounts for around twelve percent of total global trade. The delays that global supply chains have experienced and will continue to experience as a result of this incident will have far-reaching consequences.

From ports to docks to distribution centers, all logistics processes are being shaken up. The likelihood of supply chain disruptions can be predicted with artificial intelligence. While no AI in the world could predict this specific event, technology is still an essential part of the solution.

It can make data-based decisions within minutes and reroute flows of goods so that supply chains do not come to a complete standstill. Manually, the process of rescheduling can take several man-days in the event of a major disruption such as this accident.

Just gathering the necessary data is very time-consuming. With AI, this process can be automated and alternative procurement routes found without the need for human intervention. Companies that rely on such advanced technology therefore have a significant competitive advantage due to the speed of data-based decisions.

They help ensure that assembly lines in factories don't stand still and goods remain available for delivery. Blue Yonder, which recently won an unrivaled award from Gartner for its Luminate portfolio, advocates thinking ahead. By investing in a modern supply chain solution, they say, they can avoid expediting costs that would otherwise be far higher.