Tools for electronic cooperation between market partners should aim to create added value, and therefore should provide each partner in the supply chain with additional profit from handling the flow of goods in the most efficient and flexible way possible. The importance of the role of electronic integration of partners in supply chains was discussed during the second day of the Polish Logistics Congress LOGISTICS 2006, which took place on May 10-11 in Poznań. The session on e-logistics attracted a large number of listeners from Poland, Germany, and Great Britain.
Currently, there is a discrepancy in the market between what customers expect and how changes in their needs are forecasted, and what producers and suppliers expect and can afford. The modern customer wants a large selection, high availability of goods, and low prices, but this involves shifting additional costs to the supplier, for example, due to increased production and the need to rent additional warehouse space. Given this discrepancy, logisticians in manufacturing companies are wondering how to reconcile two worlds – how to reconcile the needs and expectations of the customer with the financial and operational capabilities of the manufacturing company. It turns out that within the closed framework of one’s own enterprise, this is an impossible task to achieve. Without communication with a partner, it is very difficult to forecast demand for a given product. Therefore, close cooperation between the producer, supplier, wholesaler, and retailer is needed to satisfy customer expectations. Full access to supply chain cost and operational data is required. This is, among other things, what the need for electronic cooperation of partners in the supply chain is based on.
– If partners want to use shared data in the chain, they very often decide to set up shared repositories that make data available and to share their own IT modules, as is the case in many enterprises that cooperate with each other “rigidly” – says Bogusław Śliwczyński from the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing in Poznań. – The data is used not only by these direct partners but also by supply chain planners, advertising campaign planners, and sales planners. Given that this data is intended to be used to carry out processes in a way that is close to the optimum, it should reach the details of the activities being carried out.
An electronic repository, in accordance with ebXML standards, should contain a database of business profiles, a database of business processes, and a database of electronic document templates. For the repository to work effectively, the basic condition of mutual compatibility of the systems of individual partners must be met. If there are any document templates in the processes, such as a classic order, order confirmation, or electronic invoice, they should also be presented in the repository as a template that the partner can download.
The Institute of Logistics and Warehousing is currently at the stage of completing a project to establish an electronic invoice template. There is a good chance that entrepreneurs who have spoken on this subject will finally accept the introduction of a single standard defining an electronic invoice.