ICT and Big Data

SupplyShift's Interactive Platform Crowdsources Best Industry Metrics, Fosters Competitive Improvement

In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will get to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet SupplyShift.Almost two years ago, after six years of consulting, James Barsimantov Ph.D. found that there was a need for a cloud-based supply chain management platform. His answer, SupplyShift — which he co-created with Alexander Gershenson Ph.D. and Dustin Mulvaney Ph.D. — combines performance information from multiple suppliers on a shared platform, enabling companies to reduce risk and drive supply chain-wide improvements in efficiency.

By Courtney Pankrat | Published 10 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Almost two years ago, after six years of consulting, James Barsimantov Ph.D. found that there was a need for a cloud-based supply chain management platform. His answer, SupplyShift — which he co-created with Alexander Gershenson Ph.D. and Dustin Mulvaney Ph.D. — combines performance information from multiple suppliers on a shared platform, enabling companies to reduce risk and drive supply chain-wide improvements in efficiency.

With SupplyShift, companies can efficiently compare their suppliers’ performance data and provide them with feedback and useful information. Suppliers can respond to buyer performance surveys once, reducing their paperwork burden, and they can easily see how their performance compares with other, similar suppliers, to create a marketplace for supplier sustainability information.

Another unique benefit of the system is that it “crowdsources” the most important metrics for each industry based on user input. Therefore, the more users there are, the more successful the system.

“If brand efforts on supply chain sustainability will lead to real improvements in supplier performance, shared data, information for suppliers and flexibility for brands to choose their priorities are required,” Barsimantov says. “Otherwise we'll end up with a lot of survey fatigue and not much change.”

Momentum is building: In January, Stonyfield Farm signed on as the first user, and earlier this month, SupplyShift announced a partnership with Pré to help connect the dots between life cycle assessment data and supply chain sustainability.