The Smart Supply Chain: A Digital Revolution

Not since the 1970s introduction of the barcode-the universal language of retail-has the apparel industry undergone such a radical transformation. In the past 12 months, an important development-the upgrade of the world's barcode standard to give every product a web address in a standardized format-has shifted this language to digital, giving every physical product a universal digital identity on the web. A digital revolution, or "the smart supply chain," is here. "The traditional view of the supply chain has been basically a siloed situation. An organization could only control information about part of the lifecycle of the product-visibility to your own enterprise, or your own distribution center," explains Niall Murphy, founder and CEO of Everythng.