Supply Chain
About Supply Chain
What Is Supply Chain?
The supply chain is the network of all businesses, resources, activities, and technology involved in the creation and sale of a product, from the initial raw materials to delivery of the assembled product to the customer. Manufacturing’s next advances on this frontier will include predictive analytics. Systems will warn manufacturers of potential disruptions in a supply chain before they happen and also will forecast which materials and components customers will want— when and why.
Click the button below to learn more about how to strengthen your supply chain.
What Does MxD Do?
MxD does two things to advance supply chain performance. First, it funds projects that optimize the supply chain, often incorporating sensors, software, and analytics. Second, it serves as a convener of organizations in the supply chain. Communication among suppliers and top-tier manufacturers often is lacking; a gulf exists between the digital haves and have-nots. Manufacturers large and small need guidance and a neutral forum to share best practices to bring along their supply chain.
Testimonials
“The success of our company also depends on the success of our suppliers. Thousands of small businesses work with us daily, and they have to be successful for us to be successful. That has been part of the value proposition of MxD.”
Ademola Idowu
Senior Research Scientist & Innovation Program Leader, Dow
“MxD can help transform the U.S. supply chain because it has industry-wide scope, serving multiple manufacturing industries including aerospace and defense suppliers.”
Shane Fazzio
Senior Research Engineering Manager, Lockheed Martin
“American manufacturing must remain competitive since it underpins national and economic security. The advanced manufacturing technology being pioneered at MxD strengthens the U.S. industrial base and supply chain resiliency to support our warfighters.”
Tracy Frost
Director, Technology Industrial Innovation Base
“The success of our company also depends on the success of our suppliers. Thousands of small businesses work with us daily, and they have to be successful for us to be successful. That has been part of the value proposition of MxD.”
Ademola Idowu
Senior Research Scientist & Innovation Program Leader, Dow
“MxD can help transform the U.S. supply chain because it has industry-wide scope, serving multiple manufacturing industries including aerospace and defense suppliers.”
Shane Fazzio
Senior Research Engineering Manager, Lockheed Martin
“American manufacturing must remain competitive since it underpins national and economic security. The advanced manufacturing technology being pioneered at MxD strengthens the U.S. industrial base and supply chain resiliency to support our warfighters.”
Tracy Frost
Director, Technology Industrial Innovation Base
“The success of our company also depends on the success of our suppliers. Thousands of small businesses work with us daily, and they have to be successful for us to be successful. That has been part of the value proposition of MxD.”
Ademola Idowu
Senior Research Scientist & Innovation Program Leader, Dow
“MxD can help transform the U.S. supply chain because it has industry-wide scope, serving multiple manufacturing industries including aerospace and defense suppliers.”
Shane Fazzio
Senior Research Engineering Manager, Lockheed Martin
“American manufacturing must remain competitive since it underpins national and economic security. The advanced manufacturing technology being pioneered at MxD strengthens the U.S. industrial base and supply chain resiliency to support our warfighters.”
Tracy Frost
Director, Technology Industrial Innovation Base
“The success of our company also depends on the success of our suppliers. Thousands of small businesses work with us daily, and they have to be successful for us to be successful. That has been part of the value proposition of MxD.”
Ademola Idowu
Senior Research Scientist & Innovation Program Leader, Dow
“MxD can help transform the U.S. supply chain because it has industry-wide scope, serving multiple manufacturing industries including aerospace and defense suppliers.”
Shane Fazzio
Senior Research Engineering Manager, Lockheed Martin
Facts & Figures
Facts & Figures
What is supply chain 4.0?
Facts & Figures
McKinsey & Company defines it as the application of the Internet of Things, the use of advanced robotics, and the application of advanced analytics of big data in supply chain management.
Facts & Figures
Where is the supply chain most disrupted by natural disasters and other weather events?
Facts & Figures
The United States. In 2017, the U.S. for the first time became the most impacted region in the world, according to Resilinc. (Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria)
Facts & Figures
What will parts forecasting look like in the future?
Facts & Figures
Advanced algorithms will provide probability distributions of expected demand versus a single number.
Facts & Figures
How important is the accuracy of shipping data?
Facts & Figures
Almost 20% of supply chain managers surveyed by Dunn & Bradstreet said they had lost a customer because of incomplete or inaccurate shipping information.
Facts & Figures
Tap the square to reveal the answer
Facts & Figures
What is supply chain 4.0?
Facts & Figures
McKinsey & Company defines it as the application of the Internet of Things, the use of advanced robotics, and the application of advanced analytics of big data in supply chain management.
