Connectivity Breeds Agility for Consumer Goods Brands

No one in any industry or the culture at large would deny that the world is highly connected. Everything from smartphone apps and social media algorithms to artificial intelligence and machine learning is simply part of our everyday reality. In addition to connectivity, the past couple of years have threaded in another element of business (and life) we can count on: disruption.  

For consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs), this duality requires a perspective – and process – shift so businesses can be ready to react when (not if) disruption happens. Better yet, they can proactively plan for potential disruption internally and throughout their supply chain, able to predict responses and recover quickly. This can be achieved through digital connectivity.

But it’s not just potential disruption that should be a catalyst for CPG digital connectivity. General manufacturing processes can be assessed, enhanced and corrected, whether a company is looking at scaling production, changing suppliers or implementing robotics. What are the impacts of one change – or multiple changes? How quickly will a particular change be visible to the consumer? What’s the effect on your supply chain – and the supply chain on you?

Shifting from Demand Generation to Production Data

For CPGs today, creating demand for their products is the least of their concerns. Instead, efforts are focused on accurately understanding their capacity to create, as well as the effect of ingredient/material availability, staff issues and equipment on production levels. The right data allows for scenario analysis of possible outcomes and efficiencies, both internally and through those last “thousand miles” to the consumer – and how all those possibilities affect margins.