Key FeaturesQ. What is a managed supply hub?
Q. What do you mean by 'on demand'?
Q. We already have, or are about to implement, an ERP system. Why do we need another one?
Q. Am I handing over my proprietary information to a third party? What guarantees do I have?
Q. How much will the Supply Chain Connect solution cost?
Q. How long before we see a return on our investment?
Q. What guarantees do we have of meeting these goals?
Q. What is Supply Chain Connect's relation to my own demand chain?
Q. What can Supply Chain Connect do for us?
Supply Chain Connect can deliver your company huge productivity gains in inventory management, order management, production planning and forecasting, for a modest, low-risk monthly subscription fee. This is achieved by allowing your company to share important information with your suppliers and customers, electronically, in real-time, in turn enabling them to work faster, smarter and more cost effectively.
Q. What is a managed supply hub?
Supply Chain Connect's unique managed supply hub is a private and secure solution that connects companies with potentially thousands of suppliers and manages this supply chain to make it faster, more efficient and to strip out waste through reducing inventory and providing demand visibility.
Q. What do you mean by 'on demand'?
Supply Chain Connect provides a hosting and managed service for you 24/7, so that when you need information on demand it is there for you. Like a power socket always available for you, Supply Chain Connect's solution is there whenever you or your suppliers require.
Q. We already have, or are about to implement, an ERP system. Why do we need another one?
Supply Chain Connect is not an ERP system, but an information enabler that takes the initial efficiencies achieved through ERP and extends them to your external supply chain. It smartly and unobtrusively takes the processes and information systems that already exist within your organization, and makes them available, in real-time, to your suppliers via an electronic interface. It enables you to achieve huge efficiency gains outside the boundaries of your organisation.
Q. Am I handing over my proprietary information to a third party? What guarantees do I have?
Supply Chain Connect uses the internet as its technological backbone to deliver key information to your partners. You own the data, you decide exactly what data is made available, and who is authorised to receive it; we simply deliver it - securely and reliably. The technology we employ is based on universal, best-practice standards. This means you are not locked into any vendors' technology, including our own. Furthermore, we guarantee that your information is completely secure. The benefits of outsourcing, meanwhile, are manifold: not least the low set-up costs and future-proofing.
Q. How much will the Supply Chain Connect solution cost?
Supply Chain Connect calculate on a fixed pricing model, based on minimal upfront investment and value-related subscription fees for access to the system, which means you are not charged per transaction as with EDI. Our customers face only a modest subscription based solely on the complexity of their operation and the functionality they require. Installation is fast, and, once connected, you will quickly recoup your initial investment.
Q. How long before we see a return on our investment?
Because of its ease of implementation and low startup costs, Supply Chain Connect begins delivering almost immediate financial returns. Just a single connection is required from each supplier and yourself, which means we can implement a working supply hub solution in just four weeks. Within 12 weeks of implementation we guarantee that you will start seeing a return on your investment. For suppliers, implementation time is as short as one day.
Q. What guarantees do we have of meeting these goals?
Supply Chain Connect is a results-driven company. Once we've evaluated your supply chain and agreed specific areas for improvement, we will define very specific goals: For example, to decrease raw materials inventory by 50% over the next year. We'll then meet that goal. We are happy to include financial guarantees to this effect.
Supply Chain Connect delivers just as much value to your suppliers as it does to their customers. By giving suppliers real-time access to important information governing your forecasts, sales orders and inventory, you ensure that they will react faster, be more efficient, and slash costs. Suppliers with responsibility for consigned inventory will especially welcome Supply Chain Connect as an opportunity to increase their working capital because of the increased control. What is consigned inventory after all, but an expensive buffer that swallows profit? Introducing and implementing Supply Chain Connect requires internal sponsorship and commitment, but the benefits to everyone are immediate. Remember, in a 21st century supply chain, if your suppliers are inefficient, so are you.
Q. What is Supply Chain Connect's relation to my own demand chain?
As we all know, it's customers - and in a wider sense the marketplace - that are behind the relentless drive towards efficiency. It's important to remember that the chain moves both ways.
