Dulles, VA February 20, 2002 Satellite manufacturer Hughes Network Systems (HNS) is set to use a cross-border trade management solution from Vastera to facilitate international shipments in its extended supply chain.
Hughes Network Systems manufacturers and distributes a variety of satellite communications products, including satellite dishes, DIRECTV delivery systems and advanced-space platforms. Because many of its products enable secured distributed communications, the sales and distribution of many of HNS's products are controlled by government agencies tasked with protecting national security interests.
Consequently, HNS must perform a variety of complex global trade tasks before it can export its products. If not executed efficiently and thoroughly, these tasks can delay shipments and potentially result in fines and penalties.
Additionally, HNS uses a variety of partners to transport its goods internationally. The company believes that providing a common platform to share important shipping information among these extended trading partners will be key to eliminating costly delays and improving customer service.
That's where Vastera comes in, along with its TradeSphere solution for global trade management. HNS will enter both sales and transfer orders directly into TradeSphere's Web-native front-end. TradeSphere will perform the country-specific regulatory compliance checks and then pass orders seamlessly to SAP for further order processing.
At shipment time, TradeSphere will automatically generate the required international shipping documentation. As the goods move through the extended supply chain, TradeSphere will serve as the single platform for trading partners to update shipment status information.
"We are constantly looking for ways to improve service to our customers," said Ray Duncan, supply chain manager for HNS Europe. "By adopting a common global platform to automate export functions and share information more easily with our extended supply chain partners, we anticipate fewer issues associated with international shipments and quicker identification and resolution of those that do arise; ultimately resulting in better service to our customers."
Hughes Network Systems, a subsidiary of General Motors unit Hughes Electronics Corporation, is the world's largest provider of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers, with approximately 500,000 systems installed in more than 85 countries. HNS is headquartered outside Washington, D.C. in Germantown, Md.
