[From the BWAN Archives] Generative AI + Business Networks: A Smarter Way To Map Your Supply Chain

Generative AI, combined with supply chain business networks, points to a future where mapping complex, multi-tier supply chains becomes faster, more dynamic, and far less manual than it is today.

Feb 11, 2026

Editor’s Note: Today’s “From the ‘Better with a Network’ Archives” post was originally published in May 2023. The post argues that embedding generative AI within supply chain business networks could potentially help companies automatically generate and continuously update visual maps of their supplier networks by analyzing transactional data, reducing the time and effort required to create these maps and improving visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers. To learn more about our Better With a Network research initiative, please visit betterwithanetwork.com.

Here is one opportunity where human-AI collaboration could deliver business value: feeding a generative AI engine with supply chain data to help companies generate visual maps of their supply chain.

What is Supply Chain Mapping? It’s knowing and representing graphically where the manufacturing/production facilities of your suppliers (and their suppliers) are physically located, and which parts or materials are manufactured/produced at each location.

Supply Chain Mapping is a key component of supply chain risk management, and as the authors of Hidden Suppliers Can Make or Break Your Operations (Harvard Business Review, May 2015) state, “With the size and complexity of supply chains soaring, a daunting challenge is confronting companies: identifying the critical nodes hidden within the vast expanse of their supply networks.”

Supply chain mapping takes time, money, and resources to do it right. Unfortunately, many companies lack all three (as well as leadership support), which is why they haven’t done it yet.

In a March 2020 survey we conducted with members of our Indago supply chain research community — who are all supply chain and logistics executives from leading manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies — 91% of our members said…

Digital Twins in Supply Chain Operations

PepsiCo announced an industry-first collaboration with Siemens and NVIDIA to apply AI-enabled digital twin technology across manufacturing and supply chain operations. The initiative is focused on simulating, optimizing, and validating production and logistics decisions before making physical or capital changes. Against this backdrop, this survey explored how supply chain and logistics executives are viewing the strategic importance, readiness, and potential value of AI-enabled digital twins within their own organizations.

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