Data shared in this research reveals a path to the advancement of collaboration via business-to-business (B2B) integration. Key advancement opportunities include:
The aim of this report is to guide supply chain, operations and customer service executives on the journey to integrating and automating B2B resources, specifically people, technology and processes. In support of this, we introduce the B2B integration path framework. The framework ties together the elements of people, technology and process to create five steps of advancing integration maturity: transactional, informative, analytical, relational and generative.
Using this five-step model as a way to benchmark where companies currently rate themselves on the B2B integration journey, the results of an SCM World survey fielded in early 2016 reveal the following key findings:
There are clear distinctions in capability across industries. The automotive sector is the leader with an overall score of 3.1, which is propelled by technology and process scores. It’s a clear sign that the complex nature of industrial supply networks and the need for greater multi-tier visibility can serve as a guide for other industries.</li>