Google Unveils Supply Chain Twin Solution

Google on Tuesday (Sept. 14) rolled out Supply Chain Twin, a Google Cloud-based initiative that helps companies to create a so-called “digital twin” of their physical supply chain, according to a Venture Beat report.

Supply Chain Twin organizes a company’s data to provide a full picture of their suppliers, inventories and events that might affect deliveries and supply chain movement, including weather. Companies can also access the new Supply Chain Pulse module for dashboards, analytics, alerts and collaboration in Google Workspace. In 2020, out-of-stock items cost companies $1.14 trillion, the report says.

Supply Chain Twin allows companies to consolidate information from a variety of sources by letting data be shared with suppliers and trusted partners and draws from public sources to incorporate information related to weather, risk and sustainability.

“Siloed and incomplete data is limiting the visibility companies have into their supply chains,” Hans Thalbauer, managing director of supply chain and logistics at Google Cloud, said in a company statement. “The Supply Chain Twin enables customers to gain deeper insights into their operations, helping them optimize supply chain functions from sourcing and planning to distribution and logistics.”

Supply Chain Pulse incorporates real-time information, event management, optimizations and simulations, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to generate operational metrics displayed on performance dashboards. The module can also alert users when their metrics are met or there are issues to resolve.

Pulse’s AI algorithms can help companies deal with problems sooner and simulate what could happen in hypothetical scenarios to see if they should explore that approach further or abandon it completely.

Supply Chain Twin and Supply Chain Pulse join Google’s Visual Inspection AI — which quickly spots defects in manufactured goods — as solutions that use AI to help companies streamline their operations and improve their efficiency.

Related: Google Cloud Retail Search Aims To Solve $300B Abandonment Problem

In July, Google Cloud debuted a new Retail Search product to reduce the $300 billion search abandonment problem by using machine learning to allow retailers to enhance consumer experiences with personalized results and relevant promotions.