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Q: Supply chain visibility ( Answered,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Supply chain visibility
Category: Business and Money
Asked by: jeab-ga
List Price: $50.00
Posted: 15 Oct 2004 11:28 PDT
Expires: 14 Nov 2004 10:28 PST
Question ID: 415379
I want some articles about how supply chain visibility increase
competitive advantage.  I want to know more about it. For example, how
do companies use supply chain visibility? Do they have any
quantitative tool to measure the efficiency of their supply chain
visibility? Thank you so much.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Supply chain visibility
Answered By: easterangel-ga on 16 Oct 2004 05:37 PDT
 
Hi! Thanks for the question.

Here are the resources I found that provide answers to your questions
and additional information about Supply Chain Visibility.

Before providing a rating, please ask for clarification if you will
need further assistance in the answers I have provided.


--------------------
Usage of Supply Chain Visibility:

a. Definition and Usage of Supply Chain Visibility:

?Good supply-chain visibility means a supply-chain manager can
identify purchased materials as they move through suppliers'
production flow and transportation networks to the company's receiving
docks. By the same token, the company must have the same visibility
into outbound goods as they are manufactured, assembled, stored in
inventory, and shipped through the transportation network to
customers' receiving docks.?

?Once you can see what's going on in your supply chain you still need
to be able to adapt quickly to whatever fate throws your way. You can
further bulletproof your operations by building in supply-chain
flexibility, which is the ability to restructure the system quickly
and inexpensively.?

?Bulletproof your supply chain? by Adrian Mello
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2821506,00.html

 
b. Usage of Portals as Components to Supply Chain Visibility:

?Retailers, distributors, and manufacturers are using portals both to
provide customers with live views of purchase orders and inventory,
and to arm employees with event management and other powerful
supply-chain tools. Less commonly, but increasingly, they're using
portals to exchange back-end data and documents with suppliers.?

?Portals: Gateways to Supply Chain Visibility? by DAVID ESSEX
http://www.scs-mag.com/reader/2003/2003_02/port0203/port0203.htm 

 
c. Supply Chain Visibility Tools

?Virtually every software vendor with a supply chain planning,
management, or execution (SCP, SCM, or SCE) solution; warehouse
management or transportation management system (WMS or TMS); customer
or supplier relationship management (CRM or SRM) product; or
enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite has developed a visibility
offering.?

?Visibility Remains Elusive? by Hallie Forcinio
http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/magazine/read.jspx?id=2896

 
d. Application of Supply Chain Visibility or Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM)

?SCEM solutions are most likely to provide significant gains for
companies that must deal with large numbers of products, customers and
suppliers. The enormous volume of data to be continuously monitored
fits perfectly with the "manage by exception" philosophy of SCEM
applications. Activities operating outside prescribed boundaries
receive immediate attention because they are readily identifiable.?
 
?SCEM also is appropriate for companies that must continually adjust
the balance between supply and demand. Sophisticated supply-chain
planning systems benefit from the constant monitoring of SCEM
applications, enabling rapid responses to surplus or shortage
conditions. SCEM provides the "early warning" capabilities to help
effectively execute the established plans.?

?Value-Chain Report -- Improve Supply-Chain Visibility With Event
Management? by Kevin O'Brien
http://www.industryweek.com/Columns/asp/columns.asp?ColumnId=959 
  

---------------------
Supply Chain Visibility Figures:

- ?Typical application installations cost about $1 million and take
about 60 days to 90 days.? (2001 Figures)

?Getting supply-chain visibility? by Martin LaMonica
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/01/02/26/010226hnseecom.html


- ?ARC forecasts that what it calls the SCPM market will more than
quadruple from $125 million in 2000 to $518 million in 2005, a
cumulative average growth rate of just under 33%.?

?SCEM - Supply Chain Visibility: Is It Really Possible?? by Hallie Forcinio 
http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/magazine/read.jspx?id=2320&printable 


- ?According to ARC Advisory Group, the SCEM market is projected to
grow at a 50%-plus annual rate to $1.4 billion by 2006.?

?Value-Chain Report -- Improve Supply-Chain Visibility With Event
Management? by Kevin O'Brien
http://www.iwvaluechain.com/Columns/columns.asp?ColumnId=959 


----------------------
The Benefits of Supply Chain Visibility:

- "?The value of visibility is based on having a complete view of
everything going on,? explains Paul Crist, vice president of global
sales and marketing at Provia Software Inc. (Grand Rapids, MI), a
supplier of suites for warehouse management and fulfillment
collaboration.?

- ?The reason for the skyrocketing interest is the potential benefits
that end-to-end, real-time visibility offers. Return-on-investment
(ROI) on even limited visibility projects tends to be quite good. "The
typical ROI is less than a year, sometimes less than six months,"
reports Tom Turner, senior vice president at WhereNet Corp. (Santa
Clara, CA), a supplier of wireless supply chain visibility solutions.?

- ?Other benefits of automating the logistics process include faster
response times so fewer special shipments are needed, decreased
work-in-process, improved accuracy of the manufacturing process and
order fulfillment, faster order velocity, reduction of returns, and
lower labor requirements. In addition, inventory turns increase while
inventory levels drop because less safety stock is needed at each
step. A product is more likely to be moving than sitting.?

?SCEM - Supply Chain Visibility: Is It Really Possible?? by Hallie Forcinio 
http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/magazine/read.jspx?id=2320&printable 


-------------------
Supply Chain Visibility Performance Metrics:

- Cost Variability
- Lost Sales
- Inventory Turns Finished Goods
- Fill Rate
- Inventory Turns Raw Material
- Perfect Order
- On Time Delivery

The Key Drivers of an Supply Chain Visibility
- Track Inventory Flow
- Update Order Status in Real Time
- Manage Incidents

?VISIBILITY Tactical Solutions, Strategic Implications?
http://clm1.org/Downloads/Resources/visibility.pdf 


-------------------
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:

?Exploding the Supply Chain? by Jeff Moad
http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/magazine/read.jspx?id=1245202&printable 

?Achieving Supply Chain Visibility? by Bob Violino
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleprint/849/-1/81/ 

?Creating Information Visibility in the Chain? by Rob Handfield
http://scrc.ncsu.edu/public/APICS/APICSmar02.html 

?Can You See Me?? by Chris York
http://www.tompkinsinc.com/publications/competitive_edge/articles/11-03-Visibility.asp


CASE STUDIES:

?Distributor's Exact e-Synergy Portal Keeps Suppliers, Customers in
Site? http://www.scs-mag.com/reader/2003/2003_02/port0203/port0203_sb.htm

?Corechange Portal Helps Krispy Kreme Stay Fresh?
http://www.scs-mag.com/reader/2003/2003_02/port0203/port0203_sb.htm#Anchor-Corechange-57737

?Supply chain visibility: United States Air Force adapts to war in
Afghanistan and learns logistics lessons ? Perspective? by Adam J.
Herbert
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAJ/is_2003_Wntr/ai_98543779

?Improving Visibility in the DOD Supply Chain? by Daniel W. Engels,
Ph.D.; Robin Koh; Elaine M. Lai;  and Edmund W. Schuster
http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/MayJun04/alog_supple%20chain.htm

?Logistics Visibility and Control Market Grows Briskly? by Steve Banker
http://www.arcweb.com/Newsmag/ent/lvc090904.asp 


Search terms used:
"Supply chain" visibility tools performance metrics ERP RFID   
filetype:pdf -site:.com

I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
                 
Thanks for visiting us.                
                 
Regards,                 
Easterangel-ga                 
Google Answers Researcher
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