As ever at Automotive Logistics Global conferences, the sheer size and increasing complexity of the automotive supply chain was on full display in the discourse and discussion of executives across manufacturers and logistics providers, many of which described the tremendous volume of cargo, part numbers and shipping flows that they are managing.

Take General Motors as an example. The carmaker now builds vehicles, powertrain, stampings and other components across 170 plants in 31 countries. It has a supply chain that includes more than 3,000 direct material suppliers providing parts from 6,300 locations. On any given day, around 200,000 unique parts flow into GM plants, and 30,000 new vehicles leave the factories.