From disruption to precision: Using artificial intelligence to optimize sap supply chain management
1 Tractor Supply Company, 5401 Virginia Way, Brentwood, TN, USA.
2 American National Insurance Company, One Moody Plaza, Galveston, TX. USA.
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2022, 14(02), 707–715
Publication history:
Received on 23 January 2022; revised on 11 May 2022; accepted on 13 May 2022
Abstract:
In an increasingly interconnected global economy, supply chains are vulnerable to a myriad of disruptions, including geopolitical conflicts, natural disasters, technological failures, and unforeseen crises. These disruptions can cause significant delays, increased costs, and loss of revenue. The resilience and continuity of supply chains are often determined by how effectively organizations manage these disturbances. To proactively address these challenges, this study examines the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into SAP Supply Chain Management, specifically SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM). By leveraging AI’s advanced capabilities—such as predictive analytics, machine learning, and real-time data processing—SAP TM can enhance supply chain visibility, responsiveness, and decision-making processes, reducing risks and improving operational efficiency.
This paper explores the emerging role of AI in transforming supply chain management, with a focus on how its integration into SAP TM can provide actionable insights for better decision-making and optimized logistics. AI-driven systems offer significant advantages, including improved demand forecasting, reduced lead times, and enhanced on-time delivery performance. According to McKinsey & Company, AI applications can reduce supply chain costs by up to 20% and improve inventory turnover by as much as 25%. These capabilities are especially critical in the face of recent global disruptions, such as natural disasters, pandemics, and geopolitical tensions, which have stressed the vulnerability of traditional supply chain models.
The use of AI to model and simulate real-world disruptions, both natural and human-made, has the potential to revolutionize supply chain management by providing organizations with more accurate and timely forecasts. In scenarios ranging from the collapse of critical infrastructure, like the Baltimore Bridge, to the impact of ongoing geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, AI's predictive power can allow companies to adapt more swiftly to changing conditions. By combining real-world data with synthetic models, AI systems can simulate a variety of disruption scenarios, offering unprecedented precision in supply chain planning and risk mitigation.
This paper investigates how AI technologies integrated into SAP TM can not only help companies anticipate and react to disruptions but also enable them to optimize supply chain operations and move from a reactive to a proactive, precision-driven approach.
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence (AI); SAP Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain Optimization; AI in Supply Chain; SAP Integration; Predictive Analytics; Automation in Supply Chain
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Copyright © 2022 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0