In an industry where tradition often drives decision-making, it’s not surprising to see familiar names dominate the Supply Chain Planning (SCP) Magic Quadrant. While the quadrant serves as a helpful framework, earlier-stage innovators often find themselves outside its spotlight—not due to a lack of capabilities but because it takes years to meet the criteria required for a high ranking. During this time, however, newer companies like ketteQ are reshaping and disrupting the supply chain planning landscape, introducing technology like its patent-pending PolymatiQ™ supply chain solver that is fundamentally different from what legacy systems can offer.

Bob Ferrari’s blog post, Supply Chain Planning Magic Quadrant: De facto Bias for Legacy Providers?” raises the question of whether established ranking mechanisms provide the full picture. It sheds light on a reality: the disruptive, cloud-native, and adaptive planning systems changing the supply chain game today are not yet fully recognized within traditional rankings like the Magic Quadrant.

Why the Magic Quadrant Reflects Legacy Dominance

The Magic Quadrant, introduced by Gartner in 2009, became the go-to resource for companies evaluating supply chain planning solutions. The quadrant’s criteria assess factors like global scale, ability to execute, and completeness of vision—factors that require time to develop. Meeting these standards, while valuable, is inherently difficult for newer companies that prioritize innovation over entrenched track records. Consequently, it can take years for disruptive entrants to meet the assessment thresholds, leaving legacy companies to dominate.

As Ferrari notes, this prolonged evaluation cycle is a form of “inertia” within the industry, where legacy vendors benefit from long-standing relationships and customer familiarity. For companies that predate modern innovations, these relationships, their substantial budgets, and the resources to maintain analyst attention help keep them on top.

A Growing List of Forward-Leading Companies Making the Switch

Despite the Magic Quadrant’s favor toward legacy providers, a growing list of companies worldwide are choosing to look beyond it, making strategic investments in next-generation supply chain solutions like ketteQ. Industry giants like NCR, Carrier, and Coca-Cola, alongside mid-market leaders such as quip, Cosmetica, and MobilityWorks, are making the move to ketteQ to harvest meaningful financial and operational value. These companies recognize that the capabilities offered by ketteQ—agile, adaptive planning, cloud-native technology, and real-time responsiveness—are necessary to drive competitive advantage and resilience in today’s volatile markets.

The Cost of Ignoring Disruptive Technology

While legacy systems rely on proprietary architectures that often hinder integration with modern technology, innovators like ketteQ are embracing open, cloud-native platforms designed to integrate seamlessly with AI, machine learning, and real-time data processing. This difference means that as legacy vendors work to modernize, ketteQ is already delivering time-to-value and operational improvements that legacy providers simply cannot match.

The Call for Timely and Inclusive Review Mechanisms

Ferrari’s commentary emphasizes a pressing need: the industry must find more flexible ways to evaluate new entrants. Supply chain planning technology has evolved significantly from its beginnings with companies like Aspen Technology and Demantra, yet the evaluation mechanisms remain focused on traditional metrics. This is why innovative solutions are still absent from the rankings, even as they deliver unmatched time-to-value, cloud-native design, and the flexibility to adapt quickly to change.

A Future Focused on Adaptation and Agility

Today’s supply chain leaders are starting to ask the same question Ferrari poses: Can legacy tools alone meet the demands of a rapidly changing world? While the Magic Quadrant remains a valuable tool, the next generation of supply chain planning will come from innovators capable of blending modern cloud capabilities with adaptive decision-making. Until evaluation processes evolve to recognize these new market entrants, leaders who want to stay competitive will need to look beyond traditional rankings to the companies truly shaping the future.

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