With a career built at the intersection of technology, operations, and leadership, Mascha Baars brings a sharp strategic lens to digital transformation in the supply chain. Her hands-on experience spans AI integration, warehouse automation, and organisational agility, all with a clear focus on delivering measurable business value. In this Executive Insight, Mascha shares how she’s helped reshape supply chain models, improve data visibility, and foster cross-functional collaboration, all while balancing innovation with cost efficiency. From cultural shifts to real-world automation, her perspective offers a roadmap for supply chain leaders navigating today’s digital frontier.
How has digital transformation changed the way your supply chain operates, particularly in terms of efficiency and transparency?
In my most recent role, I led several digital transformation initiatives that fundamentally improved the quality, speed, and accessibility of data across the end-to-end supply chain.
In a fast-moving trading environment where conditions shift rapidly, the ability to quickly build and analyse scenarios has been a game changer. This directly contributed to a 50 percent reduction in inventory, better working capital utilisation, and a significant improvement in On Time In Full delivery performance.
By automating transactional tasks, we were able to absorb business growth without increasing headcount. This freed up both budget and capacity for value-added work and innovation.
Equally important, digitisation has helped break down traditional silos. By establishing a single source of truth, we strengthened trust and alignment across Sales, Customer Service, and Planning, leading to faster, more informed decisions and stronger cross-functional collaboration.
What digital tools (e.g., AI, IoT, blockchain) are you currently leveraging, and how are they impacting your supply chain’s performance?
I deployed a mix of AI, low code platforms, robotic automation, and IoT solutions to drive operational performance, enhance agility, and support more data driven decision making.
AI helps us extract and analyse master shipping data from invoices, giving us a sharper edge in supplier negotiations and cost benchmarking.
Low code platforms are used to automate order and shipment processes, increasing speed, accuracy, and scalability with minimal IT dependency.
Robotic automation, in combination with IoT technologies, particularly automated guided vehicles, enables 24/7 goods movement from production into storage with only remote supervision. This significantly reduces labour costs while improving throughput and flexibility.
These technologies have created a more agile, efficient, and scalable supply chain while allowing the organisation to focus on strategic growth.
How do you ensure that your supply chain remains adaptable to new technological advancements?
My approach is to keep the digital core lean, using standard ERP and CTRM systems for foundational processes, while surrounding them with flexible and innovative technologies. This helps manage total cost of ownership while providing the agility to evolve quickly.
Critical to this model is investing in robust integration and internal capability building. I also led a shift from traditional IT structures to cross functional digital business solution taskforces. These teams were empowered to run small scale pilots, quickly test use cases, and scale what worked. This approach reduced the cost of failure and fostered a digital mindset across the organisation.
I’m a strong believer in creating environments that reward entrepreneurial thinking, embrace continuous learning, and treat failure as part of the innovation process, while staying anchored to business priorities and success metrics. Striking this balance is key to unlocking the full potential of teams and driving meaningful digital transformation.
What learnings can you share from your experience? What challenges have you faced in implementing digital transformation initiatives within your supply chain?
I’ve learned that digital transformation is just as much about people and culture as it is about data and technology.
Some of the key lessons from my journey include:
Start with clarity. I always invest time upfront to map out business processes, identify required functionalities, and clean up master data. A strong foundation prevents costly surprises later.
Put people at the centre. Engage end users from day one. Transformation succeeds when teams feel ownership and their input is genuinely heard and valued.
Choose the right analysts. Business analysts are the bridge between technology and operations. I look for those who not only understand systems and data but can also build authentic human connections.
Manage scope with discipline. I’ve learned to be ruthless in eliminating non value adding features, both during planning and execution. This keeps teams focused and projects on track.
Can you share a case study where digital transformation led to a significant improvement in your supply chain processes?
One of the most impactful projects I led was the transformation of the cocoa powder supply chain to a make to stock model. To support this shift, I identified the need for real time data in our CTRM system to enhance S&OP and inventory strategy.
I had the opportunity to implement a semi automated warehouse in an adjacent building, which enabled us to reduce operational costs through logistics insourcing and robotic automation, integrate our warehouse management system directly with the CTRM for seamless data flow, and receive production goods in real time into our own systems.
For the WMS integration, I applied a structured vendor selection process based on my experience in strategic sourcing at Starbucks. All key stakeholders scored vendor solutions against pre agreed criteria, resulting in a unified decision, strong buy in, and a smooth go live.
A standout innovation was the deployment of automated guided vehicles to receive goods continuously from the production site, removing the need for round the clock staffing while maintaining high service levels.
This project delivered a 30 percent reduction in operational costs, a 50 percent inventory reduction, and significant improvements in planning accuracy and on time in full delivery.
