Supplier Management Software


Understanding that monitoring suppliers in the extended global supply chain is becoming more and more important to companies, the major ERP vendors have also attempted to incorporate supplier relationship management tools in their one-stop -shop approach to supply chain management. Leading platforms such as SAP and PeopleSoft already provide supplier performance monitoring capabilities in their supplier relationship management modules, including scorecards that can help analyze a supplier s safety, environmental, and labor performance. Other companies have moved quickly to provide dedicated software suites for supplier relationship management (SRM).

In its SI Solution, for example, SupplierInsight provides a set of supplier management tools that are designed specifically to help companies work with suppliers in developing economies. The company has completed supplier evaluations in 46 countries worldwide and also offers a service for conducting supplier reviews and audits . The SI Solution allows suppliers to enter their own compliance data, and then provides analysis and reporting tools. Using this software and SupplierInsight services, Whirlpool claims to have reduced the time required to evaluate its suppliers from 2 “ 6 months to 3 “ 6 weeks, with each of the company s 400 buyers saving two hours per week just on better management of supplier information. [7 ]

Similarly, Strategic Environmental Consulting (SEC) offers supplier management software that provides a consolidated view of supplier performance, including:

  • Supplier ratings for performance and reliability

  • Suppliers own internal management or control systems

  • Product information

  • Manufacturing location information

  • Environmental performance data

  • Packaging data

  • Raw material data

  • Forestry products auditing information

  • Corporate social responsibility standards

This type of software focuses on specific emerging areas such as corporate social responsibility and the sustainability policies and certification status of suppliers in fields such as the paper and raw wood materials industry. [8 ]

Other firms, such as DataSavvy, now provide a social compliance database system that schedules social audits, tracks compliance issues and recommended corrective actions, and captures negotiation- related documents. It also has operational and executive report generators and an audit management suite that provides agent scheduling information, guidance standards, compliance tracking worksheets, and audit reports . [9 ]

[7 ] Falling Short of Global Sourcing Goals? SupplierInsight.com at www.supplierinsight .com/examples03_china.cfm.

[8 ] See Strategic Environmental Consulting s Web site at www.strategic-environmental.co.uk/SEC%20Resources.htm#Supplier%20Manager .

[9 ] See www.datasavvy.com.




The Supply Chain Imperative. How to Ensure Ethical Behavior in Your Global Suppliers
Supply Chain Imperative, The: How to Ensure Ethical Behavior in Your Global Suppliers
ISBN: 0814407838
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 123
Authors: Dale Neef

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