In today’s rapidly evolving supply chain landscape, companies face a critical decision when addressing their planning challenges: should they build custom solutions from scratch or leverage existing technologies? At CommWise, we’ve developed a clear philosophy that guides our approach to innovation – we call it “Integration Over Reinvention.”
The Traditional Approach: Building From Scratch
Traditionally, supply chain software solutions followed a familiar pattern:
- Identify a business need
- Develop custom specifications
- Write code from the ground up
- Test, deploy, and maintain proprietary systems
This approach offers complete control but comes with significant drawbacks:
- Extended time-to-value (often months or years)
- High development costs
- Maintenance burden that grows over time
- Integration challenges with other systems
- Skills dependency on specific developers
The CommWise Way: Borrow, Connect, Customize
CommWise flips this model on its head by embracing a fundamentally different approach:
- Identify the business need
- Map capabilities to existing proven tools
- Connect these tools through smart integration
- Configure and customize to fit exact requirements
Instead of reinventing wheels, we borrow them – and then connect them together in innovative ways that solve specific supply chain planning problems.
Why “Borrow” Wins in Today’s Environment
This “borrow vs build” philosophy directly supports our core “4S” principles:
1. Speedy
By leveraging established platforms like Airtable, Make.com, and AI services, we can deliver working solutions in days rather than months. When a fresh juice producer needed an urgent S&OP solution before Easter season, we delivered in just two days by connecting existing tools rather than coding from scratch.
2. Simple
Every custom-built line of code adds complexity, maintenance requirements, and potential points of failure. By borrowing proven components, we maintain simplicity while still solving complex problems. The focus shifts from “how do we build this?” to “how do we connect what already works?”
3. Stable
Established platforms have been battle-tested by thousands of users. They have dedicated teams ensuring their stability, security, and performance. By borrowing this foundation, CommWise solutions inherit this stability rather than building it from zero.
4. Scalable
Leading cloud platforms are designed to scale. When we integrate Airtable, AI services, or visualization tools, we’re leveraging infrastructure designed to handle growth – without having to architect scalability ourselves.
Real-World Success Stories
The “borrow vs build” approach has delivered remarkable results:
Case Study: Global Beverage Bottler
A major bottling operation needed to automate their seasonal inventory build process. Rather than coding a custom application, we connected their existing data through the CommWise Integration Framework to Airtable. This transformed a manual, error-prone process into an automated workflow in just two iteration cycles.
The key insight? The solution’s value wasn’t in new code – it was in connecting existing capabilities in a new way.
Case Study: Fresh Beverage Producer
When a juice producer faced a planning crisis after Christmas with Easter looming, they needed a solution fast. The CommWise approach meant we could pull their data into an Airtable-based planning template with AI-enhanced insights in just two days.
What began as a “disposable” quick fix proved so effective it became a permanent process component – something that wouldn’t have been possible with a traditional build timeframe.
The Integration-First Mindset
To embrace the “borrow vs build” philosophy requires a fundamental shift in thinking:
- Start with what exists – always begin by mapping available tools and data
- Think in connections – value comes from how systems talk to each other
- Configuration over coding – adjust settings before writing custom code
- Embrace “good enough” – perfect solutions often aren’t necessary
- Value speed to value – faster implementation means faster results
This mindset doesn’t mean never building anything custom. Sometimes specific calculations, algorithms, or interfaces must be created. But even then, we build only what’s necessary while borrowing everything else.
The AI Accelerator
The “borrow vs build” approach becomes even more powerful when paired with AI assistance. CommWise uses AI throughout our development process:
- ChatGPT helps brainstorm solutions using borrowed components
- Claude generates integration code and scripts that connect borrowed tools
- Our library of templates means we rarely start from zero
This combination – borrowed tools connected through AI-assisted integration – creates a multiplicative effect on development speed.
Getting Started with “Borrow vs Build”
If you’re considering how to approach your next supply chain planning project, ask yourself:
- What existing tools already contain my data?
- Which proven platforms could handle the core functions I need?
- What’s the minimal custom element actually required?
- How quickly do I need a working solution?
Often, you’ll find that borrowing and connecting is not just faster and simpler – it’s also more effective.
Conclusion: A Philosophy for Modern Supply Chain Innovation
The “Integration Over Reinvention” principle represents more than just a development approach – it’s a philosophy that acknowledges the reality of today’s technology landscape. We live in an era of abundant, powerful tools that can be composed into solutions greater than the sum of their parts.
By focusing on how these components connect rather than building everything from scratch, CommWise delivers supply chain planning solutions that are speedy, simple, stable, and scalable.
In the words of Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” The CommWise approach simply applies this timeless wisdom to modern supply chain challenges.
Interested in seeing how the “borrow vs build” approach could transform your supply chain planning? Join the CommWise community today to explore possibilities with like-minded innovators.