Press Report

Global value chains need networking of the involved partners if cost reduction should be realized and quality increased at the same time

(Jahrbuch Außenwirtschaft 12.2006) In German companies alone the logistics sector, i.e., especially the management of transport-, procurement-, freight cost- and loading device processes, accounts for annual costs amounting to € 150 billion. In the face of such a huge volume the search for possible saving potentials constantly appears on the agenda in this logistics area which gets summarised under the superordinate term Supply Chain Execution.

Internet-based standard software solutions address this major demand. They provide a standardised platform which can be accessed by all supply chain partners from their own IT-environment. Thus, the complicated coordination of various IT-systems can be circumvented. Instead, these so-called logistics-servers possess standard interfaces to processing systems such as SAP, they thus ensure the smooth data transfer and therefore they also make an important contribution to the automation of processes. In the simplest case, the software can be used via a web-browser.

Companies which choose this kind of networking do not only make their supply chain more transparent but they can also manage their cross-company logistics processes in an efficient and simplified way. Significant saving effects and quality improvements can thus be realised.