At the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics
2023 Omnichannel Survey is Open
How is e-commerce transforming supply chains? What is the state of the art in omnichannel fulfillment? What are the current challenges that companies are facing when fulfilling omnichannel orders?
If you’re a practitioner with experience in e-commerce and omnichannel fulfillment, your opinion matters to us! A crucial part of the research, the MIT Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab is surveying the challenges, opportunities, and solutions industry leaders are seeing. The 2023 Omnichannel Survey is open now!
What is the MIT Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab?
The MIT Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab is developing new insight into how omnichannel fulfillment transforms supply chains through cutting-edge research with innovative companies.
- The rapid growth of mobile technology and e-commerce has dramatically changed customer behaviors and the needs of the different supply chain actors that support these behaviors.
- Our research identifies key challenges in responding to omnichannel market demands and develops strategies to face these challenges.
- The goal is to help companies identify new capabilities and technologies that will unlock new opportunities for growth and efficiency in omnichannel distribution networks.
- Our core areas of expertise include fulfillment strategies, trends in warehouse automation, omnichannel returns, and the role of AI in omnichannel and e-commerce.
Research Tracks
Current State and Future Trends
- Annual survey of industry professionals in partnership with DC Velocity and CSCMP
Network Design and Innovation
- Leveraging brick-and-mortar for e-commerce
- Channel integration
- E-fulfillment strategies
Warehouse of the Future
- Crafting a vision for the next decade
- Robotics and other advanced technologies
- Risks and vulnerabilities
Other Research Initiatives
- Role of AI in Omnichannel
- Circular supply chain initiatives
- Sustainable warehouses
Recent Research Partners
Research Team
Dr. Eva Ponce
Founder & Director
Exec. Director, MITx MM in SCM
Omnichannel
Dr. Inma Borrella
Research Scientist
Academic Lead, MITx MM in SCM
Digital SC Transformations
Dr. Miguel Rodriguez Garcia
Postdoctoral Associate
Course Lead, MITx MM in SCM
Warehouse Technologies
Ms. Laura Allegue
Research Assistant
Course Lead, MITx MM in SCM
Omnichannel
Mr. Kellen Betts
Research Assistant
Course Lead, MITx MM in SCM
Sustainability
MIT Collaborators
Dr. Maria Jesus Saenz
Research Scientist
Exec. Director, SCM, MIT CTL
Digital SC Transformation
Dr. Jafar Namdar
Postdoctoral Associate
MIT CTL
Human-AI Collaboration
Dr. Thomas Koch
Postdoctoral Associate
MIT CTL
Data Security
International Research Collaborators
Dr. Adriana Gabor
Associate Professor
Khalifa University
Dr. Edgar Gutierrez-Franco
Research Affiliate
MIT CTL
Dr. Sergio Caballero
Senior Manager, Data Science
Walmart
Recent Student Research Assistants
Geoffrey Allen
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘23
Kirill Lobanov
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘23
Osama Alhasan
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘23
Shoichi Ishida
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘23
Alejandro Bosch
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘22
Ankita Arora
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘22
Kenneth Critchlow
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘22
Miguel Garcia Gonzalez
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘22
Pedro Benitez
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘22
Taylor Peterson
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘22
Abhijeet Singh
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘21
Jacob Backstrom
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘21
Niranjini Kumar
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘21
Yixuab Fang
SCM Master’s Graduate ‘21
Research Highlights
The rapid growth of mobile technology and e-commerce has dramatically changed retail behaviors and the needs of the supply chains that support these behaviors. Our research identifies key challenges in responding to omnichannel market demands and develops strategies to face these challenges.
How AI will revolutionize supply chains
Even the sturdiest supply chains are vulnerable to seismic shocks, whether due to groundbreaking technological advancements, geopolitical shifts, or global crises. Amid these sources of turbulence, artificial intelligence (AI) can be a game-changer, offering a source of rapid response and sustainable solutions to keep supply chains strong.
Recently, a panel of experts convened to discuss the convergence of AI and supply chains as part of Fast Company and Inc.’s AI Bootcamp series, in partnership with SAP, a leader in resource planning software series. The conversation explored AI’s potential for building more robust supply chains, as well as the challenges companies need to consider as they lean on technology to maximize efficiency and procurement efforts. Here are four takeaways from that conversation.
“One of the most common reasons I have seen companies fail when implementing disruptive technologies like AI is when they are rushing, with a lack of clear vision,” says Dr. Eva Ponce.
Highlighted in MIT News with the full story in Fast Company.
The Warehouse of the Future: Toward Highly Automated, Interconnected, Sustainable Warehouses
In this white paper, we detail the concept and fundamental characteristics of the warehouse of the future: a shift toward a highly automated, interconnected system that leverages automation and digitalization to enhance precision, flexibility, and efficiency to adapt to changing market and supply chain trends, while integrating environmental sustainability alongside technological innovation. This concept signifies a forward-thinking model that aligns operational efficiency with a sustainable approach to warehousing, that is pivotal to the evolution of contemporary supply chains.
A Roadmap for and Potential Vulnerabilities in the Warehouse of the Future
In collaboration with one of the largest Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies, we helped design the roadmap for their Warehouse of the Future (WoF). This company specializes in manufacturing and distributing various packaged food products, including snacks, beverages, cheese, convenient meals, and other grocery items. Our research focused on aligning their Supply Chain and Digital Strategy visions with their warehouse operations. We worked closely with internal stakeholders, conducted a series of in-person workshops, and delivered a detailed roadmap for their WoF with actionable plans.
Currently, we are expanding on this work by exploring potential vulnerabilities in highly automated warehouses. The complex nature of new warehouse technologies, such as digital twins, drones, or collaborative robots, obscures potential weaknesses and since these systems are often interconnected, a disruption in a single facility could impact the entire supply chain, leading to significant losses in productivity and profits. Our goal is to identify potential vulnerabilities in emerging warehouse technologies and data management through cutting-edge research.
Contact Us
+1 (617) 715-4169
1 Amherst Street
MIT Building E40-369
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States
+1 (617) 715-4169
1 Amherst Street
MIT Building E40-369
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States