ClearOrbit Updates Internet-based Global Supplier Collaboration Suite

Aims to extend company's ERP system to control the activities of trading partners during planning, order fulfillment and shipping

Aims to extend company's ERP system to control the activities of trading partners during planning, order fulfillment and shipping

Austin, TX — December 1, 2005 — Supply chain solution provider ClearOrbit has released the latest version of its Internet-based supplier collaboration suite, adding capabilities to extend a company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to control the activities of trading partners during planning, order fulfillment and shipping.

Release 5.5 of ClearOrbit's Xtended Process Control Suite (X.PC) includes new Internet-based remote printing capabilities for suppliers so they can generate bar code and radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, as well as a new X.PC "master schedule priorities planning" screen that provides buyers with a single location where demand and capability can be balanced.

According to ClearOrbit, X.PC's new Web-based wizards allow new suppliers to adopt its functionality without external support. Microsoft Office integration now lets buyers and suppliers work within MS Excel, while configurable "time windows" allow buyers and suppliers to collaborate on demand plans and supplier schedules.

In addition, beefed-up support for non-inventory items allows collaboration on both direct materials (inventory components used in manufacturing operations) and indirect goods (expense items not reflected in inventory). Elsewhere, X.PC Release 5.5 offers expanded reporting and alerting capabilities, including standard reports and common alerts, such as "missed shipment messaging" and "supplier scorecards" so suppliers can be compared based on common performance metrics.

Invoice matching and validation logic built into X.PC automatically reconciles invoices to expected receipts to assist in the accounts payable (AP) approval process, and dynamic attachments allow buyers to include attachments stored in the native ERP system. Finally, X.PC's new Quick Ship screen provides an interface to reduce the time it takes to process outbound shipments.

"Supplier collaboration has emerged as the key to an optimized supply chain, and therefore a critical component for staying competitive and in today's dynamic global economy," said John Reece, president of ClearOrbit. "But collaboration can be costly to implement and difficult to maintain if the customer is forced to tie multiple back-end systems together. ClearOrbit's approach is to provide the most sophisticated functionality for direct materials collaborative execution, while leveraging the customer's investment in ERP through real-time connectivity."


Additional Articles of Interest

— A logistics team is called upon to craft supply chain processes that update logistics and inventory management at the growing retail chain Michaels Stores Inc. Read more in "The Art of Supply Chain Optimization," a Best Practices article in the October/November 2005 issue of Supply and Demand Chain Executive.

— Looking to bring new operational analytics solutions online? Here are five simple steps that every enterprise should take. Read "Bringing Operational Analytics Online — 5 Easy Pieces," an SDCExec.com exclusive.

— All that glitters may not be gold when it comes to outsourcing manufacturing productions to China. First, weigh the costs and learn the facts with this helpful guide. Read "China or Bust: Recognizing the True Costs of Outsourcing" on SDCExec.com.


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