Backroom to boardroom: Securing supply chain’s seat at the table
This insightful report, focused on India, highlights the transformative shift of supply chains from operational functions to strategic powerhouses driving business success. Drawing on insights from 150+ supply chain leaders, it reveals where various industries currently stand and where they aim to be in the future. The report showcases how supply chains are indispensable for growth and competitive advantage, and why they should have a rightful strategic position at the decision table, which is essential for businesses to thrive, innovate, and secure a sustainable future in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
The report focuses on 4 themes:
Supply chain seat at the table – elevating supply chains to the strategic table
Responsiveness – adapting swiftly to market disruptions
Resilience and risk management – safeguarding for robust business continuity
Sustainability and trust – ethical, compliant and trust-centric supply chain
About the survey
The PwC India survey gathers perspectives from C-suite executives and senior supply chain leaders across industries such as retail, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, and construction, providing a comprehensive view of the evolving supply chain landscape in India.
Participants
Participating Industry
of leaders feel supply chains remain underleveraged in strategic decision-making
Just are well prepared to handle and thrive during supply chain disruptions
Only have deployed AI/GenAI use cases delivering real supply chain value
Leader speak
A sustainable supply chain reflects a commitment to ethical practices that benefit both the planet and the bottom line, creating the right balance between profitability, environmental and societal responsibility.
Key findings
In our survey, technology infrastructure gaps emerged as the topmost challenge for supply chains with 76% of leaders acknowledging the need to bridge such gaps, followed by capability challenges (61%) and siloed working environment (53%).
Key challenges for supply chain
Top drivers for supply chain digital transformation
Status of Al/GenAl adoption in supply chain in organisation
Recommendations
Hover on each tile to view more
Improve collaboration
Improve collaboration by fully integrating customers, vendors, and internal teams—addressing the fact that around 50% of organizations have yet to achieve this—to strengthen supply chain resilience and responsiveness.
Foster trust and transparency
Foster trust and transparency through robust communication and technology, with 21% advocating for transparency-enhancing strategies.
Elevate supply chain
Elevate supply chain discussions to the CEO level, as highlighted by 20% of respondents as crucial for strategic integration.
Enhance responsiveness
Enhance responsiveness by adopting digital procurement platforms (67% currently investing) and warehouse management systems (58% investing) to meet customer expectations.
Build resilience
Build resilience by diversifying suppliers and leveraging technologies such as digital twins, collaborative platforms and AI-enabled analytics, indicated by 65% of leaders actively investing in risk management.
Embed sustainability
Embed sustainability with ROI-driven business cases (67% prioritizing) and foster collaboration across stakeholders (59%), responding to the fact that 60% of consumers now prefer products with lower environmental impact.
Explore our offerings
Read the full report for more details
Take the survey
Given that many companies struggle to fully leverage AI, achieve supply chain agility, and build resilience—while also meeting rising sustainability demands—do you feel your supply chain is positioned to move from an operational support role to a strategic growth enabler with a clear seat at the decision-making table?
If you think your supply chain needs a stronger seat at the table to unlock its full potential and contribute meaningfully to your business strategy, PwC can help. Contact us to transform your supply chain into a strategic engine of growth and resilience.
