Business Objects oils the links of the supply chain

The employment of new methods for managing market information and drawing decisions from it is becoming critical to survival for supply-chain participants, with the new generation of supply chain management (SCM) tools and systems emphasising collaboration and knowledge management like never before.

One of these is Supply Chain Intelligence, a new analytic application from business intelligence vendor Business Objects that aims to improve business performance by enabling companies to analyse their entire supply chain from the initial source through to the final destination.

Released earlier this year in SA, Supply Chain Intelligence helps managers to assess delivery performance, manage inventory, and reduce costs, leading to a more effective and cost efficient supply chain.

"Supply chain management is no longer just a matter of seeing your customer or supplier`s activities. It`s a matter of seeing your suppliers` suppliers, your customers` customers, knowing what`s going on in real-time, and being able to react immediately to any issues," said Gary Lawrence, country manager at Business Objects SA. "As a result, companies become much smarter and faster about how they service their customers."

Supply Chain Intelligence is composed of a series of modules that provide a complete view of a company`s supply chain, including orders, procurement, production, delivery and returns.

One of the modules, Source Analytics, enables the monitoring of the inbound supply chain to optimise procurement. Managers can monitor the receipt of goods, analyse inventory levels and stock spending, and measure product quality over time.

Source Analytics also enables managers to analyse suppliers` performance and contract compliance to ensure the cost-efficient receipt of quality supplies. This helps companies avoid late orders and delays in production, which could translate into a costly delay to market.

Deliver Analytics allows supply chain managers to analyse the outbound supply chain to deliver on customer demand in the most cost-effective way - including the cost of lost stock, inventory levels and deliveries, and understanding the order-to-deliver cycle to determine potential cost-cutting opportunities.

Deliver Analytics provides greater insight into questions that directly impact customer satisfaction - like order fulfilment and delivery timelines for a specific period, and delivery performance analysis to monitor delivery targets, invoice accuracy and damaged or late goods.

"Companies are looking to meet rising customer expectations at a manageable cost, and to do so must look in depth at the entire supply chain to identify the weak links and identify areas for improvement," said Lawrence. "Supply Chain Intelligence gives supply chain managers the keys to reducing supplier costs, improving the delivery of products, and increasing overall customer satisfaction."