Building resilient next gen supply chain networks: the Accenture-Kinaxis strategic partnership 

This post is co-authored by Conrad Mandala, Executive VP of GTM & Strategic Operations, Global Partner Organization, Kinaxis and Patty Riedl, Managing Director, Strategy & Consulting, Supply Chain & Operations, North America Lead, Accenture.

As economic, geopolitical and environmental factors reshape industries, traditional supply chains are struggling to cope with the complexities of an interconnected global economy. As a result, businesses are looking for new ways to transform their supply chains into resilient, efficient and circular networks that unlock growth opportunities. It is for this need that Accenture and Kinaxis have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at revolutionizing supply chain orchestration. By combining Accenture’s transformation expertise to orchestrate change with Kinaxis’ AI-powered supply chain platform, this collaboration will set new standards for innovation, drive the future of autonomous supply chains, and fuel faster time to value for customers. 

Proven track record and a trusted team 

For nearly a decade, Accenture¹ and Kinaxis² have cultivated a robust partnership, helping dozens of companies achieve operational excellence, enhance visibility, and stay ahead of market changes with speed and precision. By strengthening their relationship, Accenture and Kinaxis are intensifying their commitment to deliver even greater value to organizations with complex supply chains.  

The decision to co-invest and co-create industry-specific solutions positions Accenture and Kinaxis as leaders in shaping the future of supply chain management. This synergy ensures that clients achieve agility across their supply chains, moving from automation to autonomous to gain a competitive edge, and improve overall business performance at speed and scale. 

Why now 

Consumers are demanding faster delivery times, greater transparency and more sustainable practices, fueling a critical need for advanced supply chain orchestration tools³—tools that mitigate risk and enable businesses to pivot in the face of disruptions. This is particularly relevant as companies seek to recover the estimated $1.6 trillion in revenue currently lost to supply chain inefficiencies, vulnerabilities and disruptions. 

Focused sectors  

Initially, the Accenture and Kinaxis partnership will focus on delivering enhanced value in three key sectors:  

• Life sciences: Helping customers accelerate integrated business planning (IBP) and improve integration between chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) and commercial manufacturing – leading to enhance forecasting accuracy for new product launches. 
• High tech: Focusing on ecosystem supply chain orchestration to support agile and resilient hardware operations in global/outsourced supply, manufacturing and fulfillment networks. 
• Industrial: Targeting supply orchestration and spare parts management to optimize operations and drive efficiency. 

The role of AI in supply chain transformation 

Many companies struggle to understand how to start with artificial intelligence (AI) and where the true value lies—an area where both Kinaxis and Accenture can offer support. The Kinaxis Maestro™ platform uniquely solves the most complex supply chain problems by fusing heuristics, optimization, and machine learning to make smarter, faster decisions using real-time insights, predictions and adaptive solutions. When combined with Accenture’s digital transformation expertise including the adoption of Gen AI into AI, businesses can expect a broader reaching AI strategy with a faster return on investment, ensuring companies are well-prepared for the future.  

For more information on how the Accenture and Kinaxis partnership can empower you to take your supply chain and your business into the future, please reach out to our team.  

Footnotes: 

1. Accenture contributes its global leadership in consulting and transformation services, backed by over 650 Kinaxis-skilled experts, including five Delivery Centers worldwide. This expertise is complemented by nearly 100 successful Kinaxis deployments across various industries, showcasing a track record of tangible results. Together, we reimagine, create, operate and manage autonomous, circular supply chains for the future. 
2. Kinaxis brings to the table its advanced platform – Maestro, the AI-powered platform and patented concurrency technology that allows companies to orchestrate their supply chain network end-to-end from strategic planning to last-mile delivery. Kinaxis’ expertise is affirmed by its recognition in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Supply Chain Planning Solutions for 10 consecutive years. 
3. As identified in recent studies, including Accenture’s research and the IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Kinaxis, Supply Chain Orchestration: Leveraging End-to-End Supply Chain Orchestration to Deliver Next Generation Supply Chain Management, Intelligence, and Responsiveness, Doc #CA52004924, April 2024.