Good news: You got a message from a customer and it starts with “I want to purchase…”
Bad news? What if the same message started with… 1001110001011100 (binary)… or Quiero comprar…, or Chcę kupić…,or Je veux acheter…, or <xsd:element type=”PurchaseOrderType”/> (XML Purchase Order). Would you know that the customer wanted to buy something from you?
Available exclusively through its growing reseller channel, Perceptant, (http://www.perceptant.com), the SaaS software company, today announced the availability of iHUB 5.0, its latest suite of “white-label” cloud-computing based, EDI software and Supply Chain collaboration solutions.
Designed for enterprise software vendors, consultancies and vertical market trading communities, iHUB 5.0 is a fully-managed, on-demand suite of supply chain, B2B integration and EDI applications that are rebranded, hosted, implemented and maintained by Perceptant on behalf of resellers.
Improving the accounts payable (AP) process is a very good example where substantial efficiency improvements can be made, and quantifiable bottom-line savings achieved!
With global supply chains under increasing pressure to exchange more and more data, current inefficiencies can often be linked to slow, inaccurate, and poorly defined paper-based workflow and capture processes. The result is: re-work when processing duplicate invoices, ‘lost’ vendor payment discounts, poor working capital management, and a poor vendor feedback and experience when querying the status of an invoice. The question is – where to begin?
How long is it since you came across the acronym EDI? In its heyday, it seemed the entire World was infatuated with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), although that was over 15 years ago. Since then, many formats have come to fruition, including Ansi X12, Edifact, Tradacoms, Odette and more recently, iterations based on XML.
Unfortunately, EDI became associated in the 1980′s with cumbersome software and complicated standards, which is why these days it’s a much maligned and often overlooked technology, even though, the concept of sending electronic messages and business documents between trading partners can drive tremendous savings and efficiency improvements across supply chains.
Perceptant (www.perceptant.com), a pioneer of business-to-business integration, open EDI and supply chain software solutions, today announced support for Oasis Universal Business Language (UBL), an open xml standard for B2B messaging that facilitates the exchange of catalogue, pricing, stock and transaction information between buyers and suppliers.
UBL, the Universal Business Language, is the product of an international effort to define a royalty-free library of standard electronic XML business documents such as purchase orders and invoices. Developed in an open and accountable OASIS Technical Committee with participation from a variety of industry data standards organizations, UBL is designed to plug directly into existing business, legal, auditing, and records management practices, eliminating the re-keying of data in existing fax- and paper-based supply chains and providing an entry point into electronic commerce for small and medium-sized businesses.
Perceptant’s iHUB, iBAM and SCMaaS (Supply Chain Management as a Service) products leverage XML and incorporate its strengths into a comprehensive business application environment – managing all critical aspects of integrating and automating interactions between customers, partners and suppliers. UBL extends Perceptant’s leverage of XML by enhancing the secure electronic management and exchange of catalogue, pricing, stock and transaction information across corporate boundaries.
Perceptant - Handheld Supply Chain Collaboration
Perceptant, the SaaS Supply Chain, B2B Integration and EDI specialists today released a suite of electronic invoicing and supply chain applications for the of Apple iPhone & iPad, Google Android and Windows Phone 7 range of mobile devices.
Perceptant (www.perceptant.com), a pioneer of cloud computing business solutions for supply chain rationalisation, einvoicing and EDI (electronic data interchange) today announced a range of solutions designed for mobile computing.
Designed to drive new efficiencies and increased collaboration between field operatives, supply chain professionals and customers, the solutions include mobile electronic invoicing, transport ordering, delivery tracking, proof of delivery (POD) issuing, inventory reporting, stock-out validation and point of sale (POS) visibility via Android, Windows Mobile 7 and Apple iPhone & iPad devices.
“Whilst many companies have built strong EDI alliances, some using cloud based solutions, we have yet to see smart applications filter down to intelligent mobile devices”, says Matthew Slinn, CEO and founder of Perceptant. “The computing power and internet access speed that’s now in the palm of our hand means we can now deliver pioneering supply chain software solutions via mobile computing that are both cost-effective and feature rich”.
According to recent estimates, the global mobile applications market is expected to be worth $25.0 billion in 2015, growing at a CAGR of 29.6% from 2010 to 2015, yet business applications have been slow coming to market.
“Mobile supply chain and einvoicing solutions can have a dramatic and positive effect by improving working practices and business processes”, says Mark Taplow, Director of Supply Chain Consulting. “They also generate a substantial ROI by improving profit margins and sustainability across the industry, which until this announcement from Perceptant, just didn’t exist”.
Sustainable distribution has created opportunities and challenges for today’s logisticians: previous restrictions on collaboration and ways of working are up for discussion, new technologies that revolutionise visibility are entering the marketplace; but in a world where industry leaders want to make progress there are a wealth of process related barriers to overcome. Modern day Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and data exchange hubs such as that provided by Perceptant have an important role to play in taking down some of these barriers.
Within the logistics market, EDI connectivity has been a standard way of exchanging data between warehouses and their customers for many years. The cost and complexity of traditional EDI has delayed the integration of transport data flows where contracts are typically shorter, IT resource scarcer and the number of suppliers higher. Perceptant is working to bring down these barriers through its innovative way of bringing affordable EDI to the logistics market.
Perceptant - SaaS Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management (SCM) means many things to many people but fundamentally it’s the management of the flow of materials and services needed to make a product and deliver it to customers. For many companies, it’s an integral part of their overall strategy for meeting customer demand.
Stage one of SCM involves selecting suppliers for the goods and services needed to create the product. Stage two relates to developing processes with suppliers for pricing, delivery and payment. So far so good…
Stage three and beyond though is where an experienced SCM Manager can really command big bucks because a manufacturer or retailer able to collaborate with suppliers on a mass scale and schedule production, manage inventory, verify shipments, authorize payments, transfer goods to manufacturing and co-ordinate logistics as seamlessly, quickly and cost effectively as possible makes the difference between a Wall Street performer or flop.
Initially thought of as the relationship between manufacturers and retailers, supply chain collaboration (SCC) is a business to business (B2B) concept that has now been extended to include raw materials, logistics and service suppliers.
http://www.perceptant.com
Once considered heretics, SaaS Supply Chain Management and EDI companies are now considered hot property due to a recent report published by ARC.
The report highlights that the Supply Chain Integration and Management market has grown at a 7 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), since 2005. The growth rate would have been much higher though were it not for the global economic downturn that started pinching in 2008 and hit with full force in 2009. During that time frame however, SaaS based Supply Chain and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) solutions grew by a CAGR in excess of 20 percent.
Perceptant, the cloud computing integration, messaging and supply chain specialist, has developed a Reverse Logistics Portal to allow manufacturers and 4PLs to control returned and refused stock.
The Reverse Logistics Executive Council (RLEC) estimates that Reverse Logistics costs account for approximately one-half of one percent of total GDP. Therefore, Reverse Logistics is becoming an increasing area of focus for retailers and manufacturers looking to improve profitability and competitive positioning.
