Improve supply chain resiliency

Create value from transformation

Enhance workforce productivity

Chart a path to growth

Build trust in technology

While the sources of supply chain disruption may change, your supply chain should become more agile and responsive. To achieve true end-to-end supply chain visibility, you need a combination of technology, accurate and reliable data, and streamlined processes. You’ll also need to work closely with stakeholders within your supply chain. Start by structuring data and building shared visibility capabilities to help improve service, recover quickly from adverse events, and build transparency. Consider also whether your operating model should be updated to provide visibility into costs, speed and environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts. Next, scrutinize your supply chain network through a customer-centric lens to identify other areas for improvement, such as a need to enhance the physical design of manufacturing/supply processes, collaborating closely with partners to address bottlenecks. Finally, integrate cross-functional planning to respond quickly and efficiently to changes in demand as well as supply shortages. End-to-end visibility is critical because it builds the essential foundation for strengthening and transforming your supply chain to weather the next disruption.

Improve supply chain resiliency

— PwC Pulse Survey, August 2022

of COOs plan to increase investments in technology to improve supply chain planning.

Improve supply chain resiliency

58%

cOO

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Digital transformation is seldom easy or quick. But COOs know that digital solutions can help make operations more efficient, despite challenges like ongoing supply chain disruptions. Integration of certain technologies and processes across operations is critical to building an intelligent digital ecosystem for your enterprise. For consumer markets in particular, connected supply chains are key to unlocking omnichannel growth by offering customers the ability to make purchases from anywhere with flexible delivery and pickup options. In manufacturing, smart factories combine the power of robotics and automation with data-driven insights and decision-making. This kind of transformation can set you up to go beyond supply chain basics like increasing efficiency and managing costs to pinpoint value creation opportunities in digitization, sustainability and new business models. Successful transformation can also lay the groundwork for a more resilient supply chain.

Create value from transformation

— PwC Pulse Survey, August 2022

of COOs plan to increase investments in digital transformation in the next 12 months.

Create value from transformation

50%

cOo

COO insights from the PwC Pulse Survey

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Workforce issues — particularly skills shortages and productivity — are top of mind for operations leaders. You understand the importance and nuances of hiring and retaining skilled workers — and you’ve felt no small degree of pain around higher-than-average turnover among supply chain employees in particular. To manage workforce costs and enable productivity, consider investing in capabilities to automate repetitive manual tasks while improving accuracy and worker efficiency. In addition to benefiting from automation, you can help retain employees and attract new talent by upskilling workers to address particular digital or supply chain skills gaps. Expanding your people’s skills and automating time-consuming manual tasks can help your teams work smarter, not harder. With remote and hybrid work, you need to monitor and fine-tune the technology that enables remote collaboration and enhances productivity. Work with your chief information officer (CIO) and chief human resources officer (CHRO) to confirm that both remote and on-site employees have the tools and platforms they need to work efficiently, including collaboration solutions and on-demand data access.

Enhance workforce productivity

of COOs say they'll focus on workforce (e.g., talent, workplace safety, remote work) to help manage costs.

—PwC Pulse Survey, August 2022

Enhance workforce productivity

40%

COO

Workforce in supply chains: Skills and labor shortages test companies

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Take a multifaceted approach to drive growth by streamlining operations, lowering costs and focusing digital investments in a variety of areas, including product development, customer experience, manufacturing execution systems and supply chain planning. Automation of manufacturing and distribution centers plays a key role, as do digital transformation and business process optimization. As you look to make the most of digital investments, focus on integrating what worked during the pandemic and learning from what didn't. In addition to finding more ways technology solutions can save money, consider simplifying product lines and improving inventory management. To remain competitive, many companies are also shifting to new business models, some of which involve diversifying their offerings — for example, moving from selling traditional tangible products to digital solutions. Consider whether transformational M&A investments may make sense for your business or industry to achieve these goals.

Chart a path to growth

— PwC Pulse Survey, August 2022

of COOs plan increased investment in IT in the next 12 months as part of plans to streamline operations and drive profitable growth.

Chart a path to growth

56%

cOO

Deals 2022 midyear outlook

COO insights from the PwC Pulse Survey

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of CROs and COOs are extremely or very concerned about their company's ability to withstand supply chain attacks.

— 2023 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey

Build trust in technology

56%

cOo

Technology is a top priority for COOs: Over half say they plan to increase investments in IT in the next year to streamline operations. It’s just as important for you to be able to trust the information coming from technology solutions — inventory data, for example — and that the data is secure, with built-in data safeguards and access controls. Strengthening trust starts with your vendors, whose solutions supplement your strategy with critical capabilities that facilitate procurement and supply chain risk management and help manage overall spend. Stay on top of data governance, which is important not only for operational resilience but also for compliance as US and global regulations increase in number and complexity. The implementation of technology solutions and controls should help facilitate the compliance process. Consider also the potential risks posed by third parties in the supply chain. Our research shows that only 40% of global companies say they thoroughly understand their third-party cyber and privacy risks — but enterprises with strong cybersecurity outcomes typically have a better track record addressing third-party risks.

Build trust in technology

2023 Global Digital Trust Insights

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COOs often oversee a global physical network, so the tax and tariff implications of managing a geographically diverse ecosystem of suppliers and partners are top of mind. With trade agreements in flux and the potential for higher global taxes on the horizon, it’s crucial to align with tax leaders to stay on top of local jurisdictions and trading lanes that could provide tax advantages now or in the future. Nurture relationships with tax colleagues to better understand what geographic moves might be advantageous from a tax perspective. Together, you can identify critical trade-off decisions that could make or break costs, better monitor and interpret the implications of global tax policy, and create pathways to advantage — whether as a temporary response to disruption or a more permanent path forward.

Team up with tax leaders

Putting tax up front: Activate your digital strategy with confidence

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— PwC Pulse Survey, August 2022

of COOs and tax leaders say they’re tracking global tax trends.

Team up with tax leaders

83%

cOo

Team up with tax leaders

Cloud security

Crisis response

Board relationships

Protect operations

Having weathered the last two years of nearly constant crises due to the pandemic, COOs now have the opportunity to prioritize growth — even with ongoing economic headwinds. Improving operations is an ongoing process, and COOs are using learnings from the pandemic to inform their next moves. When you’re not putting out fires all day, you can turn your attention to fireproofing. You can strengthen operational and supply chain resiliency through the implementation of digital solutions and rethinking or streamlining related processes. This often means taking the long view, strengthening capabilities today to bring about incremental improvements that can set up your organization to succeed in the future.

What’s important to COOs now

Topics shaping the operations transformation agenda

PwC Digital Trends in Supply Chain Survey 2022

As supply chain disruption persists, follow this path to normal

Seven imperatives for moving beyond digital

Workforce Transformation: The power of people, reimagined

Technology in supply chains: Investments yield mixed results

Channel operational disruption into competitive advantage

COO

6. Team up with tax leaders

5. Build trust in technology

4. Chart a path to growth

3. Enhance workforce productivity

2. Create value from transformation

1. Improve supply chain resiliency

Content

7. Cloud security

8. Crisis response

9. Board relationships

10. Protect operations

Re-envisioning the supply chain for transformation, value and growth

PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2022

PwC and Coupa: Delivering sustained outcomes that make a difference

Recent US trade developments affecting supply chains

Tax readiness: How to support digital transformation and supply chain disruption

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