21-04-2010, 11:43 PM
What is Supply Chain Management?
Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a combination of science and software that encompasses all operations within the supply chain, including the sourcing, acquisition, and storage of raw materials; the scheduling and management of work-in process; and the warehousing and distribution of finished products. With SCM softwares, businesses can streamline and automate the planning, execution, and control of these key activities.
Since there are often many third-parties involved throughout the end-to-end supply chain, SCM software is proposed to design ro enhance communication, collaboration, and coordination with vendors and suppliers, transportation and shipping companies, intermediaries, and other partners by enabling faster bi-directional information sharing.
Key Benefits of the SCM Software
With a supply chain management software in place, a business can:
More effectively manage its entire network by overseeing all activities across all suppliers, production plants, and storage and distribution facilities.
Streamline and centralize their distribution strategy, to eliminate the logistical errors and lack of coordination that can lead to delays.
Increase visibility and enhance collaboration across the entire supply chain by sharing valuable information such as demand trend reports, forecasts, inventory levels, and transportation plans with suppliers and other partners.
Minimize storage costs and improve cash flow by better managing inventory levels.
Improve logistics tracking, to correct break-downs, inefficiencies, or problems in the supply chain before they become unmanageable.
Features of Supply Chain Management Software
The Proposed SCM softwares offer a comprehensive suite of modules and features to support end-to-end supply chain processes, including:
Inventory management to ensure optimum stock levels of components for production plants, finished goods for customers, and spare parts for field service technicians (if applicable), while minimizing related storage costs.
Order management that includes automated order entry, dynamic supplier scheduling, and pricing and product configuration to accelerate the order-to-delivery cycle.
Procurement to streamline all sourcing, purchasing, and payables across the entire supplier network.
Logistics to enhance the way warehouses are managed and transportation channels are coordinated, so on-time delivery performance can be dramatically improved.
Supply chain planning to improve all related operations by enabling accurate demand forecasting, improving order promising, and eliminating manufacturing over-runs.
Return management to accelerate the inspection and handling of defected goods, and automate the processing of claims with suppliers and insurance companies.
Incentive management to help companies better manage vendor negotiations, discounts, incentive plans, and commissions.
The proposed software can be developed using J2EE Components and MySql
