RPA, AI bolster supply chain resilience in times of crisis

Supply chain resilience is more critical than ever amid unprecedented disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, supply chains are viewed more as lifelines connecting business and society to goods and services -- from personal protective equipment to personal digital assistants -- with robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning pressed into service at an accelerated pace. Working virtually alongside humans or replacing them, RPA software bots are as essential as the front-line workers who keep the supply chain flowing from product conception to delivery. But the rush to take full advantage of RPA for highly repetitive, time-consuming tasks and AI for more complex supply chain processes is not without roadblocks as companies shift priorities, digitally transform and contend with the aftershocks of the pandemic. According to KPMG's 2020 Outlook, CEOs surveyed during July and August identified supply chain risk as one of the "greatest threats to their organizations' growth."