Enhancing Supply Chain Management with Low-Code Technologies - by Mathew Tolley

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In the rapidly evolving landscape of supply chain management, low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Apps and Mendix empower companies to swiftly develop custom applications that integrate various data sources and device inputs (think Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices) without the need for extensive coding expertise. This democratisation of app development enables organisations to build solutions that connect several different services and inputs, allowing them to monitor supply chains in real-time and proactively address issues, significantly improving operational efficiency.

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How Low-Code Platforms Assist with Solution Development

Low-code development platforms simplify the process of building applications by providing a graphical user interface and pre-built templates. Microsoft Power Apps, for instance, allows users to drag and drop components to create. Benefits for companies include:

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1. Simplified Development Process

Users can create custom applications quickly, reducing the time and cost associated with traditional software development. This agility is crucial for supply chain operations that require swift adjustments to changing conditions.

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2. Seamless IoT Integration

Power Apps can connect to IoT hubs and devices, enabling the collection and analysis of sensor data, such as weights on a shelf, or RFID tag scans. This integration facilitates real-time monitoring of assets, environmental conditions, and other critical parameters in the supply chain.

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3. Real-Time Data Visualisation

The platform allows for the creation of dashboards and reports that visualise data in real-time. Decision-makers can access insights instantly, enabling proactive responses to potential disruptions.

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4. Scalability and Flexibility

As business needs evolve, applications built on Power Apps can be easily modified or scaled, ensuring long-term relevance and utility.

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Examples of Low-Code in Supply Chain Management

Several companies have embraced low-code platforms to enhance their supply chain operations. Here are two relevant examples:

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AntTail: Tackling Last-Mile Medication Delivery with Mendix Low-Code Platform

AntTail, a Netherlands-based company specialising in pharmaceutical supply chain solutions, has significantly enhanced the last-mile delivery of medications. Recognising the critical importance of temperature control in managing pharmaceuticals, AntTail developed a smart application using the Mendix low-code platform that integrates IoT sensors to monitor and ensure the integrity of medications during transit. By placing IoT sensors within medication packages, they continuously track temperature conditions throughout the delivery process. This real-time data ensures that any deviations from the required temperature range are immediately identified, allowing for prompt corrective action.

Utilising the flexibility of Mendix's low-code platform, AntTail rapidly developed an application that collects and analyses sensor data, providing actionable insights for all stakeholders—including manufacturers, distributors, and patients. This end-to-end visibility helps in tracking shipments, verifying product authenticity, and ensuring timely deliveries.

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Outcome and opportunities.

AntTail's solution assists pharmaceutical companies in complying with stringent regulations regarding the handling and transportation of medications by offering detailed records of temperature data for compliance audits and quality assurance processes. By guaranteeing that medications are stored and transported under optimal conditions, AntTail enhances patient safety and trust, reducing the risk of compromised medications reaching end-users. Additionally, the proactive monitoring system minimises product waste caused by spoilage, leading to significant cost savings for pharmaceutical companies.

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Ardent Mills: Enhancing Supply Chain Operations with Microsoft Power Apps

Ardent Mills, the leading flour-milling and ingredient company in the United States, leveraged Microsoft Power Apps to streamline their supply chain and operational processes. Facing challenges with data silos and manual workflows across numerous facilities, they sought a solution to enhance efficiency, data accessibility, and collaboration—without the extensive time and costs associated with traditional software development.

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Custom apps for anyone, by anyone.

By utilising the low-code capabilities of Microsoft Power Apps, Ardent Mills empowered their employees—regardless of technical expertise—to develop over 20 custom applications. These apps automated and digitised various manual processes, including inventory management, equipment inspections, and quality control procedures. The swift development cycle meant the company could promptly address specific operational needs, significantly improving efficiency.

Integrating Power Apps with Microsoft Dataverse, Ardent Mills established a centralised data platform that ensured consistent and accurate information across the organisation. Coupled with Power BI, they gained advanced analytics and real-time insights into supply chain operations, facilitating better decision-making and forecasting. The custom applications also enhanced collaboration among teams spread across different locations. For example, an app known as “Cross Check” ensures equipment is calibrated consistently across sites to maintain the quality of flour produced. This app allows quality managers and lab technicians from different plants to enter data directly, and it's currently live across 35 plants. Used monthly by over 70 quality managers, lab technicians, and others, it facilitates approximately 170 checks each month.

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Outcome and opportunities.

