The wave of digital transformation that has prompted businesses to migrate some applications to the cloud and re-evaluate process efficiency has officially hit the Manufacturing and Distribution (M&D) industry. Having shifted their sourcing to a handful of large overseas suppliers over the past decade, many companies were unprepared for COVID-19 lockdowns that increased demand for certain materials and introduced new business models and shopping habits as global supply chains were disrupted. In anticipation of the next worldwide crisis, M&Ds can refocus on their core businesses, streamline and automate tax management, and redesign their supply chains to be more flexible, scalable and risk-tolerant.

In this white paper, we will review some highlights from IDG’s Research’s MarketPulse Survey of employees at M&D organizations with revenues of between $250 million and $1 billion. The purpose of the research was to better understand from M&D employees the drivers behind decisions, challenges they are facing today, and any future-state technology plans.