We Asked...

Chris Upkes

Principal Professional Services Consultant, Neo4j

The Question...

Legacy Systems: What is the secret of transitioning from legacy systems to a modern supply chain solution?

There is no ‘secret sauce’ to supply chain modernisation, but it is imperative that organisations understand and mitigate the ripple effects of transformation on their operational data. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when stakeholders felt the full brunt of disruption, too many made the mistake of focusing on overhauling the tech without first understanding how this may lead to wider collateral damage. As they could only estimate the impact, this created unintended consequences across supplier, logistical, and operational networks.

This decision-making was not aided by legacy manufacturing systems either. They provide rich functionality within a specific operational domain, but they tend to provide deep insight rather than broad. This means they rarely capture the cross-functional relationships required to understand how decisions, such as rerouting ships or changing suppliers, can create downstream effects elsewhere in the chain.

Modern systems provide a connected data view which allows businesses to identify critical dependencies or hidden vulnerabilities and make informed decisions without excessive or unnecessary disruption elsewhere in the chain. By unifying data and providing context around how assets, suppliers, and operations interact across the supply chain, organisations can move beyond reactive firefighting to predictive decision-making.

Clearly, the lesson is that businesses are not impeded by a lack of optimisation, but they lack a complete picture of the dependencies that connect suppliers, operations, and logistics networks. Supply chain resilience cannot be achieved through upgrading individual functions in isolation – they need to thread it all together to understand how decisions will influence the wider supply chain whilst mitigating future disruptions.

Chris Upkes

Principal Professional Services Consultant, Neo4j

About Chris Upkes

Chris Upkes is a Principal Professional Services Consultant at Neo4j, helping organisations leverage graph technology to solve complex business challenges across a range of industries.

Follow Chris on LinkedIn

About Neo4j

Neo4j is a graph database and analytics leader uncovering hidden relationships and patterns across billions of data connections to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

CONAME on LinkedIn

The Question is a thought leadership series published on Supply Chain Outlook, created to explore the questions shaping global logistics, procurement, transportation, and supply networks.

This edition of The Question is sponsored by Syspro.

Supply Chain Outlook features leadership insights and company stories from organisations helping to move, manage, and transform the flow of goods, services, and information around the world.

Produced as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines, The Question brings focused executive insight to audiences engaged with the people, technologies, and decisions shaping the future of supply chain.

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Carolyn Park

The secret to successfully transitioning from legacy systems to a modern supply chain solution is balancing transformation with business continuity. Legacy systems are often deeply embedded in day-to-day operations, housing critical data, workflows, and institutional knowledge that cannot simply be switched off. Whilst modernisation is essential to improve agility, integration, and resilience, organisations must avoid introducing unnecessary disruption. A phased approach is often the most effective route. Rather than attempting a complete overhaul in a single step, businesses should identify priority areas where modern solutions can deliver immediate value, whilst establishing a clear roadmap for broader transformation over time. This allows for stronger change management and reduces implementation risk. Data should be a central focus from the outset. New technology will not solve existing data challenges, and legacy systems frequently contain valuable operational intelligence. Robust data governance, quality controls, and migration planning are therefore critical to preserving accuracy, security, and continuity whilst unlocking the full value of a modern platform. Ultimately, successful transformation depends as much on people as technology. Engaging stakeholders early, investing in change management, and equipping teams with the skills to embrace new ways of working are essential to maximising adoption and long-term ROI. Vice President, Group Product and Supply Chain Transformation, RS Group About Carolyn Park profile About CONAME profile.

Nithin Mummaneni

The secret to successfully transitioning from legacy systems to a modern supply chain solution is understanding that modernisation is not just a technology project - it’s a data and operational alignment project. Many companies fail because they try to replace everything at once instead of modernising in phases whilst preserving business continuity. A strong starting point is creating a clean, connected data foundation. In many organisations, critical information is fragmented across ERP systems, procurement platforms, supplier databases, contracts, spreadsheets, and emails. Without visibility into that data, even the best new software will struggle to deliver meaningful value. Modern supply chain solutions should prioritise interoperability and real-time visibility rather than simply adding another disconnected platform. AI can help organisations extract insights, obligations, and risks trapped inside legacy systems, but it only works effectively if the underlying data is accessible and reliable. Equally important is organisational alignment. Procurement, finance, legal, and supply chain teams need shared visibility and common objectives. The companies seeing the most success are the ones modernising incrementally, improving decision-making step by step, and reducing operational friction without disrupting the business. CEO, Infinity Loop About Nithin Mummaneni profile About CONAME profile.

