SCM Solutions
Welcome to our SCM (Supply Chain Management) system portal. Here you will find valuable, useful SCM solution vendors, information and links. What is SCM? SCM, or Supply Chain Management software addresses one or more issues, mainly the planning, sourcing, production, delivery and return of goods. It ideally involves real-time data from all links of the chain, with the internet being the vital ingredient to greater supply chain visibility. SCM systems allow companies to track demand, supply, manufacturing status, logistics and distribution of their products.
See Supply Chain Management for SCM systems which are browser-based are inherently easier to configure.
SCM System Benefits
The payoff of timely and accurate supply chain information is the ability to make or ship only as much of a product as there is a market for. This is the practice known as just-in-time manufacturing, and it allows companies to reduce the amount of inventory that they keep. This can cut costs substantially, since you no longer need to pay to produce and store excess goods. Other benefits of SCM include cost savings during product design collaboration, increased service level and productivity gains.What is in the future for SCM?
RFID technology will eventually have a huge impact on SCM, due to the mountains of data it can generate about the location of pallets, cases, cartons, totes and individual products in the supply chainHenry Ford, and Just-in-Time
"If transportation were perfect and an even flow of materials could be assured, it would not be necessary to carry any stock whatsoever." These are the words of Henry Ford while describing an epiphany he has had about manufacturing method. What an idea this is, for a company to not hold any stock whatsoever? It seems kind of risky, but one cannot argue that it is ideal. No extra stock means no extra costs spent on carrying extra material.
How can a manufacturing company even come close to such perfection? The key is in your Supply chain Management software. Be sure that your Supply Chain Management software is intuitive, and designedfor your company. In fact, Henry Ford's very method has been incorporated into many manufacturing environments today through intelligent software.
A great site to take a look at would be ShopFloorReporting. This whole method, and the foundation of Tuppas' Supply Chain Management software is focused on these words of Henry Ford, ""We have found in buying materials that it is not worthwhile to buy for other than immediate needs. We buy only enough to fit into the plan of production, taking into consideration the state of transportation at the time."
SCM Software
SCM software (Supply Chain Management) practices can vary a great degree between solutions providers. Many systems are canned and offer basic functionality. There are also canned systems on the market that offer a great deal of functionality but they can be difficult to master because they have been equipped with an overwhelming collection of options. We tend to recommend agile systems or highly configurable systems.
Agile SCM software will provide a configured collection of screens, reports and charts that will be intuitive to your team. It’s a lot easier for team members to master a system that has interfaces that are configured to the needs of your company. When a system has unnecessary interfaces it not only slows your employees down during the training cycle but it will cost you productivity as time goes by as well.
Perhaps the biggest benefit in an agile SCM solution would be that you can include the options that are important to your mission. Options like genealogy, MRP, costing, EDI and advanced planning can be easily incorporated into a flexible system. An agile solution is definitely worth taking a strong look at if you’re shopping for a supply chain solution.
