Better business through integration

摘要

Sometimes it's necessary for companies to re-invent the way they do business in order to achieve a desired result. Collaboration in supply chain management is a case in point. A growing number of enterprises are working not only within the four walls of their organisations, but also with external suppliers, channel partners, contract manufacturers and others. With the help of IT-based integration, partnership along the supply chain is proving to be a win-win situation, permanently changing the way buyers and suppliers do business. "Supply chain collaboration is clearly an area in which the Internet is enabling gains that were not previously possible, and the surface has still only been scratched," says Jon Ekoniak, a senior research analyst with the Web publication The B2BAnalyst. "Optimised production, collaborative demand forecasting and reduced inventory are among the many benefits that enterprises are hungry to realise."