While some industries are beginning to see the transformational capacity of big data and predictive analytics, these methods haven't quite panned out for supply-chain managers. The reason is that the largest obstacles happen to be the cost of hiring experienced employees. Researchers Matthew Waller and Stanley Fawcett write in a paper that the convergence of predictive analytics and big data has the capacity to change the way in which supply-chains managers lead. The goal is to increase the understanding of how to utilize big data efficiently and develop a new breed of supply chain leaders that are experienced in using data and analytics judiciously. A recent Wall Street Journal article quoting a survey by The Economist points out that while most companies see the value in using predictive analytics and big data to eliminate increasingly complex issues within their supply chains, they still perceive the cost of deployment as too high.Read more at: 

http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/are-predictive-analytics-transforming-your-supply-chain/