Provider works with customer advisory board to create app that integrates with e-business suite
Redwood Shores, CA — November 3, 2004 — At the Oracle OpenWorld Mumbai, Oracle introduced Oracle Transportation Planning. The new application, according to the provider, is designed help companies manage the transportation planning process in order to reduce costs, improve responsiveness and drive improvement. The product will be available with Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.10.
According to Dwight Klappich, vice president at META Group, a leading provider of IT research, advisory services and strategic consulting, today's high velocity, high service supply chains require logistics platforms that better integrate processes across multiple functional and application domains. Unfortunately, many companies still rely on multiple legacy applications with fragmented processes, poor integration, and incomplete visibility, he said. Of particular note, given the continuing increases in transportation costs, is the need for comprehensive transportation planning and execution applications integrated with other supply chain applications. With transportation management systems, companies can better optimize load consolidation and carrier selection allowing them to lower costs while improving total logistics throughput.
Oracle said its Transportation Planning should help companies reduce transportation costs by combining small shipments into full truckloads with advanced pooling, cross docking, and multi-stop trip capabilities; determining the lowest-cost carrier for each shipment using actual, detailed tariffs; identifying cost-efficient continuous moves; and providing specialized search tools to uncover further savings opportunities hidden within logistics data.
Additionally, application enforces business rules and constraints in its optimization process so companies can improve on-time delivery performance and meet other customer requirements.
Oracle said the application also shortens the transportation planning cycle. For example, its plans automatically incorporate numerous key business constraints, thus enabling companies to spend less time identifying and fixing inaccuracies. When adjustments are required, extensive exception alerts determine areas that need attention.
Oracle Transportation Planning will calculate key performance indicators, highlighting the effectiveness and efficiency of the planning process. In combination with reports and workflow-enabled exception alerts, these will allow users to target continuous improvement programs and to track their benefits.
Oracle worked closely with its Customer Advisory Board to help ensure that Oracle Transportation Planning resolves the key pain points in fulfillment processes, said Nadeem Syed, vice president of Advanced Planning, Oracle Corp.
As part of the Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle Transportation Planning is integrated with all of Oracle's fulfillment applications for end-to-end planning, collaboration and performance management across the fulfillment process.