Craig Powell

Many businesses still rely on supply chain systems designed for a very different world. In fact, our recent research found the average warehouse or inventory management system in use today was last upgraded nearly six years ago. The key to a smooth transition from a legacy system to a modern supply chain is keeping people at the heart of the process. Modernisation should be about enhancing workers, not replacing them, giving warehouse teams better visibility, better data, and stronger decision-making tools. This is especially important when it comes to AI. It has huge potential to transform warehouse efficiency, but it needs to be implemented intentionally and responsibly – that’s the secret to making sure it works. The focus should always be on measurable outcomes, whether that’s keeping shelves stocked, reducing inefficiencies, or improving customer service. What many organisations also underestimate is that the transition itself can unlock value beyond efficiency gains. Reinvesting savings from tackling operational inefficiency into sustainability initiatives or further innovation projects is a powerful way to bring stakeholders on the journey that takes the warehouse from a cost centre into a genuine strategic advantage for the business. Managing Director, Balloon One

Jason Murphy

The secret to modernising legacy supply chain systems is recognising that transformation does not require replacement. The fastest, lowest-risk route to modernisation is enabling existing infrastructure with technology that can sit across assets of any age, manufacturer, or level of digital maturity. For supply chain operators, a ‘rip-and-replace’ approach introduces prohibitive cost, disruption, and operational risk. Retrofitting technology onto existing infrastructure allows organisations to accelerate time-to-value whilst maintaining continuity across critical operations. By connecting and orchestrating data from disparate systems, businesses can move beyond passive, siloed monitoring towards holistic, intelligent decision-making and automated operational control. This enables organisations to proactively optimise performance, reduce energy consumption, identify maintenance issues before failure occurs, and respond faster to operational risks. In cold chain environments, for example, this means critical infrastructure, such as refrigeration and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), can be monitored, managed, and optimised in real time without replacing existing equipment. Modernisation shouldn’t be about rebuilding from scratch. It’s about making existing operations smarter, more efficient, and more resilient through retrofit technology. Managing Director - Global Retail,IMS Evolve About IMS Evolve IMS Evolve is an Internet of Things company reducing waste, maintenance costs and energy consumption for its customers, including some of the world’s largest and best-known food retailers. It delivers digital transformation without the need for costly capital investment by enhancing, not replacing, existing infrastructure.

Arturo Torres Arpi Acero

Most legacy transition attempts fail because businesses make the mistake of trying to modernise their operations by treating it like just another software update. In reality, it requires significant operational redesigns with the intent of creating a unified connected ecosystem where data can flow freely amongst all areas of the company, such as procurement, logistics, inventory, finance, and operations. Vendors will often jump into this transition process without first clearly mapping out what their processes are. This will ultimately lead to the creation of multiple disconnected ERPs, several parallel spreadsheets, and reporting mechanisms that don’t agree on what is or isn’t correct. The best way for companies to overcome poor performance related to progressive strategies such as automation, predictive analytics, or AI is to establish a unified data platform before initiating the transition process. First, perform a master data audit. Second, establish a clear stock-keeping unit (SKU) hierarchy. Last, identify any gaps in all of your data. If the first three actions aren’t performed before creating confidence in your new system, people won’t trust that system and won’t trust the data contained within it either. Incremental transitions will be successful. Technology can’t solve broken processes; it brings broken processes to light. Founder and CEO, Ventagium About Arturo Torres Arpi Acero Arturo Torres Arpi Acero is the Founder and CEO of Ventagium, a supply chain analytics consultancy trusted by US manufacturers, logistics providers, and consumer brands navigating disruption and operational complexity. About Ventagium Ventagium is a supply chain analytics consultancy trusted by US manufacturers, logistics providers, and consumer brands navigating disruption and operational complexity.

