Driving the executional excellence of the continuous supply chain

The ability to execute, seamlessly and in real-time, is critical as your company works to develop a continuous supply chain. Being uniquely capable of connecting multiple facets of this execution -- not just to an order management system but also to TMS for transportation management and WMS for warehouse management will be key components to implementing continuous supply chain execution.

Ranga Pothula of Infor writes about how to manage the complex processes of supply chain execution through the integration of systems needed to operate a business.

Integrated multi-party source-to-settle process
Sourcing execution or the ability to establish real-time connectivity to suppliers is key. What we are really speaking to here is the need to orchestrate end-to-end physical and financial operations between order management, global trade management, transportation, warehouse, product traceability, and even payables management.

Streamlined manufacturing
Manufacturing execution is focused on streamlining processes, driving better decision making and gaining productivity. Supply chains must optimize and automate the manufacturing process from raw materials and components to finished goods. Having the ability to anticipate and optimize lead times is crucial for downstream improvement.

Strategic warehouse fulfilment & operation
Globalization adds new levels of complexity to maintaining visibility in inventory, shipping, and tracking—often across numerous geographies. In addition to making sophisticated warehouse operations even more challenging, this all makes it difficult for supply chains to remain competitive, keep costs down, and maintain profitability. To tackle these challenges, your organization must reevaluate how your warehouse management practices, processes, and systems need to change in order to improve warehouse productivity, visibility, and costs.

Customers want orders delivered more quickly, more accurately, and more specifically tailored to their needs—all at a lower cost. Supply chains are expected to turn around orders on shorter notice than in the past. Your enterprise’s ability to align capabilities across warehouse operations and all fulfilment channels are critically important.

Traceability and product tracking
With extended supply chains and globalized markets, the safety, security, sustainability and brand promise of many items we buy today have become more visible as well as more vulnerable. Extensive supply chain history must be captured for items to create a product traceability solution suited for the challenges ahead. The benefits of a comprehensive product traceability program include greater location accuracy, faster root cause analysis, reduced time and cost in product quarantine activities as well as improved compliance.

Transportation control
To help contain growing transportation spending, your company should complement its’ final-mile transportation strategy with global transportation visibility and control. Adopting this “bimodal” approach to global enterprise transportation could help your company elevate the performance to the next level of logistics maturity.

Connecting the dots
Managing the complex processes of supply chain execution can be made easier through the integration of systems needed to operate your business. Working with a trusted partner to develop these capabilities is the first step in achieving executional excellence.

To learn more about where supply chain management is going, check out the complete best practices guide today.

Ranga Pothula is the MD India sub-continent & SVP global delivery services of the New York-headquartered multi-national software company ‘Infor’.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Indian Transport & Logistics News