AI is starting to play a major role in how companies negotiate with suppliers. These advancements are driven by the need for greater speed, scalability, and strategic agility due to increasingly complex supply chains and disruptions caused by external factors such as weather and trade wars. Once a cost-saving tool for automating low-value, repetitive negotiations, AI is now being used to make key decisions in procurement.

The case study presents Dell’s experience in employing transformative efforts for their global operations and it clearly shows the importance of aligning a common vision among the different functions of the company.

This article explores how approaches to key elements of supply chain management vary across geographies, particularly in North America versus the rest of the world. In a globalized business environment, critical capabilities such as a company’s ability to handle risk, embrace innovative technology, and ensure that the workforce has the right skills can differ markedly from country to country.

This research investigates how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) forecasting methodologies can be leveraged for cold chain capacity planning, specifically utilizing Prophet and Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average parametrized through grid search. In collaboration with Americold, the world’s second-largest refrigerated logistic service provider, the study explores the challenges and opportunities in applying AI/ML techniques to complex operations covering 385 customers and a capacity of 73,296 pallet positions.