Today’s logistics companies need to be prepared for anything that could happen. However, many of them do not have access to real-time data and do not have an adequate planning system that is necessary to plan future operations and satisfy customer expectations. The reality may then differ significantly from the plan. How to deal with such situations?

It Is Necessary to Have an Overview to Take Full Advantage of the Company’s Planning Potential

By integrating the resources of Internet of Things and creating a digital twin of all your supply chain operations, you can get the perfect insight that is needed to transform your business into a smart business. This gives you the information and insight you need to ensure real-time continuous planning to constantly adjust your plans to the changing conditions and therefore, satisfy your customers.

Planning Fluctuation in Demand

Imagine a potentially great situation. Has a local celebrity mentioned your product as their favorite? Customers are likely to react and send their orders in. But how you can take advantage of this situation depends largely on your ability to deal with such fluctuation. Without an adequate planning system, you may encounter problems with manufacturing, storing and shipping these extra products. If there are any mistakes or failures in the implementation, customers will be disappointed and you will lose a great opportunity.

Use Digital Twin of Your Business

If you want to avoid a whole bunch of potential planning problems, you will appreciate things like:

  • connecting the Internet of Things sensors to your assets
  • creating digital twins of these objects
  • sharing data within the enterprise and with supply chain partners

What Specifically Can Be Simulated Using Digital Twins?

Fluctuations in Demand

With real-time data collection, you will have an accurate picture of the current demand. Which products are most demanded? What can influence the demand or its satisfaction? What factors is the demand dependent on and how? On the basis of real data, it is possible to predict trends and fluctuations compared to the standard course.

Production

What is the current production like and what is the total capacity? To what extent are we able to respond to change and adapt our planning to it? What happens if parameters change? You can answer all of these questions with the help of a production digital twin that will allow you to simulate different development scenarios.

Logistics

Digital twins of your production facilities, warehouse operations, and overall distribution process provide an overview of the actual and planned stock levels and deployment. With this overview, you can make a qualified decision to acquire or reorganize inventory, or plan optimal distribution routes.

Based on real data, and not just estimates or assumptions, you can improve your planning and better anticipate the changing demands of your customers.