Wouldn’t supply chain management be easier if you could just use a magnifying glass to view everything you needed? As we’re sure you’re aware, however, that’s not exactly the case. Without the proper systems in place, achieving full visibility into each supply chain process is difficult, if not impossible.

Luckily, supply chain visibility software can free you from tedious manual data entry and reporting while giving you actionable insights to guide your business better.

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Table Of Contents

• Best Supply Chain Visibility Software
  • Oracle SCM Cloud
  • SAP S/4 HANA-SAP Integrated Business Planning
  • Infor Nexus
  • Kinaxis RapidResponse
  • Blue Yonder
• What Is Supply Chain Visibility?
• Primary Benefits
• Key Features
• Enhancing Supply Chain Visibility
• Software Selection Strategy
• Next Steps

Best Supply Chain Visibility Software

As you’re working on improving your supply chain, it’s important to do so with the right supply chain visibility software. The following are five of the best supply chain visibility software out there, so you can improve supply chain planning and optimize all of your processes.

Oracle SCM Cloud

Oracle SCM Cloud can handle distribution, manufacturing, inventory and fleet management, supply chain planning, logistics, and order management. You can receive digital assistance with intelligent apps for IoT and blockchain.

It’s ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. It serves various industries, including automotive, communications, healthcare, high technology, industrial manufacturing and retail/consumer goods.

Top Benefits

• Connectivity: Oracle SCM Cloud supports integration with IT solutions like financial systems, mobile devices, IoT connections and more, which enables real-time collaboration.
• APIs and Open Interface: View and manage the data stored in Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud using Oracle REST APIs. Its products provide open interfaces that allow users to link with suppliers and customers, non-Oracle, user-built and external applications.
• Predictive Maintenance: Oracle IoT Cloud uses real-time data to help predict failures, spot anomalies in operation and schedule maintenance to improve equipment reliability and safety. It provides decisions in real time using big data analytics and blockchain.

Primary Features

• Supply Chain Planning Cloud: You can receive real-time insights for managing production, distribution, suppliers and external service providers. The platform offers tools for tactical firefighting and strategic optimization.
• Product Master Data Management: Store, edit and publish master data across multiple channels, marketplaces and distribution networks.
• Oracle Procurement Cloud: The solution lets you specify rules for automated purchase orders. Use the spend control module to track employee requests and orders.
• Product Lifecycle Management: Track the entire product lifecycle with features like innovation management, product development, quality management and configurator modeling.
• Sales and Operations Planning: You can boost collaboration and reach a consensus among marketing, manufacturing, sales and finance teams using configurable process templates to outline innovation, development, supply and financials. Offers simulation tools to evaluate alternative what-if plans.

Limitations

• You’ve to configure PAAS to make customizations.
• It doesn’t provide an API in all areas to connect to third-party systems.
• It doesn’t offer all the customizations as other Oracle products.

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SAP S/4 HANA – SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP)

SAP Integrated Business Planning offers features like supply chain monitoring, sales and operation planning, forecast and demand management, inventory optimization, response and supply planning, and demand-driven replenishment.

The S/4HANA to SAP IBP integration model helps deliver standard integration logic determining which transactional, master and configuration data is collected and transferred to IBP. SAP IBP also integrates with SAP Supply Chain Control Tower for improved visibility and corrective actions.

Top Benefits

• Deployment: SAP IBP supply chain visibility software offers pre-configured process templates for accelerated implementation.
• Resource Planning: It allows users to optimize and manage resources efficiently. Supply plans can be created based on prioritized demands, allocations and supply chain constraints.
• Easy Integration: Its comprehensive solution helps integrate data from external systems like SAP ERP or SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization.
• Mobile Application: This supply chain visibility software lets you log in to SAP IBP Web UI using mobile devices and access available Fiori apps. SAP Help provides information regarding the availability of mobile support for particular applications.

Primary Features

• Forecasting and Demand Management: This feature lets you develop mid-term statistical forecasts and react to short-term demand fluctuations with pattern recognition-based algorithms. Generate forecasts for specific scenarios or parts of a business with demand planning tools.
• Inventory Optimization: Create seamless connections between inventory and working capital and ensure optimum inventory level with automation. You can use target-setting cycles to optimize product and distribution costs.
• Sales and Operations Planning: Design cross-departmental plans to standardize product mixing, inventory handling and service quality. It supports ABC segmentation, multi-level supply planning, scenario creation and what-if analysis.
• Response and Supply Planning: The optimizer algorithm helps find cost-optimal solutions by analyzing complex mathematical representations. You can find solutions based on customizable constraints and restrictions using the S&OP heuristic algorithm.
• Demand-Driven Replenishment: Control stock and component flow, calculate buffer-zone levels and decoupling points, and optimize inventory with replenishment tools across three stages, including make (manufactured), buy (purchased) and transfer (stock transfer).

