There are three “game-changing” technologies that will have a major impact on supply chain operations in the coming years — or even months, in some cases.

Supply management is an ideal environment for exponential growth in technology, experts advise.

Essentially, we’re looking at a snowball effect: Once it starts rolling, it’ll get bigger and bigger.

Three key areas:

Robots. Don’t worry about The Terminator showing up to unload trucks on your loading dock. But robots that are capable of performing industrial chores are expected to grow from 2 million in 2007 to more than 9 million this year. Some companies are already using them on the warehouse floor.

Robots bring three distinct advantages:

• reduce labor costs
• decrease the cost of customization and on-demand production, and
• change cost considerations in outsourcing.

One warehouse manager offers this testimonial. Among the benefits (there are many more):

For each $20,000 robot his company purchases, it saves about $2 million over its expected lifespan. The robots don’t get tired, don’t make mistakes, don’t complain, don’t need vacations — they work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Computers. They’re getting better, bigger (in function), more efficient, and easier to use. As computers become more affordable, more supply chain operations will have the power to change directions on a dime. Production changes will be less of a hassle and headache, as solutions are easier to come by.

Nanotechnology. Scientists have learned to manipulate the atom, and they’re beginning to create practical applications. The possibilities are boundless. In supply chain operations, nanotechnology could revolutionize RFID applications — or even make them obsolete.

For the past two years, the tea leaf readers and academic prognosticators have been telling us in deep voices that we’ll be seeing “a rapid-growth phase” in Procurement outsourcing.

The movement was supposed to sweep up the entire process, instead of simply outsourcing piecemeal functions.

Well, maybe it was biting off too much; maybe it was the economy. But this predicted outsourcing of end-to-end Procurement processes has slid into the back seat.

Instead, think in terms of insourcing.

That means finding ways to integrate Procurement and A/P functions even more than before. The closer you can push these two together, the more effective both processes will become.

Don’t be shy about taking the initiative. What could you be doing to streamline A/P operations? What could A/P do for you in return?

Maybe you want to appoint a liaison who can be your pipeline to A/P, to keep the information flowing in both directions. Could either department copy the other on regular operational memos or reports?

Establishing this kind of framework will ultimately give you more control and more say in the matter if that day ever does come when Procurement operations find their way into the outsourcing bin.

Not anymore. Finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO) and Procurement Outsourcing (PO) are creeping toward common ground. This spot in the middle is now known as Procure-to-pay (P2P).

Seeking other sources for handling the Procure-to-pay process is gaining steam, according to a new study called “Outsourcing the Procure-to-Pay Process,” conducted by the Everest Research Institute.

What’s fueling this trend? Companies are discovering they still have several pain points, even after outsourcing certain elements of the A/P process. Companies are still stuck dealing with supply chain challenges like mounds of paper invoices, the need for manual intervention when there’s a problem, poor data visibility and a sea of disputed invoices. Outsourcing these functions can offset the cost of the time it takes to handle these concerns, the study maintains.

There’s another reason the movement is growing: Businesses have a greater selection of outsourcing services suppliers. It’s a case of success breeds success: The more businesses that successfully outsource aspects of these processes increases the pool of suppliers.

Many companies are taking the big leap and trusting the whole P2P outsourcing process in technology created just for that purpose, according to the Everest study. Instead of existing “add-on” technologies, these solutions are designed with handling the end-to-end outsourcing process in mind.