Facts & Figures
Where is the supply chain most disrupted by natural disasters and other weather events?
Facts & Figures
The United States. In 2017, the U.S. for the first time became the most impacted region in the world, according to Resilinc. (Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria)
Facts & Figures
What will parts forecasting look like in the future?
Facts & Figures
Advanced algorithms will provide probability distributions of expected demand versus a single number.
Facts & Figures
How important is the accuracy of shipping data?
Facts & Figures
Almost 20% of supply chain managers surveyed by Dunn & Bradstreet said they had lost a customer because of incomplete or inaccurate shipping information.
More Success Stories
3.
Digitizing Legacy Machines
Replacing or modifying legacy machines sometimes is too expensive or would disrupt production or void a warranty. So MxD funded the development of a sensor retrofit kit that communicates data through an industry standard MTConnect interface to a cloud dashboard.
4.
Jobs Taxonomy: Defining the Jobs of the Future
In 2017, MxD (under its previous name, DMDII) and ManpowerGroup released a digital workforce taxonomy, a groundbreaking analysis that identified 165 new data-centric manufacturing jobs—roles like “collaborative robotics technician” and “predictive maintenance systems specialist.”
1.
Supply Chain Risk Alert
Dow, Microsoft, ITAMCO, and two universities are teaming up to build a supply chain risk alert system that will warn manufacturers further down the supply chain of delays caused by emergencies, weather, or natural disasters.
2.
Reducing Volumetric Error
Caterpillar and researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign generated new algorithms and methods for using laser trackers and scanners in manufacturing large cast parts.
3.
Digitizing Legacy Machines
Replacing or modifying legacy machines sometimes is too expensive or would disrupt production or void a warranty. So MxD funded the development of a sensor retrofit kit that communicates data through an industry standard MTConnect interface to a cloud dashboard.
4.
Jobs Taxonomy: Defining the Jobs of the Future
In 2017, MxD (under its previous name, DMDII) and ManpowerGroup released a digital workforce taxonomy, a groundbreaking analysis that identified 165 new data-centric manufacturing jobs—roles like “collaborative robotics technician” and “predictive maintenance systems specialist.”
1.
Supply Chain Risk Alert
Dow, Microsoft, ITAMCO, and two universities are teaming up to build a supply chain risk alert system that will warn manufacturers further down the supply chain of delays caused by emergencies, weather, or natural disasters.
2.
Reducing Volumetric Error
Caterpillar and researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign generated new algorithms and methods for using laser trackers and scanners in manufacturing large cast parts.
3.
Digitizing Legacy Machines
Replacing or modifying legacy machines sometimes is too expensive or would disrupt production or void a warranty. So MxD funded the development of a sensor retrofit kit that communicates data through an industry standard MTConnect interface to a cloud dashboard.
4.
Jobs Taxonomy: Defining the Jobs of the Future
In 2017, MxD (under its previous name, DMDII) and ManpowerGroup released a digital workforce taxonomy, a groundbreaking analysis that identified 165 new data-centric manufacturing jobs—roles like “collaborative robotics technician” and “predictive maintenance systems specialist.”
1.
Supply Chain Risk Alert
Dow, Microsoft, ITAMCO, and two universities are teaming up to build a supply chain risk alert system that will warn manufacturers further down the supply chain of delays caused by emergencies, weather, or natural disasters.
2.
Reducing Volumetric Error
Caterpillar and researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign generated new algorithms and methods for using laser trackers and scanners in manufacturing large cast parts.
3.
Digitizing Legacy Machines
Replacing or modifying legacy machines sometimes is too expensive or would disrupt production or void a warranty. So MxD funded the development of a sensor retrofit kit that communicates data through an industry standard MTConnect interface to a cloud dashboard.
4.
Jobs Taxonomy: Defining the Jobs of the Future
In 2017, MxD (under its previous name, DMDII) and ManpowerGroup released a digital workforce taxonomy, a groundbreaking analysis that identified 165 new data-centric manufacturing jobs—roles like “collaborative robotics technician” and “predictive maintenance systems specialist.”
1.
Supply Chain Risk Alert
Dow, Microsoft, ITAMCO, and two universities are teaming up to build a supply chain risk alert system that will warn manufacturers further down the supply chain of delays caused by emergencies, weather, or natural disasters.
2.
Reducing Volumetric Error
Caterpillar and researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign generated new algorithms and methods for using laser trackers and scanners in manufacturing large cast parts.