SAP Integrated Business Planning

Real-time alerts of supply chain activity such as shipping status or problems.

Software that allows users to run simulations for different scenarios, based on changes in circumstances like level of demand, in order to plan for all likely outcomes.

Ability to allocate resources/materials across the supply chain in the most efficient way.

Ability to use past and current data on producers, suppliers, and international trade to predict what trends might impact supply in the future.

Ability to determine how much production capacity is needed to produce a specific product at scale to meet demand needs.

Allocation of employees within supply chain operations in the most efficient way.

Improving supply chain performance by aligning the plans and objectives of each partner in the supply chain (e.g. producers and transportation and logistics).

Utilizing cost information to manage the sourcing of raw materials in the most cost effective way.

Identifying specific market characteristics for specific goods to enhance procurement strategies.

Ability to run cost analysis and create reports.

Ability to record and store information about expenses incurred from purchasing materials and labor.

Ability to make the order fulfillment process as efficient as possible by bundling orders, selecting specific delivery times etc..

Software that takes care of the returns process.

Ability to produce purchase orders after a sale has been made.

Ability to tack customer's orders and pinpoint their location.

Software that creates supplier delivery appointments.

Ability to generate pricing and product configurations for customers.

Packaging of materials or products.

The orchestration of delivery planning across different transportation channels such as overseas, road, or air travel.

Ability to use prior delivery data and information about current travel conditions to pick the most efficient route.

Monitoring of shipping performance.

Management of a fleet of vehicles (usually trucks) used to transport goods.

Ability to automate certain warehouse tasks such as restocking.

Monitoring of current inventory storage.

Ability to monitory inventory levels across one or multiple warehouses.

Ability to track products through the supply chain and delivery processes using either bar codes, serial numbers, or RFID.

Monitoring of company assets.

Forecasting price changes and future inventory needs.

Using current demand indicators (including supply chain data) to create a forecast of future demand.

Similar to demand sensing, but draws on more historical data to create a forecast of future demand.

Ability to analyze customer data and produce reports.

Using price and inventory forecasting to optimize inventory stock levels.

Ability to plan future sales and operations based off of current and historical data.

Ability to track promotion campaigns (this may be used more by retailers).