Limitations

• It doesn’t allow planning view transfer unless the planning areas have identical key figures and attributes.
• This supply chain visibility software doesn’t provide an API to integrate third-party collaboration tools.
• Custom alerts are not available in the Excel UI.

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Infor Nexus

Infor Nexus is a cloud-based supply chain visibility software that provides end-to-end supply chain orchestration. It’s designed for enterprise-level organizations across several industries. It provides predictive intelligence and real-time visibility using IoT, AI and advanced visualization through an end-to-end collaborative network.

This software supports mobile supply chain management from any wireless device. It offers features like end-to-end visibility and insights, a multi-enterprise business network and applications, onboarding, and integration.

Top Benefits

• Procurement-To-Pay Automation: Infor Nexus’s supply chain visibility solution can help boost financial agility. It offers integrated chargeback management, automated document matching and invoice approval, global partner onboarding and support, end-to-end automation including payment and a community of logistics and financial service providers.
• Analytics and Decision Support: You can focus on opportunities and risks, collaborate with parties, and drill into transactions.
• Infor Coleman AI: Predict delivery time to final destinations earlier in order cycles before Live Tracking can begin. It also helps improve inventory and replenishment planning.
• Order Collaboration: A single view of order data between companies and their suppliers lets you negotiate or confirm order terms across multiple items and orders simultaneously.
• Integration with Appxpress API: The AppXpress API is a RESTful web service that can deliver Infor Nexus data to mobile devices, enterprise platforms and websites and allow mashups.

Primary Features

• Warehouse Management: You can combine core and advanced warehousing with embedded labor management, 3D visual analysis and ABC cost analytics. Manage assets, inventory, space, labor, capital and equipment using distributed order management features.
• Invoice Management: Design templates to quickly generate standardized invoices, documentation, packing lists and other fulfillment documents.
• Payment Management: It lets you create a centralized repository for invoices, orders, packing lists, inspection certificates, goods receipts and proof of delivery. Receive alerts for payment approvals and discrepancies.
• Deductions Management: Manage deductions with support for electronic image and document attachments. It can help you configure company deduction rules and automatically deduct from future invoice payments, accelerating recovery.
• Supply Chain Finance: Infor Nexus offers a network of finance providers, ensuring suppliers have the capital they need to execute orders.

Limitations

• No on-premise deployment.
• It doesn’t provide custom actions for purchase order amendment, order collaboration, booking in transport, forwarder’s cargo receipt, Bill of Lading, load plan, warehouse receipt, shipment plan, shipment order, transport manifest, transport shipment, freight invoice and payment authorization.

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RapidResponse

Kinaxis RapidResponse is a cloud-based platform designed for large enterprises. It provides sales, operation, capacity, demand, inventory and supply planning, and machine learning.

This system offers real-time supply chain visibility and online internal and external collaboration. It caters to industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, high-tech and electronics, industrial, life science, and consumer products.

Top Benefits

• Concurrent Planning: You can balance the end-to-end supply chain and sync demand, supply, capacity and inventory. Integrated business planning (IBP) or sales and operations planning (S&OP) can also remain in sync.
• Pre-built Templates: Pre-built templates for SAP Cloud Platform and SAP ERP co-exist with SAP APO and connect business systems easily.
• Security: Kinaxis offers predictive algorithms with the help of machine learning. You can manage multiple scenarios, create supply chain replicas and capture historical context.
• Predictive Algorithms: Offers predictive algorithms with the help of machine learning. It allows users to manage multiple scenarios, create supply chain replicas and capture historical context.

Primary Features

• Capacity Planning (Constraints): You can test plans considering various limitations like margin, revenue, delivery time, inventory value and constraint utilization. Customize dashboards with overloads, underloads and supply plan volume.
• Capacity Planning (CRP): Identify under or overutilized work centers by consolidating supply chain data into a single source. Get a real-time view of impacts on resources and make long and short-term capacity adjustments.
• Inventory Management: It lets you maintain accurate inventory by tracking supply measurement periods by part, category, excess and obsolete value, demonstrated service level, on-hand vs. target inventory, and on-hand inventory by ABC classification.
• Distribution Requirements Planning: Drive dependent demand on a daily or weekly basis or use long-term strategies to distribute supply in multiple networks. You can customize dashboards to track in-transit orders, storage/site types and transit time deviation.
• Demand Planning: Orchestrate collaboration and consensus between various planning teams. Custom dashboards allow a focused analysis of measures, including consensus demand plans, forecast accuracy exceptions, data errors/outliers, and forecast value additions and accuracy.

