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Question
Introduction to Supply Chain Visibility
Answer
Introduction to Supply Chain Visibility
Supply Chain Visibility is the process that companies useto collect data from various sources analyze the data and generaterecommendations. The insights gained from this process can be usedto recognize bottlenecks and formulate strategies for an efficientsupply chain.
The growing trend of outsourcing increased distribution costsdue to fuel hikes and custom and security regulations have createdadditional hardships for businesses that require visibility and controlover their extended enterprise. Added to that expanded service offeringsand coordination with multiple service providers have resulted inan extremely complex supply network.
Companies are increasingly dependent upon the operation of otherparticipants within the supply chain such as suppliers carrierspurchasing logistics warehouse merchandising and so forth. Thereforesupply chain management initiatives cannot be confined within a singleoperation.
A supply chain must be fully integrated to operate at maximum efficiency.In today's complex multi-platform enterprises systems that can providevisibility and orchestrate work flows across disparate systems canbe a significant force in driving business decisions.
A Typical Supply Chain Process
A typicalsupply chain process is:
- The buyer places an order and sends a purchase order (PO) to thesupplier.
- The supplier sends an acknowledgment to the buyer within a specifiedtime period.
- The supplier then sends a commitment specifying when the shipmentwill be shipped and the quantity and items that will be shipped onthat date.
- The supplier sends an Advance Ship Notice (ASN) to the buyer.
- The supplier ships the shipment.
- The supplier creates an invoice and sends it to the buyer.
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Modified date:
08 December 2018
UID
ibm10762177