Major ERP players are poised to give best-of-breed vendors in supply-chain management and execution a run for their money as the economy gains steam and companies once again begin to invest in technology.
With a re-energized effort under way to formalize Collaborative Transportation Management, lots of people are looking at ways to make carriers part of the collaborative process.
Rapid growth, Y2K issues and the need to better control and trace inventory all led salad dressing manufacturer Naturally Fresh to implement an enterprise system that included robust supply-chain capabilities.
The first generation of SCEM vendors did not offer enough value to earn a permanent place in the marketplace, but a new wave of vendors with expanded capabilities promises to do a lot better.
Transportation and distribution providers could benefit from the use of customer relationship management tools, experts say. But some don't seem to want to hear about the technology.
Hollywood studios know that box-office receipts are greatest in the first weeks of a film's release, and the same is true for their video sales divisions. MGM Home Entertainment's VMI initiative ensure that its retailers are stocked (and replenished) with the latest videos.
Supply-chain plans tend to collapse when demand spikes, supplier failures and other problems at the execution level radically change the underlying assumptions. But better planning techniques, event management tools and a new generation of web-based collaborative solutions can keep these plans on track.
Even if you are not among Wal-Mart's top 100 suppliers, the retail giant's push for RFID labels at the case and pallet level by January 2005 deserves your attention. The mandate will have repercussions throughout the supply chain.
Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment may have been born in the U.S.A, but it took a German grocery supplier doing business in Spain to demonstrate true collaboration among trading partners.