Brief history of ICT in supply chains (1970s)

Not too long ago, supply chain management was really challenging as a lot of activities were carried out manually, there was a lack of information and paper flows dominated the planning rooms.

The 1970s saw the introduction of a number of key ICT (Information & Communication Technology) breakthroughs that enabled important supply chain innovations. Think of affordable computers, user friendly software such as spreadsheets and the introduction of barcode, product code standards and bar code scanners. The birth of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software would also have a large impact.