More frequent and complex disruptions have put organisations’ response capabilities to a test. To pass this test with excellent marks, organisations are relying on control towers to help with fast and accurate decision-making.

However, reaching the point where control towers can set organisations up for success has not been a straightforward path. Before 202, control towers lived in excel sheets. Then came Covid, a catalyst for many changes, including control towers. The level of disruptions supply chains experienced then showed more visual and informative tools were needed – but the data remained pre-dated and more often than not, by the time the data was actioned, the information in these dashboards was outdated.

Fast-forward to today, control towers have become instrumental for organisations, when fulfilling two key conditions – enabling organisations to act, and act fast. Adopting such control towers, even at a limited capacity, allows organisations to have a better overview and reaction time when faced with delays, and consequently reduce the need for safety stock by understanding the impact the delay might have on their supply chain.

Linear forecasting and “set and forget” supply chains have become a liability. Leaders must have strategic foresight and use scenario modelling to prepare for a range of potential alternative outcomes.

There are three key considerations for a successful implementation of control towers fit for purpose:

• Clarify the role of your control tower: What specific actions or decisions do you expect it to support or automate?
• Align on the right data inputs: Which external data sources, milestones, and signals should be used to trigger and guide those decisions?
• Determine your operational focus: Which supply chain segment or challenge are you aiming to optimise first?

Looking ahead, AI will define the next generation of control towers. By 2031, 60% of supply chain disruptions are expected to be resolved without human intervention, as AI enables more autonomous and responsive operations. This will mean that organisations now need to develop AI fluency as a core capability, ensuring teams can effectively work alongside increasingly autonomous systems to scale resilience in ways that were not previously possible.

Find out how curated control towers can work for you by contacting our Lead Logistics team.