Enhancements Boost 3PL Integration, Supplier Alignment

Compiled ByDeborah Austin SupplyWorks MAX 3.0 -- an enhanced enterprise solution -- is designed to provide new functionality in material planning collaboration, logistics services and vendor-managed inventory. Offered by SupplyWorks Inc., Bedford, Mass., provider of supplier-relationship management products for manufacturers, version 3.0 includes:

• New logistics capabilities, enabling manufacturers to integrate SupplyWorks MAX 3.0 with third-party logistics (3PL) provider systems to streamline transportation and provide real-time visibility into incoming inventory;
• Optimized plans, providing more accurate real-time views of production requirements, aligning supplier shipments more closely to plants' needs;
• Configurable rules engine, to optimize material plan collaboration;
• Enhanced vendor managed inventory capabilities, enabling suppliers to monitor and manage orders by exception;
• More tools, including authorization for material releases, generation of bar codes, and creation of advance ship notices.