Supply Chain Management Features and Functions
Supply chain management criteria pertain to managing supplier, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and customer business processes. SCM addresses demand management, warehouse management, international trade logistics, transportation execution and many other issues for a complete solution.
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Warehouse Management System (WMS)
A warehouse management system (WMS) should provide database and user-level tools in order for a company to optimize its storage facilities while at the same time providing user level task direction and activity support.The combination of system-directed operations, supported by real-time, paper-less, and interactive information systems will provide warehouse management and personnel with the tools to direct, control, measure, and report on distribution operations. The WMS should enable warehouse operators to optimize pick, put-away, and replenishment functions by employing powerful system logic to select the best locations and sequences. These are defined by rules that are based on industry best practices, while taking into account enterprise specific opportunities and constraints.In order to facilitate ongoing activity tracking and performance reporting the WMS should include integration with bar code and wireless radio frequency data collection devices to enable accurate, efficient tracking of goods through the storage facility.
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Transportation Management System (TMS)
Transportation involves many different parties within and outside a company who are required to routinely share information and ideas. A fully functional transportation management system should provide the basic components of a shared information system to support: - Content such as rates, routes, roles, and contracts at inter-enterprise generic levels - Commerce to support and create transaction sets, documents, and information exchanged to facilitate the booking, execution, and settlement of transportation movements on an "any-to-any" level - Collaboration for real-time and interactive exchange between multiple parties, irrespective of roles The data model and data dictionary of the TMS should thus support a wide and diverse range of interactions. The system should also facilitate the exchange of data with a series of external and internal applications, as well as provide user-level tools and utilities. The combination of these robust system infrastructures and collaborative applications should enable the user to perform all necessary functions involved in the planning, execution, and analysis of transportation movements.
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International Trade Logistics (ITL)
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Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is a relatively new way of categorizing software–born out of the concept that you have customer relationship management (CRM) systems for managing customer-facing processes, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for internal processes and SRM for both supplier-facing processes and managing the supply base. The heart of SRM is sourcing and procurement, which differ from their internally-focused ERP counterparts primarily in that the SRM modules have a much greater emphasis on integrating and connecting with the suppliers. SRM also includes interactions with the supply base throughout the full lifecycle of processes from design through to fulfillment, manufacturing, and settlement.
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Demand Management
Demand management systems today have moved beyond the narrow concept of statistical forecasting to encompass both global and cross enterprise trading partner processes. In addition, the real-time nature of today’s business requires that rapid feedback from markets and adjustments to demand assumptions are propagated through the supply chain to improve delivery and cost performance. Demand management means identifying and creating demand (marketing, merchandising, and promoting), modeling (forecasting, pricing, and life cycle planning), and collaborating (communicate, simulate, and create consensus) with the network of trading partners. It also means evaluating results and creating learning cycles where the market, including geographic, demographic, and economic assumptions are evaluated and improved upon to constantly improve the performance of the chain.
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ERP - Distribution Features and Functions
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