TRACKING AND TRACING PORTAL FOR PROJECT LOGISTICS. A Review on the Interconnectivity of EDI, ERP and Cloud-based Systems

Tracking and tracing is becoming an essential factor for the success of project logistics. The safety and on-time arrival of shipments has become the primary concerns for manufacturing companies. The paper has introduced an overall approach to track and trace their deliveries from the starting point to the end-customer. Detail implementation of the whole solution will not be presented, yet each component in the system will be analyzed and discussed. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) has been around for the last 30 years and is known for providing logistics companies a fast, reliable way to exchange information electronically. EDI, together with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), are considered as one of the remarkable emerging technologies which play an important role in supply chain management tracking network. Although the implementation of EDI and ERP systems is not straight forward and not easy to established, many logistics companies are still seeing this as a vital factor which can help companies to establish a sustainable development, increase productivity and reduce costs. In this paper, the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in tracking and tracing portal will be analyzed in business perspective in order to define what benefits it could achieve for logistics and supply chain management tracking network. A case study of Logistics Tracking Network (LogTrack) project is presented and examined with the view to implement, evaluate and manage the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in a practical point of view. Information collected from this research project will be analyzed to provide a list of mapping attributes between these systems and used as a basic for the further development of tracking and tracing portal. The impacts and implications of such system for managing the business logistics are discussed and presented in conclusion.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Supply Chain Digitalization – Optimizing The Factory Material Flow

Nykypäivän kiristynyt kilpailu ja edistyneet toimitusketjut edellyttävät entistä parempaa tomistusketjun digitalisointia parantamaan tehokkuutta, toimistusvarmuutta ja yrityksen kannattavuutta. Toimitusketjun digitalisoinnin avulla voidaan tukea reaaliaikaisesti muuttuvaa kysyntää valmistusyksikössä, luomalla älykäs toimitusketju joka tukee kysyntälähtöistä arvoketjua. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää ja esittää kohdeyritykselle mahdolliset toiminallisuudet ja tuotteet SAP S/4HANA:sta jotka tukevat kohdeyrityksen nykyisiä ja suunniteltuja toimitusketjun prosesseja. Työssä tutkitaan hankinnasta, varastonhallintaan ja valmistukseen liittyviä toiminallisuuksia. Toiminnallisuudet analysoidaan kohdeyrityksen näkökulmasta ja verrataan vaatimuksiin, joita kohdeyrityksessa nostetaan esille. Tutkielman teoreettinen osuus pohjautuu toimitusketjun ja ERP SAP uuteen tuotteeseen SAP S/4HANA. Toimitusketjun osuudessa tuodaan esille, kuinka vaatimukset Toimitusketju 4.0 ja Teollisuus 4.0 voidaan nähdä suuntaviivoina SAP S/4HANA:n kehitykselle. Empiirinen osuus jakautuu kahteen tutkimuskysymykseen: Mitkä ovat tulevaisuuden mahdollisuudet visualisoida, arvioida ja optimoida toimitusketjua SAP S/4HANA ydintoiminnoilla? Mitä hyötyä kohde-yritys voi saavuttaa ottamalla käyttöön SAP S/4HANA laajennetut toiminallisuudet? Työn tuloksena saatiin ymmärrys SAP S/4HANA tuotteesta ja sen mahdollisuuksista toimitusketjun osalta. SAP S/4HANA tuotteena tukee monia kohdeyrityksen vaatimuksia ylätasolla, mutta vaatii konkreettisempia tutkimuksia ja testausta kohdeyrityksen työskentely ympäristössä sekä pitäisi hyödyntää kohdeyrityksen dataa.Today’s increasing competition and advanced supply chain needs better digitized supply chain to improve efficiency, on time delivery and business profitability. Supply chain digitalization enable to have real- time optimized supply chain. Supply chain management supporting the variable manufacturing unit demand by creating smart supply chain that supports the demand-driven value chain. The purpose of the study is to investigate and present how the SAP S/4HANA functionalities and products could support the case company and defined supply chain processes. The study explores supply chain from purchasing, inventory management to manufacturing. Functionalities are analysed from case company perspective and are compared to requirements what case company has raised up. Theoretical chapters focus on the supply chain and ERP SAP new product SAP S/4HANA. Supply chain chapter is divided to Supply 4.0 and Industry 4.0 to bring up the view how the SAP S/4HANA is aligned with these topics. Empirical part is divided into two research questions: What are the future capabilities to visualize, evaluate and optimize the supply chain including the core functionalities of the SAP S/4HANA? What benefits the case company can achieve by implementing the extended functionalities of the SAP S/4HANA? As a result of the study a good understanding of the SAP S/4HANA product and the possibility related to supply chain was reached. SAP S/4HANA as a product supports most of the requirements from case company in high level but requires more specific research and testing in company environment with real company data

