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by Alan Joch, Contributing Editor   | Abstract: | E2open's hosted supply chain management platform offers collaboration and greater information. |
It made economic sense when, back in the 1990s, some of the biggest high-tech companies decided to outsource component manufacturing. Global contract manufacturers could often do it cheaper and faster. But the lack of control and uncertainty about inventories and schedules within the resulting multi-tier supply chains also fostered unease. The big OEMs couldn't see supply or production problems percolating in the extended chain, so glitches often resulted in unexpected delays. In 2000, a high-tech Who's Who -- including Acer, Hitachi, Panasonic and IBM -- formed E2open Inc. (Redwood City, CA), which created a technology platform for analyzing and managing multi-level supply chains. [Click to continue] |