The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Supply Chain Data | Beacon

The biggest blind spot in supply chain isn't on the map.

A note from Fraser Robinson, CEO of Beacon, on what we learned from 50+ supply chain leaders.

Over the past year, we sat down with more than 50 senior supply chain leaders across FMCG, manufacturing, food & beverage, metals, mining and industrial filtration — in the US, the UK and Europe. From 280-person specialist manufacturers to multi-site global enterprises.

We went in expecting the conversations to vary widely. They didn't.

The same pattern emerged almost regardless of size, sector or geography. Same frustration. Same workarounds. Same instinct that something fundamental needed to change and no clear sense of where to start.

What surprised us.

It wasn't the problem itself. It was where the cost actually lands.

The pain shows up in operations: the late shipments, the chasing emails, the firefighting at 6pm. The cost shows up somewhere else entirely. And in most organisations, no one has connected the two.

That disconnect is the through-line of the entire report. Once you see it, the numbers behind it are difficult to ignore.

Three findings we didn't expect.

- Why the leaders who already know what good looks like still aren't getting there.
- A single financial line item that is quietly eroding margin in most enterprises — and that almost nobody measures.
- What's actually happening on certain ocean routes right now that is adding weeks of transit time without showing up in anyone's planning system.