103 INDUSTRIALS & MANUFACTURING Generative AI, Copilot, agentic AI, digital twins and robotics are becoming essential to executing modern supply chain strategies. Copilot summarises control tower signals and automates routine communication. Agentic AI runs rolling scenarios, recommends trade-offs and pushes approved changes into execution systems. Digital twins validate changes before deployment, while robotics and vision AI address labour constraints and enhance throughput and quality. Looking ahead, capabilities such as agentic AI governed via Agent 365 and semantic reasoning through Fabric IQ – currently available for pilot and early adoption – will enable agents to recommend trade-offs and execute approved changes under enterprise policy, integrated securely via Foundry IQ and Model Context Protocol as these technologies mature. Microsoft brings these capabilities into daily operational flow by connecting data, people and partners across Microsoft 365 and Copilot. Customers such as Grupo Bimbo and tyre manufacturer Bridgestone have already seen marked improvements in productivity, inventory optimisation and operational agility. For organisations at the start of their transformation, Sircar emphasises an outcomefirst approach. “Start with an outcome backlog, not a tool list,” he says. Companies should identify two or three measurable challenges – whether reducing expedite spend or improving forecast accuracy – and tie them to clear KPIs. From there, they can create a simple first version of a supply chain control tower within a few weeks, pilot AI-assisted planning on a single product family, embed compliance from day one and invest in their people and security posture. “Grounded in real deployments, the five-pillar roadmap offers a clear, practical framework for building sustainable, resilient supply chains,” says Sircar. Next, Sircar anticipates regionalisation and dual-sourcing becoming standard practice, with policy-aware planning and role-based copilots institutionalised across the industry. “Evidence-ready compliance will shift from quarterly projects to platform services, and agentic orchestration – where agents securely negotiate, simulate and execute bounded decisions – is expected to gain traction as organisations mature their digital capabilities,” he says. Microsoft is investing in this future by leading with Copilot and agents, building the governed data backbone and enabling the ecosystem’s transition to agentic operations through open patterns and frameworks. “This is our north star,” Sircar says. “The frontier firm will be increasingly shaped by agentic technologies and ecosystem orchestration, empowering the workforce and achieving autonomous, resilient and sustainable operations. That’s the vision we’re building toward – and we’re excited to help our customers and partners realise it.” Mexican multinational food company Grupo Bimbo has saved tens of millions of dollars by using Microsoft Power Platform
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