AI adoption driving smarter, more resilient supply chains according to global Epicor study
27 Aug 20253 min read
Summary
- According to the 2025 Agility Index by Epicor and Nucleus Research, AI is now central to how supply-chain companies prioritise investments in operations, staffing and data infrastructure.
- Over 56 % of companies surveyed reported high AI readiness, and more than 90 % of those are hiring for AI-specific roles — especially in logistics, data science and automation — integrating these into core planning, fulfillment and logistics teams.
- The study shows that firms are investing in platforms that unify operational data into intelligence systems (used by about 50.6 % of respondents), strengthening scenario planning, resilience and agility; most now expect a return on their AI investment within six to 18 months, but warn that success depends on leadership, organisational readiness and actionable insights.
SINGAPORE, August 27, 2025 – AI is no longer experimental, but rather reshaping how supply chain businesses are prioritising operational, staffing, and data-centric investments, according to the newly released 2025 Agility Index research study from Epicor and Nucleus Research.
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“AI is becoming an essential tool in helping supply chain businesses anticipate and respond to inevitable change,” said Kerrie Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Product at Epicor. “We’re seeing organisations unlock the agility needed to lead through disruption by not just deploying AI but by building a digital foundation and workforce behind it.”
From the study, more than 56 percent of supply chain businesses surveyed reported high AI readiness, with many scaling AI across operations and modernizing their data systems to improve agility and reliability. Within this group, more than 90 percent are actively creating or investing in AI-specific roles, suggesting that organisations already leveraging AI tools are also the most likely to invest in building dedicated AI talent pipelines.
Further, AI is enabling more thoughtful decision-making but not displacing human judgment. The most common roles for which companies are hiring include AI Logistics & Route Optimization Specialists (38.0 percent), Supply Chain AI Data Scientists (37.2 percent), and AI Automation Engineers (35.4 percent). Organisations running geopolitical what-if scenarios report higher levels of AI-related hiring. Moreover, these roles aren’t confined to labs or pilot teams – they're embedded directly in planning, fulfilment, and logistics functions.
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“What’s changing is how companies see AI, not as a replacement for people, but as a way to empower them,” Jordan added. “They’re hiring for expertise that brings context and adaptability to the data, which is where real agility lives.”
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