By automating manual tasks, Ardent Mills reduced operational costs and minimised errors associated with paper-based processes. The scalability of Power Apps allowed them to continuously evolve their applications as business needs changed, ensuring long-term value and adaptability. This approach not only streamlined their operations but also fostered a culture of innovation and collaboration within the company.

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How Trace Consultants Can Assist Australian Companies

In light of the transformative benefits demonstrated by AntTail and Ardent Mills through the adoption of low-code platforms, Australian companies stand to gain significantly by embarking on a similar journey. Trace is uniquely positioned to guide businesses through the design, development, and deployment of tailored low-code solutions that enhance supply chain management. Here's how we can assist:

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1. Strategic Assessment and Road mapping

To help your business maximise the benefits of low-code applications, we start by conducting a thorough supply chain analysis. Our team performs a comprehensive assessment of your current supply chain processes to identify areas where integrating low-code solutions can deliver the most value. By pinpointing these key areas, we can recommend targeted solutions that enhance efficiency and visibility across your entire supply chain.

Following this, we assist in developing a tailored technology strategy. We work with you to formulate a strategic roadmap that aligns technological solutions with your specific supply chain objectives, ensuring a focused approach to digital transformation. This roadmap guides the implementation of low-code applications in a way that supports your goals, optimises processes, and facilitates a smooth transition to more advanced supply chain management.

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2. Design and Development of Custom Low-Code Applications

Leveraging our expertise in low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Apps, our team designs custom applications tailored to address your specific operational challenges. Whether it's demand planning, inventory management, or real-time asset monitoring, we create solutions that streamline processes and enhance efficiency. By focusing on your unique needs, we ensure that the applications we develop not only solve immediate issues but also contribute to long-term operational success.

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3. Seamless Integration and Deployment

We ensure that new applications integrate seamlessly with your existing systems such as ERP, CRM, and legacy supply chain applications, providing a unified platform for all supply chain activities. Our integration process minimises disruptions and ensures that all components of your supply chain work harmoniously together. Additionally, we provide comprehensive training for your staff to maximise the adoption and effective use of new applications. By fostering a culture of innovation within your organisation, we help your team embrace new technologies confidently and efficiently.

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Benefits of Partnering with Trace Consultants

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1. Accelerated Implementation

Our expertise significantly reduces the time from concept to deployment. By streamlining the development process and leveraging the efficiencies of low-code platforms, we enable you to realise benefits much sooner than traditional development methods would allow. This rapid turnaround not only accelerates your return on investment but also allows your business to respond quickly to market changes and opportunities.

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2. Cost-Effective Solutions

By utilising low-code platforms, we minimise development costs while delivering high-quality, customised applications tailored to your specific needs. The reduced need for extensive coding and shorter development cycles mean lower expenditure without compromising on functionality or quality.

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3. Empowered Workforce

Through comprehensive training and the implementation of user-friendly applications, we empower your employees to actively contribute to process improvements and innovation. By involving your team in the development and utilisation of these tools, we foster a culture of continuous improvement and engagement. The low-code ecosystem is a great way to engage super users in developing and improving tactical solutions, while adhering to IT governance policies on architecture, security, and access.

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Conclusion

The success stories of AntTail and Ardent Mills illustrate the profound impact that low-code platforms can have on supply chain management. By partnering with Trace, Australian companies can unlock similar benefits—enhancing operational efficiency, engaging users in solution design, and improving processes and technology in a cost effective way.

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Mathew Tolley

Partner

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Maximising Business Value: Top AI Use Cases in Supply Chain

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming supply chain management by offering innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, improve service, and drive revenue growth. As businesses look to remain competitive, understanding and implementing AI use cases that generate significant business value is critical. This article explores the top AI use cases in the supply chain that deliver high returns across key performance areas such as efficiency gains, service improvement, and revenue growth.

We will delve into each AI use case, highlighting its potential impact on supply chain operations and how Trace Consultants can assist organisations in integrating these AI technologies to maximise business value.

1. Inventory Optimisation

Inventory optimisation is a crucial AI use case that leverages advanced algorithms to balance inventory levels with demand, reducing both excess stock and stockouts. By predicting demand patterns and optimising stock levels, businesses can achieve significant efficiency gains, improve service levels, and drive revenue growth by ensuring product availability.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants offers expertise in implementing AI-driven inventory optimisation solutions. By leveraging predictive analytics and machine learning, Trace Consultants can help businesses maintain optimal inventory levels, reduce carrying costs, and improve customer satisfaction through better product availability.

