A little over a third of UK supply chain businesses are using their own data to make strategic decisions, while a fifth said they are not using their supply chain data at all, according to a report.

The poll of 250 UK and 250 US businesses found just 61% of UK respondents recognised the importance of connecting disparate supply chain data, compared to 82% of American respondents.

It also found 30% of UK firms planned to invest in technology to ‘de-risk’ their supply chain within the next year.

The survey by software firm FourKites and YouGov showed that 62% of UK respondents said their supply chain digitisation was sub-par, whereas only 34% of US respondents said the same.

“Two-thirds of responding companies are using supply chain data only for simple, day-to-day tasks - many have yet to realise the opportunity to look at their supply chain end-to-end to make informed, strategic decisions,” said FourKites chief strategy officer Fabrizio Brasca. “At the root of this issue is the ongoing struggle to fully digitise the supply chain and have a single source of data.

“For instance, with a real-time view of inventory levels across facilities, supply chain leaders can proactively mitigate the risk of stockouts and prevent orders from being cut, leading to a better end-customer experience.”

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