Nicola Bond

Modernising supply chain systems represents one of the most significant growth opportunities for retailers, yet many remain constrained by fragmented legacy infrastructures built for a vastly different retail landscape. Today’s environment is defined by omnichannel operations, fluctuating demand, and the need for rapid, data-driven decision-making. Managing this complexity through disconnected systems is no longer sustainable. Successful retailers approach modernisation not as a simple technology upgrade, but as a broader operational transformation. The process begins with gaining full visibility across the supply chain. Retailers must identify fragmentation across planning, inventory, replenishment, fulfilment, and supplier workflows before implementing new solutions. Once in place, modern platforms unify these functions in real time, providing a single, accurate operational view. This enables faster, more coordinated decision-making across teams. Equally important is how employees engage with these systems. For example, when a product outperforms expectations, modern tools allow buyers to respond immediately using real-time insights rather than waiting for manual reports or approvals. This shift requires organisations to rethink processes, decision-making frameworks, and day-to-day operations. Ultimately, supply chain modernisation is about redesigning decision flow from planning through to fulfilment - empowering retailers to act with greater speed, precision, and confidence. CEO and Founder, Merchmix About Nicola Bond Nicola began he career in the engine room of retail, shaping product ranges, negotiating with suppliers and leading buying-merchandising for some of the world’s most recognised brands, including M&S and ASOS. About Merchmix Merchmix is building an operating system for retailers that reduces manual work, improves inventory precision, protects margin, responds faster to demand shifts and creates a single source of truth across all teams and channels.

Carolyn Park

The secret to successfully transitioning from legacy systems to a modern supply…

Nithin Mummaneni

The secret to successfully transitioning from legacy systems to a modern supply…

Craig Powell

Many businesses still rely on supply chain systems designed for a very…

The Question:

Chris Upkes

The Question:

Legacy Systems: What is the secret of transitioning from legacy systems to a modern supply chain solution?

There is no ‘secret sauce’ to supply chain modernisation, but it is imperative that organisations understand and mitigate the ripple effects of transformation on their operational data. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when stakeholders felt the full brunt of disruption, too many made the mistake of focusing on overhauling the tech without first understanding how this may lead to wider collateral damage. As they could only estimate the impact, this created unintended consequences across supplier, logistical, and operational networks.

This decision-making was not aided by legacy manufacturing systems either. They provide rich functionality within a specific operational domain, but they tend to provide deep insight rather than broad. This means they rarely capture the cross-functional relationships required to understand how decisions, such as rerouting ships or changing suppliers, can create downstream effects elsewhere in the chain.

Modern systems provide a connected data view which allows businesses to identify critical dependencies or hidden vulnerabilities and make informed decisions without excessive or unnecessary disruption elsewhere in the chain. By unifying data and providing context around how assets, suppliers, and operations interact across the supply chain, organisations can move beyond reactive firefighting to predictive decision-making.

Clearly, the lesson is that businesses are not impeded by a lack of optimisation, but they lack a complete picture of the dependencies that connect suppliers, operations, and logistics networks. Supply chain resilience cannot be achieved through upgrading individual functions in isolation – they need to thread it all together to understand how decisions will influence the wider supply chain whilst mitigating future disruptions.

Chris Upkes

Principal Professional Services Consultant, Neo4j

About Chris Upkes

Chris Upkes is a Principal Professional Services Consultant at Neo4j, helping organisations leverage graph technology to solve complex business challenges across a range of industries.

Follow Chris on LinkedIn

About Neo4j

Neo4j is a graph database and analytics leader uncovering hidden relationships and patterns across billions of data connections to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

CONAME on LinkedIn

The Question is a thought leadership series published on Supply Chain Outlook, created to explore the questions shaping global logistics, procurement, transportation, and supply networks.

This edition of The Question is sponsored by Syspro.

Supply Chain Outlook features leadership insights and company stories from organisations helping to move, manage, and transform the flow of goods, services, and information around the world.

Produced as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines, The Question brings focused executive insight to audiences engaged with the people, technologies, and decisions shaping the future of supply chain.

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