Limitations

• No free trial.
• You can only use the mobile app for scorecards and dashboards.
• It doesn’t offer planned vs. actual tracking.

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Blue Yonder

Blue Yonder is a cloud-based supply chain management platform that powers digital transformation through machine learning, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and software-as-a-service. You can operate your business with a reduced total cost of ownership, speed, agility and innovation using Blue Yonder and Microsoft Azure.

The solution helps analyze planning, retail and logistics. Blue Yonder is designed for industries including retail hardlines and soft lines, process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing, grocery and pharmacy, restaurants and food service, third-party logistics, and wholesale and distribution.

Top Benefits

• Developer Ecosystem: It offers a developer ecosystem that brings together numerous expert partners with knowledge in each domain and helps provide industry-leading expertise.
• Mobility: Convenient mobile capabilities enhance supply chain management. Its mobile offers include apps, mobile browsing, extensibility and available APIs.
• Order Fulfillment: You can leverage demand signals to create time-phased plans for inventory and distribution.
• Sales and Operations Execution: Keep sales and operations plans on track with the help of AI and ML tools that can predict and resolve issues. It can boost productivity and effectively integrate planning with execution.

Primary Features

• Integrations, APIs and Services: Hosted on Microsoft Azure, this API-led architecture can integrate with AI and machine learning. You can enhance, consume, mine, supplement and analyze datasets to identify network opportunities.
• Forecasting: Gather data from active and passive points to deliver proactive and prescriptive insights. It helps you predict consumer-driven demand across segments and product life cycles.
• Inventory Optimization: Strategize, plan, manage and standardize smart workflows to ensure accurate inventory levels. It supports flexible strategies like make-to-order and make-to-stock for technical industries.
• Space and Floor Planning: You can create 3D store layouts based on customer preferences. Construct, analyze, optimize and distribute detailed in-store planograms.
• Transportation Modeling: Simulate in-depth transportation environments with cost representation, shipment, analysis of modal trade-offs, cross-docking, containerization and pallet positioning. Import information from any ODBC data source and use geocoding to show destination sites.

Limitations

• No on-premise platform.
• It doesn’t offer RFID functionality in warehouse management.

What Is Supply Chain Visibility?

Supply chain visibility is the ability to track various supply chain processes through robust analytics and reporting features. Specifically, this includes monitoring production, product orders and shipments. True supply chain visibility gives you incredibly detailed information about each process, down to daily lead times, the inventory levels of a particular warehouse and the time a specific shipment arrives.

The whole point of supply chain visibility is to gain insight into your processes and find areas for improvement. You may find issues without full visibility into your end-to-end supply chain, but you probably won’t know what’s causing them. This is especially true for large companies with global supply chains.

Without proper tools in place, finding what you have to fix becomes an aggravating guessing game. Luckily, with the right system, you can identify and resolve issues as soon as you find them.

Primary Benefits

Here are a few benefits you can gain from enhanced supply chain visibility:

Accurate Inventory Management

A primary benefit of supply chain visibility solutions is real-time visibility into stock status throughout the supply chain. Boost sales and cut losses by adjusting inventory according to market demands.

You can centralize data from disparate sources and manage multiple retailers through a dashboard. Avoid shortages and inventory overflow with automated procurement and distribution.

Build Credibility With Customers

Believe it or not, supply chain visibility does more than help you optimize your supply chain performance; it can also help you improve your customer service. For example, if a customer received an order late and asked why, it’s always better to give them the actual reason (along with an apology) than saying, “I don’t know.”

Additionally, today’s consumers value transparent companies. They want the logistics of how products got to the shelf or how your service is made possible. Any business, from a software vendor to a local grocery store, has a sizable competitive advantage when they’re transparent about their business practices.

Harvard Business Review explains:

For many products, origin is an essential feature of what the customer buys, even if it is an intangible or a difficult-to-verify quality. Broadly, halal, kosher and organic foods are indistinguishable from the alternatives — the distinctions are important to certain consumers, but in a blind test most would have no way of identifying them…The fact that consumers nevertheless care about ethics and authenticity is indisputable: provenance is already a big deal — and getting bigger.”

