For the VP & Director of Supply Chain
The VP Supply Chain's Guide to Autonomous Operations
Last updated July 2026
Autonomous operations means AI agents handle the routine inventory and procurement decisions continuously, escalating only the exceptions and value calls to a human. Maintained runs the day-to-day and asks for approval on what matters, so your team scales without adding headcount.
What you're measured on
Speak in turns, fill rate, perfect order, and forecast accuracy.
- Inventory turns / DSI
- Fill rate
- Perfect-order rate
- Forecast accuracy
- Total landed cost
Where the value is
- Automate routine replenishment, sourcing, and disposition decisions
- Escalate only exceptions and value calls to a person
- Codify tribal knowledge into always-on decisioning
- Scale operations without adding headcount
The pains this removes
- Excess and obsolete stock spread across branches
- Low turns tying up cash
- Overstock in one branch, stockout in another
- No single view of inventory across DCs
The numbers behind it
Frequently asked questions
How should a VP Supply Chain approach run autonomous inventory and procurement operations?
Speak in turns, fill rate, perfect order, and forecast accuracy. Autonomous operations means AI agents handle the routine inventory and procurement decisions continuously, escalating only the exceptions and value calls to a human. Maintained runs the day-to-day and asks for approval on what matters, so your team scales without adding headcount.
What outcome should a VP Supply Chain expect?
Let the system decide the routine; your team owns the exceptions. Automate routine replenishment, sourcing, and disposition decisions
See what your inventory is really costing you.
Tell us where the cash is trapped — excess stock, idle surplus, slow RFQs — and we'll show you the outcome Maintained can unlock.