2. Predictive Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)

Predictive ETA uses AI to provide accurate delivery time predictions, enhancing customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. By analysing various factors such as traffic, weather, and historical data, this AI application improves service levels and helps companies optimise their logistics operations.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants can assist organisations in deploying predictive ETA tools that enhance supply chain visibility and improve on-time delivery performance. By integrating these AI solutions into existing systems, Trace Consultants helps businesses offer more reliable delivery estimates, boosting customer trust and loyalty.

3. Auto Defect Detection

Auto defect detection leverages AI to identify defects in products during the manufacturing process. This use case significantly reduces the likelihood of defective products reaching customers, thereby improving service quality and reducing the costs associated with returns and warranty claims.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants specialises in implementing AI-powered defect detection systems that enhance product quality control. By reducing defect rates, Trace Consultants helps businesses improve customer satisfaction and lower the costs related to quality issues.

4. Lights Out Production

Lights out production refers to fully automated manufacturing processes that require minimal human intervention. AI drives efficiency gains by running production lines autonomously, which can operate around the clock without the need for breaks or shifts, leading to higher output and lower operational costs.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants provides guidance on adopting lights out production methods, helping businesses transition to fully automated manufacturing environments. By integrating AI and robotics, Trace Consultants ensures that companies can achieve maximum efficiency and productivity in their operations.

5. Autonomous Supply Chains

Autonomous supply chains use AI to automate and optimise various supply chain processes, from procurement to delivery. This AI application reduces manual intervention, speeds up decision-making, and improves overall supply chain responsiveness.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants helps organisations design and implement autonomous supply chain solutions that enhance agility and reduce operational costs. By leveraging AI, Trace Consultants enables businesses to respond faster to market changes and maintain a competitive edge.

6. Digital Supply Chain Twin

A digital supply chain twin is a virtual replica of the physical supply chain that uses AI to simulate and analyse various scenarios. This use case allows businesses to optimise supply chain operations, predict potential disruptions, and explore the impact of different strategies on efficiency, service, and revenue.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants offers expertise in creating digital supply chain twins, enabling businesses to simulate and optimise their supply chain operations. By providing a comprehensive view of the supply chain, Trace Consultants helps organisations make data-driven decisions that enhance performance and mitigate risks.

Leveraging AI in Supply Chain with Trace Consultants

AI-driven solutions are revolutionising supply chain management by offering new ways to optimise operations, improve service levels, and drive revenue growth. By focusing on key AI use cases such as inventory optimisation, predictive ETA, auto defect detection, lights out production, autonomous supply chains, and digital supply chain twins, organisations can unlock significant business value.

However, implementing these AI technologies requires specialised expertise and a deep understanding of supply chain dynamics. This is where Trace Consultants can make a significant difference. With extensive experience in supply chain optimisation and AI integration, Trace Consultants offers tailored solutions that help organisations leverage AI to achieve their business goals.

For more information on how Trace Consultants can assist your organisation in integrating AI into your supply chain operations, reach out to their team of experts today.

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Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Rapidly Unlocking Efficiency in Business Operations by Tim Fagan

In today’s dynamic business environment, where efficiency, agility, and scalability are paramount, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is transforming the way companies function. RPA refers to software robots, or “bots", that can handle repetitive, rule-based tasks traditionally managed by humans. By leveraging RPA, businesses can improve productivity, reduce costs, and enable employees to focus on strategic, high-value activities. As RPA technology continues to develop, it offers significant opportunities for organisations to streamline workflows, minimise errors, and drive sustainable growth.

This article explores the fundamentals of RPA, the advantages it brings to businesses, emerging trends in the field, leading RPA vendors, and how the trace. team can help your organisation fully capitalise on RPA’s potential.

A Quick Overview of Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

RPA enables bots to mimic human actions within digital systems, performing tasks such as data entry, invoice processing, and responding to customer queries. Unlike traditional automation that requires extensive programming, RPA is designed to integrate with existing systems, making it accessible and adaptable across various business functions. These bots can operate 24/7, executing tasks faster and with greater accuracy than human counterparts, helping organisations increase speed, accuracy, and scalability in operations.

The Benefits of RPA for Businesses

Implementing RPA delivers multiple advantages that can drive significant improvements across business functions:

1. Increased Efficiency: RPA automates repetitive, high-volume tasks, resulting in faster and more precise outcomes. This efficiency enhancement frees employees from mundane work, enabling them to focus on complex, value-driven tasks.