Reduce the Impact of Disruptions

You can use machine learning, historical trends and pattern detection to identify anomalies and predict future events. Tackle every planned and accidental disruption like raw material shortage, natural calamity and workflow break due to maintenance activities with real-time data.

Forecasting tools let you adjust your inventory and replenishment plans, while logistics services help mitigate problems.

Track and Trace Technology

Traditional paper-based and disjointed data systems make traceability and transparency an industry-wide challenge. But, digital consumer-led supply chains can help you identify each item’s location and track its history.

Technologies like radio-frequency identification (RFID), GPS and electronic point of sale (EPOS) allow stakeholders to track and trace products at every point of their lifecycle — from raw materials procurement to final product delivery.

Streamline Communications

While running a global supply chain, one of the most difficult tasks is communicating with every supplier and stakeholder. For example, if one of your suppliers using a third-party service for product transportation faces a truck breakdown, the resulting delays can disrupt your supply chain flow.

Supply chain visibility software can provide real-time alerts in such situations and enable you to adjust your workflows to minimize disruptions.

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Key Features

Some of the key features of supply chain visibility software are:

• Inventory Optimization: You can receive real-time alerts on inventory movement and stock level changes. Adjust stock levels based on market conditions and track inventory transits from procurement to final delivery.
• Tracking and Tracing: Track the location and status of every raw material, component and final product using barcode scanners, RFID tags and EPOS.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Maintain clear lines of communication with all your suppliers from a unified dashboard. You can relay accurate information to every client and enhance productivity and goodwill.
• Demand Planning: Be prepared for potential disruptions by analyzing historical data. AI and machine learning offer actionable insights and opportunities by tracking your processes and sales.
• Transportation Management: You can integrate with TMS and ERP solutions for seamless data transitions and eliminate data silos. Get a centralized view of every fulfillment and expedite deliveries with a streamlined transportation workflow.

Enhancing Supply Chain Visibility

So how exactly are you supposed to achieve supply chain visibility? It’s certainly not a quick fix, but implementing the following five-step process can improve your overall supply chain visibility.

1. Define Goals

Most processes start by defining what you want to improve, and supply chain visibility is no different. Although true visibility provides insights into the entire supply chain, you need to focus on a few points of emphasis. For example, do you struggle with on-time delivery? Or do you find that your excess inventory levels are consistently high?

After all, the idea of “fixing our supply chain” is very ambiguous. However, reducing your excess inventory in 6 months is a specific goal you can work toward. This not only provides a more actionable solution — for example, producing fewer products while still meeting demand — but it also allows you to realize when you’ve met your targets.

Remember, clarity promotes efficiency. Clearly defining your objectives and strategies paves the way for the smooth implementation of supply chain systems and ensures the process of improving and enhancing your chain stays on track.

2. Connect Systems

Now we get to the software aspect of the process. Chances are, there are multiple systems used throughout your supply chain. And if you’ve added sites and businesses through mergers and acquisitions, it’s even more likely. Supply chain visibility relies upon the fact that you have access to all of your data together, so if you have separate systems, you have some work to do. You need to connect those various pieces of software so that you can bring all of your supply chain data into a single location. However, this might be difficult to do manually and usually requires supply chain visibility software.

In addition, integrating your supply chain software with other systems can boost visibility. Two of the most powerful integrations are CRM and BI. CRM provides extra insight into your customers, while BI gives you additional data analysis capabilities.

3. Measure Visibility

Measuring supply chain visibility is the compass that guides your journey to operational excellence. To embark on this quest, begin by assessing the completeness and accuracy of your data sources. Utilize tracking software to ensure real-time information flows smoothly across your supply chain.

Then, keep an eye on these essential key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Dwell Time: Measures the time products spend in warehouses or transit, pinpointing bottlenecks.
• Staff Productivity: Evaluates workforce efficiency and its impact on overall operations.
• Customer Satisfaction: Gauges how well your supply chain meets customer expectations, a critical driver of success.
• Lost Sales: Identifies revenue missed due to stockouts or order fulfillment delays.
• Facility and Equipment Performance: Monitors the health and efficiency of your infrastructure.
• Demand Trends: Helps anticipate shifts in consumer preferences and plan accordingly.
• Time Till Delivery: Measures the time taken for products to reach customers, a pivotal factor in customer satisfaction and cost control.

4. Gather Data

The most important aspect of supply chain visibility is gathering data. This process includes all relevant data related to your supply chain, from shipment times to inventory levels to warehouse worker hours. As we mentioned earlier, you technically could record all of this manually, but it’s impossible to collect it all in real time. This is where supply chain visibility software takes over.

