Streamlining Systems to Ensure End

to End Visibility in the Supply Chain

Technology on the Move

Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Agenda
Problem Statement
Challenges
Approach and Options
Key Take Aways

Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Problem Statement
Definition
- The most basic definition is the trackability of products in transit from the
manufacturer to the final destination. These could be parts or components used to
make a final product or the final product itself. In a broader sense, visibility is the
increase of available data that can be analyzed to make recommendations and
determine strategies to improve and strengthen a supply chain.
1

Problem
- Supply chains are often not defined/documented
- Supply chains are not static, todays challenges change tomorrow

Weather
Supplier capability
Fuel
Political climate
Generational see video

Thesis
- A visible supply chain will eliminate or avoid problems and improve opportunities
within a company.
1

Patrick Penfield, Director of Supply Chain Executive Management Programs at the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University
Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Challenges
Google search Supply Chain Visibility
- 285,000 results (links)
- .28 seconds

What makes it so difficult to achieve?

- Many different variations on requirements or definition
285,000 links must mean there are a lot of ways to view this subject, not one!

- Differs by customer, supplier, supply chain step, industry

Unique, non-standard approach to go from raw material to retail and return
Inventory at rest; change in mode, break/bulk, location movements!

- Not everyone starts with a blank page

System and process changes adopted over time
Management perspectives and decisions
Competitive pressures
Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Approach and Options

What do we know?
- Dynamic
- Data intensive

Common to all solution needs

- Define the processes
Business process mapping from the customer to end state (delivery,
inventory, etc.)

- Understand the data

Master data identified and approach to manage ongoing

- Look for effective integration approach

Simplified system structure, dont over complicate the solution
Complex system structure, look to enterprise service bus solution

Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Ideally Common Defined Events

Control Towers monitor predefined events for exceptions

Front Office

Mid Office

Back Office

From Prospect to

Contract terms drive

Operation outcomes

Contract

service measures

Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

(A/P, A/R) executed

and measured

Master Data
Customer
- Where is customer information stored at your company?
CRM
Trucking
Warehousing
Customs
Accounting

- How do you relate that disparate data to customer services?

Shipment delivery service level
Warehouse inventory management service levels
Customs clearance and timing
Progress of expected timing to actual timing and predictive updates to ETA?
Profitability by customer, lane, product/service?

- Adopt a model
Data warehouse, source/reference relationship, etc.
Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

System Integration
Integrated LSP solutions generally not available
- But the majors work hard/fast to get there!

Rationalize platforms
- Necessary few, but no less

Solid integration approach

- SOA, BPM, etc.

Reliable integration technology

- BizTalk, Websphere, Fusion, etc.

Edge technologies
- Data capture
- Information display
Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Key Take Aways

Keep to the basics
- Process, Data, Integration

Focus on the critical few

- Customer perspective (front office)
- Operational perspective (mid office)
- Financial perspective (back office)

Keep your end state in mind

- Perspectives
- Architecture
- Edge technologies (you have to collect the data and transform for
display)

Questions?
Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com

Thank You

Technology on the Move

Confidential 2010 Greatwide Logistics Services | www.greatwide.com