In order to stay relevant, thrive in an environment where margins are getting thinner and competition harsher; the current business ecosystem needs a digital transformation of all industries. Digitalization will permeate industries on all levels, so much so that the once obvious difference between digital and brick and mortar business will increasingly become blurred and will eventually disappear.
Base digital structures need to be built in every industry as a doorstep to the future evolution of business; AI, automation and big data. Such digital structures cannot be isolated solutions of each company anymore but require an interconnected environment that promotes smart collaboration between all players.
The current available solutions offer only fragmented, generic functions. ERP systems, cover only inner-company functions and oftentimes are difficult to implement. B2B market places, are mainly a yellow page directory where to find suppliers. Marketplaces are not able to harness specific databases, processes and interactions of an industry. Classic supply chain middlemen, like traders, purchase offices or distributors are increasingly becoming obsolete, seeming more like a vestige from a past pre-internet age.