Your supply chain visibility software should be able to collect real-time data, so you always have the most up-to-date information. These real-time supply chain insights can help you make changes on the fly, if necessary.

5. Analyze Data

Even though supply chain visibility solutions can collect all kinds of data, the data you want to pay the most attention to is related to your goals. Many systems also allow you to set up dashboards to keep an eye on particular data sets.

Additionally, the best systems have reporting functionality. With this feature, you can create visual reports that help you find insights that lead to improved business processes. And if you need a more detailed analysis, you can run the data through a business intelligence system (remember what we said about connecting systems?)

6. Make Changes

Pretty self-explanatory. Once you know what the underlying issues are to your supply chain, you can make the appropriate adjustments.

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Software Selection Strategy

Not every software is the same; there’s no guarantee that what worked for others will do the same for you. Each supply chain is unique, and you must find software that fits your chain like a perfectly tailored suit or dress.

To help you find the ideal solution, we’ll discuss some key factors to consider while comparing supply chain visibility tools. We’ll also list a few important questions that can help you identify internal requirements and roll the conversation in the right direction with potential vendors.

Factors To Consider

• Deployment: You can choose between SaaS and on-premise deployment based on your business’s IT infrastructure and expertise.
• Number of Users: Look for solutions that can onboard your entire team and help improve collaboration.
• Compliance: Make sure the platform complies with every law and standard your business adheres to.

Key Questions

Ask these questions to identify your business’s internal requirements from a supply chain visibility tool:

• Which pain points are we trying to solve? Identify the issues you need the solution to address, such as inventory management, order fulfillment delays or transportation bottlenecks.
• What level of visibility do we need across our supply chain? Define the extent of visibility required, whether it’s real-time shipment tracking, demand forecasting or end-to-end supply chain insights.
• Who will use the platform, and what are their specific needs? Consider the roles and responsibilities of individuals who’ll interact with the solution, from logistics managers to customer service teams.
• What data sources and systems do we need to integrate with the platform? List existing data sources and systems the solution should seamlessly connect with for a comprehensive view.
• Do we require advanced analytics or predictive capabilities? Determine whether you need the solution to provide predictive insights for proactive decision-making or if basic tracking is sufficient.
• What scalability requirements do we have for future growth? Consider your company’s growth projections and whether the system can accommodate an expanding supply chain.

For Yourself

• Data Accuracy: Accurate data is the foundation of effective visibility, providing reliable insights and decisions. You must ensure the new platform can cover your entire supply chain and its staff.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Timely information allows you to react swiftly to disruptions, minimizing their impact on your supply chain. Make sure the software you choose can alert you during a crisis and offer the necessary information to mitigate risks.
• Integration: Compatibility with existing systems and seamless data integration streamline the implementation process. Look for platforms using API and offering transparent developer documentation.
• Customization Options: Tailoring the platform to your needs ensures it aligns with your unique requirements. Look for systems that provide you flexibility per your organization’s technical expertise.
• Scalability: A platform that grows with your business ensures long-term viability and accommodates evolving demands. Find solutions that align with your short-term targets and leave room to grow into long-term goals and objectives.
• User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX): An intuitive, user-friendly design enhances user adoption and productivity, making it easier for your team to leverage the platform effectively. Consider demos and trial versions before committing to a long-term contract, as it can help determine if the interface suits your operations.

For Vendors

• Do you have experience collaborating with a business similar to ours? This helps you gauge the potential applicability of their solution to your specific needs.
• How does your platform integrate data with our existing systems and data sources? Understanding the ease and flexibility of data integration is crucial for ensuring a seamless implementation process.
• What level of customization and scalability does your platform offer? Determine if you can tailor the system to meet your unique requirements and if it can grow with your business.
• What types of analytics and reporting capabilities does your platform provide? Explore the features to ensure they align with your goals, whether real-time tracking, forecasting or performance monitoring.
• What’s the average implementation timeline, and how do you handle ongoing support and maintenance? Get a clear picture of the time it takes to get your platform up and running and understand the vendor’s commitment to providing support and updates.

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Next Steps

There you have our list of supply chain visibility solutions, along with their benefits and features. You can improve transparency in complex networks by integrating the right tools, translating into increased product quality and better services delivered.

Although these are our top picks, it’s critical to ensure that your chosen vendor fulfills your desired requirements. Make sure you analyze your unique business needs before making a final choice. For a side-by-side analysis of supply chain visibility software, check out our free comparison report, which can shorten research times and provide an appropriate solution.

How has more improved supply chain visibility helped your organization? And what tools have you considered and why? Let us know by leaving a comment below!