Is Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment the Holy Grail of Supply Chain Management?

Supply Chain Management (SCM) means many things to many people but fundamentally it’s the management of the flow of materials and services needed to make a product and deliver it to customers. For many companies, it’s an integral part of their overall strategy for meeting customer demand.

Stage one of SCM involves selecting suppliers for the goods and services needed to create the product. Stage two relates to developing processes with suppliers for pricing, delivery and payment. So far so good…

Stage three and beyond though is where an experienced SCM Manager can really command big bucks because a manufacturer or retailer able to collaborate with suppliers on a mass scale and schedule production, manage inventory, verify shipments, authorize payments, transfer goods to manufacturing and co-ordinate logistics as seamlessly, quickly and cost effectively as possible makes the difference between a Wall Street performer or flop.

Initially thought of as the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, supply chain collaboration (SCC) is a business to business (B2B) concept that has now been extended to include raw materials, logistics and service suppliers.

In essence, SCC is two or more companies working jointly to develop shared information, develop joint plans based on that shared information, and consequently execute their businesses with greater success than when acting independently. Until recently though, such collaboration was rarely attained within a company let alone between companies.

With the introduction of the Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) business model though, which many consider the standard for direct material planning and fulfilment, companies now have a firm foundation on which to base their operational plans and supply chain solutions.

CPFR is intended to eliminate the uncertainty in demand and supply by actively promoting the exchange of information and data, including demand signals, forecasts, inventory and logistics across supply chain partners. Post implementation, companies experience increased sales, reduced inventory and cycle time and lower cost of sales. Furthermore, successful partners exhibit mutual trust and believe that both sides profit equally when both supplier and customer are responsible for using inventory efficiently, keeping stock levels low and more effectively managing transportation.

Thankfully, there is now SCM software that supports CPFR standards and enterprises that have invested time, resources, and money in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems needn’t worry because it compliments not competes with their investment. This could explain why some of the emerging Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) supply chain software vendors are seen as such hot property.

One such vendor is Perceptant (http://www.perceptant.com), the cloud computing supply chain management, B2B collaborative portal and EDI software vendor, who has openly endorsed CPFR and during a recent interview revealed it received on average two offers of venture capital a month.

Logistic & FMCG Companies: How to Profit from a 21st Century Supply Chian

Major retailers are under tremendous pressure to go green and reduce their carbon footprint. To achieve this, they first turned to initiatives close at hand, including the reduction of energy consumption at the store level, product packaging resizing and the more efficient construction of new stores.

Some would argue however that their supply chains represent the biggest source of carbon reduction and as close to home initiatives begin to dry up, retailers are now turning their attentions towards suppliers.

FMCG companies for example are being placed under tighter and tighter scrutiny to deliver on-time, with full loads that aren’t rejected. This can have a major impact on sustainability, as full loads mean fewer lorries on our roads, fewer rejections equal less waste and on-time deliveries reduce bottlenecks and returns.

As if suppliers weren’t being squeezed enough, now comes a whole raft of new initiatives that, unless automated, will place margins under greater and greater pressure.

Nevertheless, supply chain’s can fight back, to not only deliver the carbon reductions retailers seek, but turn these initiatives in to an opportunity to improve profitability.

Picture, if you will, a supplier faced with a mandate from a major retailer to reduce its carbon footprint by 25%. That’s not a 25% reduction in its own internal footprint but the footprint it creates in trading with the retailer. Understandably, all eyes turn to logistics and product returns as two major areas that can achieve this. But how and at what cost?

The answer lies in the redesign and integration of business processes between the supplier and its hauliers that, if done correctly, can not only help them deliver major improvements in carbon footprint but also improve cash-flow and reduce costs.

For example, by exchanging delivery requests, load plans and despatch advices in real-time, suppliers and their logistics providers can increase the number of full loads and decrease the number of incorrectly timed deliveries. Furthermore, by equipping drivers with simple mobile-phone based text messaging (SMS) or Apple iPhone applications, proof of delivery (POD) messages can be sent back to the supplier’s computer system immediately the goods are received. This not only allows the supplier to invoice more quickly (sometimes by weeks) but also has a dramatic impact on reducing invoice queries.

In summary, there are many such initiatives that if implemented can help suppliers and their hauliers drive improvements to margins, cash-flow and customer service, whilst in tandem delivering the sustainability returns their customers demand.

Perceptant is a recognised expert in Efficient Logistics, Supply Chain Management & Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and has been helping companies seamlessly collaborate for over 20 years. For a limited period, organisations can have a free review of their logistical supply chain by visiting the Perceptant’s Solutions Forum, which can be found on their homepage.

Wal-Mart: One size does not fit all across a Global supply chain…

Fascinating article that highlights “what’s good the goose in not necessarily good for the gander” when it comes to global supply chain management strategy. Perceptant (http://www.perceptant.com) has for a long time advocated that geography, in-county tax, export and logistics rules as well as local employment practices impact supply chain’s in very different ways on a country level. What are your views and thoughts?

http://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/20091008cscmp2009_walmart_supply_chain/

Agility and responsiveness are a must for the customer-driven supply chain

Aberdeen research report discusses ways to manage multi-enterprise, demand-supply networks in order to increase responsiveness and agility…

MARLTON, N.J.–(Business Wire)–

Acsis, Inc., a leader in track and trace solutions for supply chain safety, security and efficiency, today announced its sponsorship of the research report, “Multi-Enterprise Manufacturing: The Role of Visibility and Collaboration in Driving Responsiveness.” The research study, conducted by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), reveals that due to an increase in the outsourcing of supply chain processes and solutions, organizations are losing visibility at a time when agility and responsiveness are a must for the customer-driven supply chain.

“Manufacturing and demand-supply networks are continuing to grow in complexity. Because of this complexity, it has become difficult for companies to stay informed and in control of every stage of the supply chain lifecycle,” said Viktoriya Sadlovska, analyst and co-author of the report. “At the same time, these organizations are working to move towards a more customer-driven supply chain. Therefore it is critical for companies to better align their outsourcing and customer-service efforts to attain agility and enable better responsiveness to minimize supply chain risk.”

Key findings from survey respondents indicate that:

· The top strategic focus for 2009 was on customer-related processes

· When combating the multi-enterprise visibility challenge, respondents are more likely to focus on collaborative approaches

· Effective information management is absolutely key for success in today`s complex demand-supply networks

· Having granular visibility that extends both upstream and downstream the supply chain allows companies to achieve operational excellence

According to report authors, visibility plays a big role in day-to-day routine supply chain management tasks, historic supply chain performance analysis and long-term planning. Additionally, a centralized supply chain organization, with globally defined strategy has both global and regional centers of excellence, and is an important organizational element for managing today`s networks with a high degree of process outsourcing. Best-in-class companies have repeatedly shown to have adopted this capability.

“The Aberdeen report is an affirmation of the importance of visibility and agility within the supply chain,” said Andre Pino, chief marketing officer, Acsis, Inc. “As companies outsource more and more of their supply demand-networks, they lose the visibility and control that they once had when the operations were within their four walls. “However, new automated data collection and collaboration technologies can provide visibility and restore the management control over their demand-supply networks and minimize disruptions and operational errors, he said.”

To obtain a complimentary copy of this report, visit:

http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5788

Perceptant (http://www.perceptant.com/) - Next Gen Supply Chain Management, B2B Integration & EDI