2. Cost Savings: By reducing labour-intensive processes, RPA lowers staffing costs and minimises expenses related to human error. Many companies experience substantial cost savings, often achieving rapid returns on their RPA investments.

3. Enhanced Accuracy and Compliance: RPA bots execute tasks with consistent accuracy, minimising the risk of errors and ensuring adherence to regulatory standards. This compliance is especially valuable in sectors with strict regulations.

4. Scalability and Flexibility: RPA enables businesses to scale automation efforts up or down as needed, providing flexibility to handle seasonal spikes or fluctuating workloads.

5. Improved Employee Satisfaction: Automating repetitive tasks allows employees to focus on more rewarding work, boosting morale and allowing organisations to deploy their workforce in roles that drive innovation and growth.

Emerging Trends in RPA

As RPA technology advances, it incorporates new capabilities that extend its impact across industries. Key trends currently shaping the RPA landscape include:

1. Intelligent Automation (IA): RPA combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) enables Intelligent Automation (IA), which goes beyond simple task automation. IA bots can interpret unstructured data (such as emails or documents), recognise patterns, and make decisions, adding a cognitive element to traditional RPA.

2. AI-Led Opportunity Identification: AI-powered tools are increasingly used to identify automation opportunities by analysing operational data, such as timestamps or communications. By understanding the frequency and volume of tasks, AI can make recommendations for automation, helping companies prioritise projects for maximum impact.

3. Hyper automation: Hyper automation is the integration of multiple technologies—RPA, AI, ML, and analytics—to automate complex, end-to-end workflows. This holistic approach enables organisations to achieve complete operational transformation, accelerating digital transformation.

4. Process Mining and Task Mining: Process mining and task mining tools analyse workflows to uncover inefficiencies and automation opportunities. These tools enable companies to ensure that RPA implementations target the most impactful areas, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

5. Low-Code/No-Code RPA: As low-code and no-code platforms become more popular, RPA solutions like Microsoft Power Automate are becoming accessible to non-technical users. These platforms allow business users to design and deploy automation workflows without extensive coding knowledge, encouraging cross-functional collaboration and democratising automation.

Leading RPA Vendors

The RPA market is highly competitive, offering diverse solutions for various business needs. Some of the top RPA vendors include:

• Microsoft Power Automate: Part of Microsoft’s Power Platform, Power Automate integrates seamlessly with Microsoft applications, making it a strong choice for organisations already using Microsoft products.

• UiPath: Known for its ease of use and extensive capabilities, UiPath is a leading RPA provider offering AI and analytics solutions that suit enterprise-grade automation needs.

• Automation Anywhere: A major player in cloud-native RPA, Automation Anywhere supports intelligent automation and is widely used in finance, healthcare, and retail.

How trace. Can Help You Leverage RPA

trace. understands that effective RPA implementation is more than just adopting new software; it requires a strategic approach customised to your organisation’s unique needs and objectives. Our team has a wealth of experience in supply chain management and operational optimisation, making us well-equipped to support your RPA journey.

How trace. Can Help:

1. Process Assessment and Strategy Development: We conduct an in-depth analysis of your existing workflows to identify where RPA can provide the greatest value. By understanding your business processes, we design an RPA strategy that aligns with your goals and maximises efficiency gains.

2. Solution Design and Implementation: Our experts collaborate with your team to create RPA solutions that integrate smoothly with your workflows. From data entry automation to reporting, we deliver scalable, secure solutions that are easy for your team to adopt.

3. Vendor Selection and Customisation: We help you evaluate RPA platforms based on features, scalability, and cost, recommending the best fit for your business. We then customise the solution to ensure it meets your specific requirements.

4. Training and Change Management: Successful RPA adoption relies on a supportive work environment. We offer training to help your team adapt, along with change management services to ensure smooth implementation with minimal disruption.

5. Continuous Improvement and Support: Our team provides ongoing support, monitoring RPA performance, identifying new automation opportunities, and adjusting as needed to keep your RPA solutions optimised.

Final Thoughts

Robotic Process Automation is a transformative technology that streamlines operations, reduces costs, and boosts productivity. However, to unlock its full potential, companies need an experienced partner. trace. brings a track record of delivering results-oriented automation solutions, helping businesses drive efficiency and achieve sustainable growth. Whether you’re just starting with RPA or expanding existing automation, our team can guide your business to success in an increasingly automated world.

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Tim Fagan

Senior Manager

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