Digitally transforming the supply chain is key to harnessing the data needed for end-to-end optimization. Read this eBook to learn about the necessary tools companies can utilize to digitally enhance their supply chain and achieve the highest level of digital maturity.

Get stake holders involved

With more than 80% of supply chain processes and data existing outside a typical manufacturing enterprise, successful organizations can no longer act as stand-alone entities. Moving forward, an organization must seek technology that allows it to function as an agile business network that can respond more effectively to dynamic situations, global uncertainty, and black swan events that could disrupt the supply chain at any moment.

An efficient and flexible supply chain requires extensive collaboration and coordination. One of the first steps in designing a supply chain technology strategy should be to consider how your organization works with and creates value for suppliers and customers alike. Extensibility via API integrations, real-time access, standard based information exchange is essential for keeping supply chain information flowing properly as your business needs and relationships evolve.

The software that you choose for a supply chain platform and portfolio should natively integrate with your trading partners. As needs grow, it’s likely that you’ll benefit from a network platform that manages the flow of goods as hand-offs occur between suppliers and logistics providers. Network visibility capabilities can provide a complete view to address issues and predict schedules—enabling predictive ETA and the ability to make adjustments.

Be a proficient Advanced Planner

End-to-end planning is essential to drive profitable, sustainable growth. Navigating the challenges associated with evolving product portfolios, dynamic markets, unavoidable constraints, and expanding networks creates a dizzying array of go-to-market options—and a widening
gap between getting it done and getting it right. Infor’s integrated planning suite synchronizes supply and demand, balancing customer expectations and business goals. Modular applications target key sources of complexity, leveraging a common platform to harmonize operations and strategy.

Advanced algorithms support demand sensing and supply planning, inventory and production planning, all to identify the best use of assets and optimize performance. Infor® Integrated Business Planning goes beyond traditional sales and operations planning (S&OP) to enable a holistic perspective to align the entire organization in order to deliver overall business improvement. Having the appropriate systems in place to optimize inventory levels without sacrificing service levels is essential to remaining competitive in today’s marketplace.

Involve your suppliers in your Supply chain systems

Nowadays, supplier relationships require more transparency and collaboration than ever before. Businesses have long struggled with complex supply chain orchestration due to siloed systems and disconnected, manual processes slowing down communication and straining supplier relationships. The Infor Nexus™ commerce network provides a single point of engagement with contract manufacturers and suppliers for processes from plan to pay. This allows trading partners to share and align digitally on plans, forecasts, and orders to foresee early warnings of potential issues and help assure supply. By improving logistics at every point of a supply chain—beginning at origin, with solutions that automate
supplier packing, labeling, and shipping processes—you gain the visibility needed to manage upstream and downstream supply flows, ensuring efficiency across the entire value chain.

Legacy Supply Chain systems and WMS will slow you down

Warehousing challenges such as omnichannel availability, SKU proliferation, and the need for expanded, value-add services place enormous stress on operations. The rising costs of fulfillment accompanied by increasing complex task requirements are driving the need to transform the warehouse. It’s time to give warehouse operators and personnel the tools they need to succeed.

Unfortunately, aging warehouse systems lack the functionality needed for agile fulfillment, just-in-time (JIT) inventory, and the dynamic workforce management available in modern WMS applications. Yet many organizations are hesitant to adopt new systems due to an anticipated difficulty of managing the complex technology stack that supports a modern warehouse.

Infor offers a configurable, cloud-based warehouse management system to leverage automation, increase efficiency, improve responsiveness, and reduce complexities. An intuitive solution, Infor WMS manages activities, combining core and advanced warehousing activities with embedded labor management, activity based costing (ABC) analytics, billing and invoicing, transportation scheduling, and 3D visual analysis all in a unified application.

The cloud empower end-to-end flexibility

In today’s complex business ecosystem, moving business applications to the cloud is essential. That’s because cloud-based applications are continuously updated with functionality and technology infrastructure to keep pace of digital business transformation. By moving the applications to support essential supply chain process to the cloud, organizations gain:

• Scalability & elasticity—Accommodate operational needs as they grow or handle peak nor seasonal requirements easily
• Security—Ensure that only appropriate users and partners have access to information needed for their roles
• Insight—Connect data across the operation both inside and outside your enterprise for insights and monitoring critical KPIs
• Extensibility—Leverage API driven integrations to quickly and easily connect new applications and new supply chain partners
• Innovation—Keep pace with industry changes and best practices; and position yourself for future needs

Fostering a supply chain’s digital journey

The digital journey takes companies, and their supply chains, through sequential stages. Each stage contains the competencies and technologies necessary to build a platform for continued digital evolution. The change is often incremental. Yet a business gains proficiency with each stage, its supply chains become better-equipped to meet the demands of a complex, networked, global business environment. While some steps may appear small, each step contributes to creating truly transformative opportunities throughout an agile supply chain. And the best first step to optimization is taking a deep look at every aspect of your business’ supply chain. Doing this helps set a business up for successful predictive processes—as well as happier business partners and customers.

Keep Innovating

To win in the digital age, supply chain organizations must operate as agile business networks that connect systems, processes, and partners of all types with visibility, automation, and insights from source to customer. Infor supply chain management solutions empower intelligent, real-time supply chain orchestration and data-driven decisions that allow organizations to optimally deliver to their customers on time.

Specialized by industry, Infor solutions are built for cloud to enable global business, networked analytics, and a user experience augmented by artificial intelligence. Infor supply chain management solutions help organizations:

• Stay current on the latest versions of their software.
• Allow users to access applications on any device anywhere.
• Scale cloud services to handle usage peaks and valleys.
• Reduce total cost of ownership and capital investment.
• Integrate cloud and on-premises applications with pre-built APIs.
• Connect data across cloud and legacy applications for enterprise insights
• Democratize analytics for better decisions.
• Leverage advanced and AI-driven capabilities as business needs evolve.

Ask us about Supply chain digitization by calling+254 202 305 051 (KE) or +256 414 665 846 (UG)