Comprehensive supply chain software from Manhattan
Associates has launched a new integrated approach to help
manufacturers manage every aspect of their operation. Everything
from warehouse management to global tracing have been included in
the package.
The product includes the latest versions of the company's Integrated Logistics Solutions software, which encompasses its warehouse, transportation, distributed order management and trading partner management applications. NET support, the Warehouse Management application for Windows, has been moved to the Microsoft .NET platform to provide greater stability, performance and a more standardised tool set.
"This the most functionally robust product release we have ever had. In addition to new capabilities, we focused on product quality and we also improved the overall usability and performance of our solutions to lower the total cost of ownership for our customers," said Ramesh Srinivasan, www.manh.com Manhattan Associates' executive vice president, warehouse management systems.
The new software package allows manufacturers to strengthen integration with third-party vendors and partners, and further their ability to service the entire source to consumption supply chain. Also incorporated into the package are cutting-edge enhancements that provide solutions for current opportunities such as the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) mandates imposed by retailers such as Wal-Mart. While these solutions are integrated, they can also be installed on a modular basis.
The combination of the new Integration Platform for RFID and RFID-enabled applications will make it easier for manufacturers to deploy RFID technology. Voice integration has also enhanced within the application to provide increased picking accuracy and productivity.
Manhattan believes that another important selling point of its 2004R1 package is the fact that it enhances company's global capabilities. It gives them greater transportation options, including cross-border transportation. The single- and double-byte internationalisation of products are just two of the ways that 2004R1 increases global functionality to give customers the ability to conduct business around the world.
2004R1 supports hardware platforms, operating systems and databases from leading vendors such as IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Sun, HP and Oracle.
Stringent legislation, consumer concerns about food safety and growing pressure from retailers have forced food manufacturers to look at every possible means of ensuring traceability and efficiency throughout the supply chain. Out of this has emerged the concept of a Supply Chain Execution (SCE) system, which describes what the industry needs to put in place to achieve all this.
The importance of the concept is that it recognises the interconnectness of the food industry. It suggests that that closer collaboration between every aspect of the food supply chain is inevitable.
Legislation has been a significant driver. The recent US Bioterrorism Act and forthcoming EU legislation on traceability have added to the pressure on manufacturers to get their house in order and be able to trace products right through the chain. The problem traditionally has been a lack of investment in the food production sector; technical upgrades have tended to be carried out on a one-off basis and there has not been a strategic approach to SCE as yet.
This is now beginning to happen on the manufacturing side, through tracking and tracing and through closer collaboration with retailers. Industry experts believe that over the next few years, manufacturers will have achieved significantly tighter control over their processing and packaging operations.
Ultimately, it is in the manufacturer's long-term interest to invest in a system that can trace and organise operations from start to finish. The cost of compensation or a product recall means that the cost of installing an SCE system is less of a factor than it ever was.
