| Abstract: | With new capabilities aimed at increasing visibility into market demand, logistics operations, and quality compliance, the on-demand provider bulks up its Multi-Enterprise Platform. |
| Keywords: | supply chain management on demand |
On-demand supply chain management provider E2open has released a new version of its Multi-Enterprise Platform, including features designed to help manufacturers shorten the cycle times of supply chain initiatives, such as vendor-managed inventory, outsourced manufacturing, procure-to-pay, and supplier collaboration.
New and enhanced functionality in version 6.4 includes logistics visibility, quality compliance visibility, trading partner integration, and business intelligence capabilities. A new SOA-based back-end integration framework in version 6.4 enables customers to create composite applications that integrate E2open and their ERP systems, the company said.
In the new release, automated processes that "typically take three to six months to set up can be done in weeks," said E2open Senior Vice President Lorenzo Martinelli, in an interview with Managing Automation.
The combination of E2open's software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery model and new process configuration templates, which are based on pre-tested scripts tailored for specific types of supply chains, makes possible the shorter deployment times, Martinelli said. Those compressed deployment time frames translate into reduced risk, he noted.
The company has added four process solution modules in version 6.4: Demand Visibility, Logistics Visibility, Quality Compliance Visibility, and Buy/Sell Procurement Offices. These modules augment the core multi-enterprise process modules E2open launched in 2006, including Order Management, Inventory Management, Demand/Supply Synchronization, Spend Consolidation, Multi-Tier Visibility, Manufacturing Visibility, and Eco-compliance, the company said.
Customers can contract to use the full Multi-Enterprise Platform or just specific modules that suit their needs.
The new Quality Compliance Visibility module, which enables the collection of quality data from suppliers, is particularly significant as companies increasingly source goods from low-cost countries, Martinelli said. Meanwhile, the logistics module augments existing inventory replenishment functionality by tracking inventory as it travels throughout the global supply chain, and enables late-hour delivery changes based on real-time demand information collected from distributors and retailers.
In addition, version 6.4 offers users a new self-service tool for delivering data to performance scorecards and reports. The tool lets customers analyze projected spend; actual spend; orders placed and fulfilled; orders placed versus global contracts already in place; and forecast overviews and waterfall data, E2open said.
The announcement comes as AMR Research this week described a new business philosophy it calls the Performance-Driven Business Network, in which three key components of a company's operations — enterprise architecture, business strategy, and organizational principles — are synchronized with those of their business partners, including suppliers and customers. The idea is to enable the kind of agility required for success in the ever-changing global arena, specifically by addressing key pain points: acknowledging the speed of change necessary to remain competitive; the need to base corporate decisions on actual performance data, as opposed to executives' hunches; and recognizing that no company operates as an island anymore — and it's not enough to simply focus on improving internal operations.
E2open's Multi-Enterprise Platform is currently in use across 80 global manufacturing supply chains — with a total of 40,000 trading partners — including those of IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Dell, and Seagate. Although the majority of the company's customers come from high-tech, aerospace and defense, automotive, and other capital equipment industries, E2open has recently seen increased interest from CPG manufacturers, as well as retailers that offer "house brands" and, therefore, have the same supply chain management needs as manufacturers, Martinelli said.
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