Supply Chain Management Special technology report
point, manufacturers and suppliers must be made aware by integrated supply chain systems. It’s the only way they’ll be able to react and ensure that the boom can be capitalised on at shelf-level.”
Multi-channel focused
Craig Sears-Black, UK managing director at Manhattan Associates, comments that lot of Manhattan Associates’ focus at the moment is centred on driving greater awareness of its capabilities in the online retail and multi- channel retail space. “We already partner with many of the world’s leading retailers and in the UK alone work the likes of Tesco, House of Fraser, Halfords and the Co-op,” he pointed out. “With the accelerating trend among many retailers in the region to more of a multi- channel focused model, we are particularly keen to increase uptake of our retail offering, Manhattan Zero Disappointment Retail. This system-enabled approach allows retailers to deploy advanced supply chain optimisation techniques to present a unified brand across all channels – traditional bricks and mortar stores, Internet, catalogue, call centre, television and mobile.”
In addition to the retail space, Sears-Black explains that Manhattan Associates is also focused on other sectors including 3PL where it works with
the likes of Wincanton, DHL and Keystone Distribution and the fashion sector where it works with companies such as Mulberry, Urban Outfitters and PUMA. “Markets are changing rapidly,” said Sears-Black. “This can be seen in the short product lifecycles of consumer electronics goods; the impact of downloadable files on the music industry; and the complex mix of retail channels now available. Consumers are becoming more sophisticated and retailers are being confronted with a whole set of new
“
By focusing on a given
industry – or rather specialising by industry – you can offer a complete application that offers everything a business in that industry will need, but only what it will need. Integrations, configurations and analytics shouldn't be part of the implementation; they should be part of the application.” – Shaun Phillips, Infor.
challenges – optimising inventory, order management and fulfilment across multiple channels.”
Craig Sears-Black, UK managing director
Sears-Black also considers that cost containment enhanced with inflationary concerns has seen companies looking for ways to optimise worker productivity through task management, advanced labour management and use of voice technologies for their distribution operations. And, he continues, there has been a greater focus on improved access to information through Supply Chain Intelligence solutions.
“These offer organisations the ability to see the status of orders and inventory in real-time, and share that data with key stakeholders in a highly co-ordinated and controlled way,” said Sears-Black. Additionally, he has witnessed signs of a growing number of companies incorporating ‘green thinking’ into their supply chain strategies, rationalising distribution networks, using more advanced transport planning and deploying technology to provide the lowest-carbon means of execution.
And what is the supply chain impact of multi- channelling and how can industry professionals manage this challenge? In Sears-Black’s view, retail organisations across the globe are being challenged by the complexity of bringing cross-functionality to their many channels to market. “To date, few have attained this ‘Holy Grail’ of multi-channel retailing,” he said. “However, many are now learning to manipulate stock and orders across all the channels and fulfil from anywhere in the enterprise to improve customer service and margins. For example, more retailers are sourcing products from further afield, which results in longer inventory lead times. If demand drops off in one channel between the time a purchase order is raised and the inventory arriving, the retailer will want the ability to redirect that inventory to another channel, where demand may be stronger.”
Sears-Black maintains that as UK retailers develop their multi-channel strategies it is expected that demand will also grow for order management and order lifecycle management systems. “These systems are helping overcome e-tail’s franchise hurdle by enabling retailers to offer click-and-collect,” he commented. “Where previously delivering online orders direct to the customer’s home from a central website and warehouse has robbed the franchise of sales, a click-and- collect service that utilises the local store or
www.logisticsit.com October 2011
MANUFACTURING &LOGISTICS
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