Supply chain management is the process through which businesses produce and distribute products to their consumers. It is one of the most important pillars of business development and profitability. A company is required to adopt the most profitable supply chain management systems to ensure that they meet their consumers' ever-growing needs. Modern companies have started to realize the need for incorporating technology in their supply chain management systems. The future of supply chain management is dominated by technology, and companies that align themselves with the requirements are likely to gain competitive advantage.
There are many existing scenarios for 3D printing to identify the white space where future opportunities have not been proposed or developed to date. These gaps are identified through aspects of order penetration, geographical scope and type of manufacturing in industries. White space has been identified as the area of possibilities around the systems of 3D printing (Ryan et al., 2017). Companies are encouraged to take advantage of the white space and find ways to work it to their advantage. The coding conducted by the researchers indicates that the possible future scenarios in supply chain management are concentrated on job shop applications and pull bases supply chain processes. There are also a few strains identified on geographical location (Ryan et al., 2017). the existing 3D scenarios in supply chain management are scattered across different companies. There is a need to consolidate the concept of 3d printing in companies, especially in supply chain management. Companies need to intensify their growth towards the current technological development and identify ways to fit in the future of supply chain management.
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The advancements in technology call for advancement in supply chain systems across industries. The supply chain systems have to be upgraded to meet the consumers' changing needs and different industries. Modern companies deal with different customers and must develop appropriate ways to meet each consumer's specific needs. It has become critical that businesses devise ways to implement segment-based or account-based changes to the supply chain processes (Ralston et al., 2017). Each company must create segments and focus on the customer's geographical location, product-related needs and order related needs. When focusing on geographical location, each company must evaluate how close the consumer is to sourcing and production. While assessing the consumer's product-related needs, each producer must understand how each product must be individualized. While a company focuses on the consumer's order-related needs, they must assess how much product a customer needs, and when they need it and also understand if the consumer will ever need the product again. One of the companies that have moved in this modernized form of supply chain management is Adidas (Ralston et al., 2017). The company has customized its supply chain processes for specific audiences. The company has invested in localized forward fulfilment sites and partnering with 3PLs to offer fast fulfilment to its consumers. Adidas' competitors have also realized the need to upgrade their supply chain management systems to meet their consumers' needs. Companies such as Nike and Marlboro are starting to move towards supply chain management (Ralston et al., 2017). Most major brands will soon have adopted systems that give their consumers better fulfilment by incorporating technology in their operations.
Conclusion
The field of supply chain management is marked with a wide white space where businesses can grow to exponential levels. Some companies such as Adidas have realized the need to vent into the whitespace and become part of the future of supply chain management. The company has developed systems to meet the needs of its consumers with a more customized approach. Adidas has become a pacesetter in the industry, and other companies are following suit to ensure that they remain relevant and competitive.
References
Ralston, P. M., Richey, R. G., & Grawe, S. J. (2017). The past and future of supply chain collaboration: a literature synthesis and call for research. The International Journal of Logistics Management.
Ryan, M. J., Eyers, D. R., Potter, A. T., Purvis, L., & Gosling, J. (2017). 3D printing the future: scenarios for supply chains reviewed. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management.
