Atlanta-based package delivery giant UPS introduced a new cloud-based technology platform that allows customers to more efficiently collaborate with international suppliers and better manage their inbound supply chains.
The new platform, called UPS Order Watch, improves on its global ocean and air freight-forwarding product, UPS Supplier Management, with enhancements that include greater accuracy and timeliness of overseas vendor bookings; improved processing and management of suppliers; automated exception management; near real-time shipment status and detailed line-level visibility of in-transit inventory; improved internal operational processes; and faster purchase order consolidation.
The enhancements are now available to current customers and will be offered to new customers starting early 2013.
“Companies are beginning to look to the cloud for opportunities to improve supply chain collaboration and reduce operational inefficiencies,” said Tom Boike, vice president of supplier management at UPS.
“Through scalable cloud-based supply chain management technologies such as UPS Order Watch, companies are not only able to streamline management of vendors, but also manage all of their inbound shipments via a single platform,” he added.
This, he said, could lead to cost savings, “which is increasingly important as COOs are looking for ways to mitigate ocean transportation costs following the ocean carrier rate increases in 2012.”
Photo: Lucian Savluc
