Supply chain enterprises focus on this metric for success
One key supply chain performance indicator has emerged as the primary source of competitive differentiation for most organizations.
Eight-in-10 (79%) supply chain enterprises view fast, dynamic execution as their most important success metric. A survey of 100 U.S.-based supply chain executives from Infios, "The Supply Chain Execution Readiness Report," also reveals 59% of respondents plan to increase spending on supply chain execution solutions during the next 12 months.
The study also documents systematic supply chain execution failures. Almost six in 10 (58%) respondents cite manual workflows as their biggest inefficiency, nearly half (46%) lack automation for daily tasks and only 20% said they have real-time visibility across operations.
When asked to best describe their decision-making approach during a major supply chain disruption, only 6% of respondents said they use analytics and/or AI for automated, prescriptive responses. More than half (51%) of respondents said they primarily react to events as they occur (51%), while another 43% use technology for predictive alerts and manual interventions.
In addition, only 23% of respondents have implemented AI in select workflows across supply chain execution and 41% remain in pilot stages.
The recent Supply Chain Integrity Outlook 2026 from Impinj indicates supply chain professionals are planning to increase their AI capabilities. Close to seven-in-10 respondents (68%) plan to invest in new AI and automation technologies in the next year, even as 51% cite data accuracy as their biggest barrier to effective AI and 41% say it is lack of data availability.
[READ MORE: The top supply chain challenges include…]
Only 42% of respondents reported having real-time supply chain visibility capabilities, while 46% reported having full item-level traceability in place.
"Supply chains aren't struggling because leaders lack intent or investment," said Richard Stewart, executive VP of product and industry strategy at Infios. "They're struggling because execution environments were never designed to sense disruption, coordinate decisions and act in real time. When systems operate in silos, even minor delays quickly cascade into missed commitments and rising costs."
Infios further advises that supply chain organizations which fail to modernize by replacing manual workflows with intelligent automation and achieving real-time synchronization will fall behind competitors that master dynamic execution. As supply chains face mounting pressure from customer expectations, cost volatility and operational complexity, Infios says the ability to execute with speed and precision will separate market leaders from followers.
"AI creates the most value when intelligence is directly connected to action," Stewart said. "The organizations that pull ahead will be those that move from systems that record activity to systems that act — automatically, intelligently and end to end."