TRACKING AND TRACING PORTAL FOR PROJECT LOGISTICS. A Review on the Interconnectivity of EDI, ERP and Cloud-based Systems

Tracking and tracing is becoming an essential factor for the success of project logistics. The safety and on-time arrival of shipments has become the primary concerns for manufacturing companies. The paper has introduced an overall approach to track and trace their deliveries from the starting point to the end-customer. Detail implementation of the whole solution will not be presented, yet each component in the system will be analyzed and discussed. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) has been around for the last 30 years and is known for providing logistics companies a fast, reliable way to exchange information electronically. EDI, together with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), are considered as one of the remarkable emerging technologies which play an important role in supply chain management tracking network. Although the implementation of EDI and ERP systems is not straight forward and not easy to established, many logistics companies are still seeing this as a vital factor which can help companies to establish a sustainable development, increase productivity and reduce costs. In this paper, the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in tracking and tracing portal will be analyzed in business perspective in order to define what benefits it could achieve for logistics and supply chain management tracking network. A case study of Logistics Tracking Network (LogTrack) project is presented and examined with the view to implement, evaluate and manage the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in a practical point of view. Information collected from this research project will be analyzed to provide a list of mapping attributes between these systems and used as a basic for the further development of tracking and tracing portal. The impacts and implications of such system for managing the business logistics are discussed and presented in conclusion.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Reinforce customer satisfaction through enterprise resource planning and supply chain management integration

The purpose of this project is to try and establish a blueprint for integrating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). ERP and SCM have become popular in many industries because they help companies improve their Information Systems (IS) which helps support their operational goals. New technology is being used in resource planning and e-commerce and a stable supply chain helps corporations integrate many basic applications. This helps facilitate smooth supplier-customer interactions while minimizing transaction costs. This project is trying to provide a way in which to implement ERP systems properly into SCM. It should result in improved business performance and client satisfaction

Strateginen materiaalilogistiikan hallinta osana toimitusketjun hallintaa raskaan korkean teknologian teollisuudessa

Logistic operations have increased significance in today’s engineering industry due to decentralizing of purchasing and assembly, and hence more complex supply chains. Problems of ailing supply chain often appear in logistic operations but root causes and best development abilities may exist in other functions or cross-functional processes. To serve company’s demands best way it is essential to develop logistic operations, equipment and processes as a part of overall supply chain management. This thesis’ target company Sandvik Mining and Construction’s Surface Drill’s Supply (SMC) has faced challenges in material logistics and inventory management in its supply chain. Current state analysis points out demands in logistic information management, storage infrastructure, material flow control, inventory levels, long lead-times, modularity of product structure, change management and cross-functional interaction. Increasing competition and customer requirements together with increased uncertainty in business forces companies to develop their product and supply chain to answer quicker the demands with less costs and risks. Modern supply chain management literature emphasizes the meaning of modular product structures and co-operation in supplier network to reduce logistic lead-time. Transparent information sharing cross-functionally and lean/agile supply chain approaches enable cost effective and flexible overall supply chain management. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system and approaches offer useful ways to manage product design and product related information centrally, and interact be-tween parties. Overall supply chain management can benefit from PLM, but system implementation and approaches must be redesigned and integrated purposely. Transparency, flexibility and acceleration of lead-times were taken as principles on logistic solutions. Effective material flow coordinating and inventory management are enabled by improving reliability and transparency of material information in ERP. Stock information management was taken enough accurate level with rearranged infra-structure solutions and mobile logistic portal enables more linear and flexible processes. All the parties in supply chain should understand common goals and effects of own actions to secure effective supply chain management. Common operational information that logistics on their own behalf provide has significant role enabling this understanding. /Kir1

ERP systems: automation effects

Nowadays, the competitivity between companies, enterprises, industries and countries is accelerating much faster than yesterday. This work explains what the reason of this accelerating is and how new IT systems make a new Revolution where human resources are used much more efficiently. The main way to increase the efficiency of the work process, which could combine financial, materials, human and other resources of the organization, is to automate it and let manual and routine work to robot