Supply chain management (SCM) software solutions make implementing a reliable supply chain management strategy possible. With real-time tracking, in-depth data reporting, and complete transparency across all departments and partners, it is easy to identify areas where your product manufacturing process can be streamlined. Additionally, the ability to make more accurate predictions about future orders allows you to make more efficient use of your workforce, ramping up or winding down as necessary.
Of course, this may all sound great, but how do supply chain management solutions make this happen?
Open communications with your supply chain partners
One of the single most significant problems when dealing with supply chain management is communications—or a lack thereof. As companies have increasingly found partners in other parts of the world, and the cost savings of international manufacturing have increased, the challenges in achieving effective communication have only grown over time.
This lack of connectivity is often especially true for the fashion industry. A typical supply chain may involve dozens of suppliers and manufacturers based in multiple different locations around the world.
Without transparency, the scope for delays and missed orders in such a system is considerably higher. SCM software helps to avoid this kind of problem by providing full access to a single authority data source, and instant communication between different links in your supply chain. This communication enables your various partners to react more rapidly to problems as they unfold, and reduces the need for additional systems and authorities whose sole purpose is to create cohesion in the supply chain.
Access in-depth SCM reporting
A significant advantage of having complete transparency and interconnectedness between partners in your supply chain is how your SCM software can collect and collate data.
By using specialized reporting tools, your brand can examine key metrics from any area of the business and use it to make incredibly accurate forecasts of timelines and price points. By using this information, your brand can stay ahead of trends, avoid costly delays, and mitigate the risk of inevitable problems.
Effective use of this supply chain data may come in the form of finding additional suppliers due to seasonal issues with a particular supplier or ramping up production of a product because the data shows that it will be in high demand. With SCM software, these situations are more readily visible, and your product manufacturing schedule can be adapted to suit.
Create transparency in your supply chain
Accountability is increasingly essential to clothing brands. Many companies in the fashion industry want to ensure their partners’ principles align with their own in terms of ethical material sourcing, ethical labor practices, fair wages, and more. Unfortunately, this is not always easy to verify and enforce when you have partners spread out across the globe.
With supply chain management software, a brand can not only ensure complete transparency within the company but can also easily communicate that transparency outside of the company to stakeholders and customers—a particularly useful feature in a society that is increasingly conscious of its impact on the planet.
