Supply Chain Visibility Gaps: 4 Ways to Identify and Fix Them (Current Strategies)
If you manage a manufacturing supply chain, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “We can’t see where the shipment is.” That kind of visibility gap with external partners can cause delays, compliance headaches, and strained customer relationships.
In 2025, the companies with a competitive edge are the ones that maintain full supply chain visibility — not just within their own walls, but across their extended supply chain of suppliers, 3PLs, co-packers, and distributors. Solutions from ACSIS, part of Antares Vision Group, help manufacturers close those gaps without overhauling existing ERP systems.
What Is Supply Chain Visibility?
Definition: Supply chain visibility means being able to track a product’s movement, condition, and status across your entire network, in real time.
Why it matters in 2025:
- Regulatory requirements like the FDA DSCSA, EU FMD, and FSMA Traceability Rule demand reliable, electronic traceability.
- Operational agility requires sharing real-time data across partners to respond to disruptions.
- Resilience comes from early detection of bottlenecks before they impact customers.
Common Supply Chain Visibility Gaps
Many organizations run into the same issues:
- Partner data silos — Different systems and identifiers that don’t align
- System incompatibility — Modern WMS clashing with legacy ERPs
- Manual reporting — Spreadsheets and emails introduce lag and errors
- Low granularity — No batch or item-level tracking, slowing root cause analysis
The first step is conducting a visibility audit to map where data drops off. Platforms like the ACSIS Partner Collaboration solution make those gaps clear and provide the framework to close them.
1. Start with the Highest-Risk Flows
Not all supply chain flows require the same level of monitoring. Start with the ones where visibility failures would be most costly — high-value products, temperature-sensitive shipments, or regulatory-critical items.
Antares Vision Group recommends a pilot-first approach: begin with one high-risk product line, measure the impact, then expand incrementally. This avoids overwhelming your teams or your ERP system.
2. Enable Real-Time Data Sharing
Real-time visibility means data is captured and shared as events happen, not hours or days later.
How to get there:
- Use standardized identifiers (like GS1 EPC or SGTIN) so all partners speak the same language
- Automate data capture with barcodes, RFID, or IoT sensors
- Share data instantly through a collaboration platform
For example, when a pallet is scanned at a port, both the manufacturer and distributor should see the update at the same time. Antares Vision Group solutions integrate those event feeds across partners, ensuring everyone works from the same facts.
3. Integrate, Don’t Replace, Your ERP
Legacy ERPs are often the backbone of manufacturing operations. Replacing them can be disruptive and expensive. A smarter approach is integration.
Benefits of ERP integration:
- Retain your core ERP processes
- Add extended supply chain visibility without major disruption
- Automate compliance reporting with electronic traceability data
DuPont, a global leader in industrial products, faced visibility gaps across its extended supply chain, particularly when working with external partners. By implementing ACSIS solutions, DuPont gained consistent, real-time visibility and strengthened traceability without disrupting its ERP backbone. This improved the protection of product data and enhanced collaboration with partners worldwide.
4. Empower Event-Level Traceability
Visibility isn’t just about shipments moving from A to B — it’s about knowing exactly what happened, where, and when.
Event-level traceability provides:
- Faster root cause analysis during disruptions
- More precise, limited recalls
- Greater accountability and trust with external partners
In life sciences and food & beverage, Antares Vision Group supports Cold Chain monitoring, capturing real-time temperature and handling data for sensitive products. This strengthens compliance with DSCSA and FSMA, and prevents costly spoilage events.
How to Close Supply Chain Visibility Gaps
Fixing visibility gaps doesn’t require a massive overhaul. The most effective strategies include:
- Targeting high-risk flows first
- Sharing real-time data across all partners
- Integrating with, not replacing, legacy ERPs
- Using event-level traceability to resolve issues faster
These strategies align with how Antares Vision Group delivers supply chain visibility: starting with pilots, integrating seamlessly into existing systems, and scaling visibility across the extended network.
Next Steps
- Explore how the Partner Collaboration platform drives extended visibility.
- Learn about the benefits of Cold Chain real-time monitoring.
- Read the full DuPont customer success story.
Visit the ACSIS Customer Success Stories library for more examples.