Collaboration effectiveness and accurate real time information are keys to 3PL success. This kind of collaboration is easy to talk about but challenging to accomplish. This type of intimacy is challenging to achieve because it is predicated on information and trust. Benefits from this kind of close collaboration and intimacy are real, including synchronization of supply and demand, better asset utilization, reduced cycle times, lower transportation cost, improved on time delivery, actual response to changing demand and opportunities, and fast exception resolution. This kind of close collaboration requires access and analysis of fragmented data locked in silos throughout the supply chain, including portals, spreadsheets, legacy systems, emails, faxes, an ERP systems.
It has long been suggested that a service oriented architecture (SOA) could tie disparate supply chain systems together and provide real time XML enabled communications with partners using a common protocol. However, multiple layers of changes to complex XML and web based technologies, formats and standards have added to the complexity and difficulty of orchestrating successful integrated systems. In spite of these complexities both small and large companies are desperately looking to collaborate with trading partners in an efficient and affordable manner, unfortunately the XML approach does not address pushing and pulling data from an excel workbook, e-mail, PDF, project files, and/or CAD drawings and even if it did every situation would require a customized application.
Some organizations believe they have found a viable solution; Instaknow-ACE (Active Collaboration Engine) automates certain critical business processes. According to Instaknow President Paul Khandekar there is no expensive drawn out XML modifications to existing applications. A friendly graphical interface guides the user in creating complex automation that emulates the current manual steps, decision process, and alerting. Smart visual wizards are designed to allow quick conversion of any business intent into business process automation steps. Each was wizard accomplishes the work equivalent to thousands of line conventional code. The solution is built focusing on business logic rather than on technical aspects which the wizard handles automatically.
After analyzing data from various sources and the actions that will yield the desired business objectives (integrated visibility from silos of fragmented data, rapid decisions, actions and presentation) the supply chain solution developer pulls wizards down from the toolbar and arranges them to emulate a customized process. According to Khandekar the wizards can read and write data from virtually any digital architecture including XML web servers, the HTML web sites, and legacy systems, spreadsheets, emails, faxes, relational databases, ERP systems, EDI transactions, and GUI applications, including Excel, Word and PDF formats.
Importantly, the learned intelligence is then automated and applied the to similar business cases from that point on, automatically entering a transactional specific, real Time Data into any HTML Internet slashed intranet green screen or client server application and automatically checking the correct links just as a person would. This solution is sustainable from the perspective that it learns how to optimize the processing of data and applies the same process every time it sees similar circumstances.
If your company is considering the considering collaboration tools , I would suggest you contact Supply Chain Experts, they can help you with present and future needs analysis, writing request for proposal, software design and/or selection, and an implementation program that will optimize operational performance and satisfy the requirements of your customers.
Dr. Edward F. Knab
Productivity Constructs, Inc.
800 660 8718 office
949 413 7333 mobile
ed@edwardknab.com
www.productivityconstructs.com
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Dr. Knab is an academic practitioner and seasoned Global Supply Chain expert whose company, Productivity Constructs, is focused on driving cost and inefficiency out of the Global Supply Chain. Dr. Knab can be contacted for speaking engagements, coaching, or consultation at efk@productivityconstructs.com, ed@ewardknab.com or www.edwardknab.com.
Tags: control, distribution, efficiency, management, system, warehouse, WMS
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