As companies experiment with agentic AI, some are discovering that real transformation starts when planning becomes dynamic. The World Economic Forum says global supply chains now operate under “perpetual volatility,” which eliminates periodic planning cycles.
Early trailblazers are responding by deploying agentic artificial intelligence systems that update supply, production and logistics plans in real time. These platforms scan demand updates, supplier signals, inventory imbalances, transit delays and external risks, then adjust plans within minutes, marking a shift from scheduled planning to continuous, autonomous decisioning.
Cutting Down Manual Reconciliation
Demand data now flows into planning systems much faster than traditional workflows. Many companies connect CRM and order-management platforms like Salesforce to their supply-chain planning tools via API connectors, allowing changes to each downstream planning model in minutes.
This reduces manual reconciliation and bridges the gap between customer demand and operational planning. In past coverage, PYMNTS reported that companies using autonomous planning and logistics tools cut manual reconciliation in half and reduced expedited shipping costs by up to 5%.
Blue Yonder, an AI supply chain startup, released five artificial intelligence agents that show how these systems operate at scale. Its Inventory Ops Agent detects supply-demand mismatches, identifies root causes and proposes corrective actions within minutes.
The company says the platform processes over 25 billion supply-chain intelligence operations per day. Early adopters report faster response when suppliers shift lead times or carriers miss milestones.
Multi-Agent Frameworks Coordinate Across Company Boundaries
Supply chains depend on coordination among many entities. Multi-agent AI frameworks enable that coordination by allowing suppliers, manufacturers and retailers to update plans autonomously. A recent study demonstrated that agents representing each partner exchanged structured updates on demand, capacity, and constraints and reached consensus plans 80% faster than human-led cycles. For example, SAP introduced SAP Supply Chain Orchestration, a new solution that helps customers achieve a synchronized supply chain. This is designed to improve risk detection, provide actionable insights and allow for coordinated responses across supply chains.
The model reduces the bullwhip effect because upstream and downstream partners receive the same updates simultaneously. When demand shifts at a retailer, the supplier’s agent sees the update immediately and adjusts capacity. When a manufacturer changes production output, the distributor’s agent recalibrates allocations. The study shows lower total network costs and faster recovery from disruptions when every partner uses multi-agent coordination rather than manual reconciliation.
PYMNTS reported on Schneider Electric’s use of real-time analytics and continuous data inputs to adjust operations early rather than reacting after disruptions appear. That mirrors the multi-agent coordination model now emerging in broader supply-chain systems.
Preemptive Disruption Control
Preemptive logistics gives supply chains early warning before disruptions hit. Agentic AI scans GPS signals, carrier histories, port congestion, weather data, and vessel telemetry to calculate risk for each shipment. When risk rises, the system adjusts what is needed before service levels drop.
DHL Express integrated Google Cloud’s AI and natural language models to predict customs delays and weather risks. Its AI engine sends alerts to customers before disruptions occur, reducing inquiries by 40%. The system depends on millions of daily data points from sensors and global flight networks.
Procter & Gamble built an AI-powered control tower that simulates scenarios in its global supply network. It uses SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) with predictive analytics to identify potential delays caused by political, climate, or transportation issues. It can then reroute goods in advance.
Source: https://www.pymnts.com/
