Supporting the supply chain

US-based technology firm One Network Enterprises has launched Supply Chain On Demand, a new IT solution aimed at distributors and manufacturers. The company claims that the concept makes it easier to access supply chain technology by making Network Applications available for a monthly subscription.

Network Applications are enterprise-class solutions capable of managing synchronous order, inventory and shipment processes across a multi-company, multi-tier distributed environment. One Network delivers its Network Applications to a company's operations and extended value chain community through Command Center, the network desktop.

"Similar to what Salesforce.com did to CRM, we're changing the game in supply chain management by applying the principles of on demand to our market," said Travis Parsons, One Network executive vice president. "But this is not just about a different pricing model, this technology and the on demand availability of our solutions provide a smarter and faster approach to achieving competitive advantage with your supply chain."

One Network says that Network Applications can be adapted to a company's changing business requirements. There is an option to run Network Applications behind a irewall while maintaining many-to-many process connections with the companies on One Network.

We're helping our customers launch better supply chain processes that extend from their core operations across their value chain network. As such, the technology must be cost effective and easily accessible to companies of all types and sizes around the world. It needs to be pervasive," said One Network chief executive Greg Brady. "Supply Chain On Demand is about making adoption of this technology easy and growing the participant base quickly, which creates further value for everyone on One Network."

The company has recently moved into European and Latin American supply chain technology markets, with the opening of operations in London and Mexico City. The firm believes that this expansion will support the ongoing development of the Supply Chain On-Demand concept.

"Our growth into these markets allows us to provide our current and future customers with a more global reach in our service," said Brady. "Our services are not limited by geographical boundaries, and a local presence ensures we are answering the specific fulfillment needs in each particular region."

The market for IT supply chain solutions is rapidly expanding. Last month we reported that a leading producer of manufactured casings for food and non-food applications in the US had teamed up with Swedish-based technology company Intentia International to implement Movex, a new global collaborative enterprise application.

According to Teepak's chief financial officer Martha Leonard, the goal is to standardise and improve business processes across the company's regional operations as well as to consolidate corporate information for greater visibility and global information analysis.

"We decided to implement a global enterprise backbone because it became increasingly clear that our disparate legacy systems were not capable of delivering the efficiency, productivity and visibility we required to continue to serve our customers on a global basis," said Leonard. "Intentia's Movex is an excellent fit for a process manufacturing company, and we are confident that it will improve our processes globally and lower our costs."