Article by Luca Edward Villa – Business Development Manager at MATIX
Supply chain visibility is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s an absolute necessity.
Over 45% of manufacturing companies report not knowing what happens beyond the first tier of their suppliers (McKinsey, 2022). This structural gap causes delays, inefficiencies, and makes it difficult to respond promptly to problems or changes.
As we increasingly speak with clients and engage with experts like Gartner, Ambrosetti, and Control Risks, a simple yet crucial truth emerges: many companies lack clarity about what’s happening with their suppliers, often even at the first level. Information arrives fragmented, delayed, or through indirect channels, making it difficult to predict problems and respond quickly. Added to this is a significant cultural issue: for years, transparency has been avoided, accepting that what happens “outside” remains hidden. Visibility in the supply chain is often perceived as a way for OEMs to “spy” on suppliers, almost as if they were playing dirty.
Today, this paradigm is being transcended thanks to innovative solutions like MATIX, AzzurroDigitale’s proprietary technology. The platform collects data from molds, critical assets for supply chain efficiency and costs, via plug-and-play sensors distributed throughout the supply chain. In real time, MATIX monitors production, anomalies, maintenance, and compliance with target volumes.
But MATIX doesn’t just monitor. It transforms data into intelligent signals that can be used by procurement, tooling, and supply chain to make data-driven decisions, fostering transparent and collaborative dialogue with suppliers.
- The procurement team verifies volumes, cycle times, and quality thanks to precise data on waste and anomalies, negotiating with awareness, choosing reliable partners, and preventing bottlenecks, building lasting relationships of trust.
- The tooling team, also responsible for monitoring maintenance, identifies deviations and anomalies in the molds before they become problems, intervening promptly and keeping both parties aligned on operating conditions, reducing risks and tensions.
- The supply chain team relies on up-to-date data to plan accurately, anticipate problems, and reduce unforeseen events, moving away from a reactive approach based on urgency and emails.
This is the true cultural leap: MATIX isn’t about “controlling” suppliers, but about building a connected, collaborative supply chain ready for today’s challenges. A supply chain where OEMs and suppliers speak the same language, thanks to real-time data, avoiding tensions and inefficiencies.
In a context of constant pressure and the risk of knock-on effects, real and continuous visibility is no longer a competitive advantage, but an essential necessity.
For years, that wasn’t possible. Now, it is.
