Companies today focus a lot on the management of their value chains which cover the end-to-end flow of materials, finished goods, information, and revenue to determine both efficiency & profitability. This process is known as supply chain management. The process is an important business function, especially for companies with large numbers of products, where margins are small and business profitability is based on volume and timely delivery with minimal stocking & delivery delays.
For this reason at ITQlick, we understand that for large businesses, which have multiple product lines there is a need for an effective supply chain solution that can optimize the process, as well as provide an integrated view of the full operations.
Therefore we have considered factors that include provided functionality, integration & scalability, flexibility to match both business & industry requirements, as well as software & technology investment. Based on these factors and a review of numerous solutions we can recommend the following products.
1. SAP Supply Chain Management
SAP is a leading enterprise solution provider and as part of its portfolio provides a comprehensive supply chain management solution. The product is available as both a cloud-based and an on-premise application and offers large businesses the added advantage of accessing the full SAP platform to meet their growing business requirements.
The features available include manufacturing & operations planning, demand & sales planning, as well as inventory & supply planning. SAP also provides users with mobile apps using its own mobile platform for mobile device access. Another advantage is the strong analytics component present which provides flexible reporting options, dashboards & KPIs for supply chain monitoring. This is a good solution for large businesses looking to leverage SAP’s expertise and extensive application platform.
2. Epicor SCM
Epicor is another ERP solution provider that includes a supply chain management solution. Its features include purchase & inventory management, distribution requirements planning, warehouse management, shipping & receiving, as well as advanced material management.
It also offers a self-service portal for suppliers to communicate on monitoring & improving delivery channels. Additionally, the product supports mobile device access and it is available as both an on-premise & cloud-based solution. Large businesses can also benefit from Epicor SCM’s support for make-to-order, make-to-stock, and engineer-to-order processes that ensures companies have full control and can optimize their production process.
3. Infor SCM
An important consideration for large businesses is the varied product lines that they deal with. To address this Infor SCM has designed its supply chain solution to address different industry sector requirements while ensuring one integrated platform for a complete business view. Additionally, the product has strong business intelligence tools that include data analytics for supply chain evaluation & optimization.
The product’s features include operations planning, supply chain planning, and supply chain execution. There are also options for customer & supplier portals integrated with collaboration tools. With both an on-premise & cloud-based deployment option, Infor SCM can help large businesses optimize the value chain while ensuring proper operational control & monitoring.
4. SCExpert
SCExpert is a specialized supply chain management solution provider that offers a modular-based application with features chosen by companies in line with their operational requirements. These include warehouse management, delivery & transport, routing management, as well as billing optimization.
The product can be integrated with a variety of third-party enterprise applications such as ERP, MRP, and HR systems. Also offered are options for extended customization of the product to meet business requirements. The application can be accessed from mobile devices and is offered as both a cloud-based & an on-premise solution. For large businesses seeking to add a supply chain solution to their existing software infrastructure, SCExpert is a good option.
5. Logility Voyager
Logility Voyager offers large businesses another specialty solution that focuses on tracking and improving various aspects of the supply chain. These include demand, transportation, logistics, supply, and inventory, as well as retail optimization. With in-depth business analytics which includes dashboards and configurable KPIs, as well as a collaboration platform to communicate with all relevant supply chain parties, Logility provides an end-to-end solution for the supply chain management.
Additionally, as it is scalable to meet the growing needs of any size company, the product offers large businesses a good option to enhance their supply chain operations management.