CARGOCONNECT-APRIL2026 - Flipbook - Page 68
Panel 3
Digital Command – Elevating Visibility, Accountability
and Coordination
“In today’s business environment,
organisations are constantly under
pressure to accelerate operations
and reduce response times. This
growing demand for speed is pushing
companies to adopt digital solutions rather than relying solely on
traditional operational approaches,
particularly when managing complex
chemical logistics and supply chain
processes. In this context, data and
analytics have become central to performance management. Digital ecosystems
increasingly rely on large volumes of data to support decision-making. For
instance, online payment platforms demonstrate how digital infrastructure
can process and analyse large datasets in real-time to enable seamless
execution. Similarly, in supply chain operations, data serves as the foundation for advanced analytics supported by technologies such as arti昀椀cial
intelligence and machine learning. However, while data-driven systems
enhance analytical capabilities, decision-making remains a collaborative
process. The insights generated by AI ML tools must be complemented by
human expertise, experience and team-based evaluation.”
URVESH VALA, Head– Material Engineering & Technology, L&T Energy
Hydrocarbon Engineering (MODERATOR)
“Today, many organisations operate
supply chain control towers, which
are evolving into decision acceleration
centres. They integrate real-time data
from multiple enterprise systems and
use analytics to generate predictive
insights and prescriptive recommendations. This enables faster
and more informed decision-making
across operations. AI adoption is
growing rapidly and is increasingly
in昀氀uencing planning, production and supply chain processes. Organisations
are also increasingly using ML models such as Neural Network and Long
Short-Term Memory that allow them to move beyond static forecasts to
probabilistic forecasting, where demand predictions include di昀昀erent probability scenarios based on market signals, customer demand changes and
potential supply risks. Further, IoT technologies are playing a vital role in
manufacturing operations by monitoring parameters such as temperature,
pressure and viscosity in real time. In logistics, tracking technologies like
Global Positioning System are helping monitor product movement and
maintain quality conditions during transportation.”
VISHAL KRISHNA PRASAD, Solution Architect– Digital
Transformation Operations & Supply Chain, Hempel Paints (India)
68 | CARGOCONNECT APRIL 2026
“Major challenge organisations face in advancing digital
transformation is system
integration. Companies
today have strong ideas,
capable tools and advanced
technologies available, yet
integrating new solutions
with existing enterprise
systems remains difficult.
Legacy architectures, particularly within enterprise resource planning platforms such as SAP ERP,
often create barriers when organisations attempt to deploy new digital
capabilities. While the talent and intent exist, seamless integration across
platforms remains a critical hurdle. As the business environment becomes
more complex, systems would require continuous re昀椀nement to remain
e昀昀ective and relevant. Looking ahead, the development of more open and
interoperable digital ecosystems, potentially supported by technologies
such as OpenAI, may help simplify integration and make platforms easier
to adopt. Such advancements could signi昀椀cantly reduce implementation
complexity, improve speed of deployment and help organisations achieve more
cost-e昀케cient digital transformation across their supply chain operations.”
ANAND IYER, Head– Corporate EXIM and Commercial, Thermax
