BT Global Services has launched a new cloud-based service aimed at improving customers supply chain operations.
The BT Trace service will provide a single, accurate view into complex supply chains in near real time, to see how and where changes need to be made and enable customers to improve operational efficiency via the cloud.
The service will securely collect, store, share and interpret high volume event data about goods and assets moving along an extended global supply chain. It also integrates complex information from various resource planning and IT systems used by global companies - and by their suppliers - to provide a single view of the whole supply chain through a customised web portal.
Luis Alvarez, CEO for BT Global Services, said that customers in the consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, logistics, pharmaceuticals and retail industries depend on supply chain efficiencies to gain competitive advantages.
"Billions of dollars are attributed to the cost of an organisations' global supply chain, with boardroom focus firmly on reducing cost and driving up operational efficiency," said Alvarez. "With BT Trace, we are pioneers in providing those customers with the ability to identify inefficiencies, streamline their processes and be more successful in their market place."
It touted one of its customers, TNT Express, as a good example of the service in action. The logistics firm has used BT Trace to help drive operational efficiency; improve customer service and optimise reverse logistics.
"There is no doubt that a single view across all systems and data speeds up processes and identifies significant events, allowing us to respond in new and better ways to our customers, and they, in turn, deliver a better service to their customers," said Steve Brown, divisional general manager of TNT Special Services.
Analysts said that BT has brought to market a differentiated value proposition to the challenging problem of supply chain management.
"The cloud-based capabilities announced today for BT Trace provide global companies with end-to-end visibility of their supply chains and expedite the process of transforming enterprise resource planning data into real-time, actionable business intelligence," said Melanie Posey, Research Vice President at IDC.
