From the BWAN Archives: Where To Find Supply Chain Innovation

Originally published in April 2014, this post discusses Supply Chain Operating Networks and where many companies will ultimately find opportunities for supply chain innovation.

Aug 13, 2025

Editor’s Note: Today’s “From the ‘Better with a Network’ Archives” post was originally published in April 2014. It discusses Supply Chain Operating Networks and where Adrian believes many companies will ultimately find opportunities for supply chain innovation: at the intersection of Software, B2B Connectivity, and Social Networking. To learn more about our Better With a Network research initiative, please visit betterwithanetwork.com.

What’s new in supply chain management? What’s going to drive the next wave of innovation?

As an industry analyst, I get those questions a lot from supply chain executives, as well as technology companies and third-party logistics providers (3PLs).

I always answer them with a question: Are you ready for innovation? Because as I’ve written before, you should forget about innovation if you can’t execute the small stuff.

But assuming you’ve mastered the basics, then another question comes up: How do you define supply chain innovation? According to research conducted by Dr. Jim Rice at MIT, not many supply chain innovations are truly revolutionary:

Using Robots to Load/Unload Trucks

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted how “new advances in robotics are [enabling the automation of truck loading and unloading]. Improved sensors and algorithms, advancements in AI and faster image-processing technology are making these robots proficient players in tasks that are like a game of 3-D Tetris.” This survey sought to understand industry readiness, key challenges, and opportunities associated with using robots to load or unload trucks.

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