Raleigh, N.C., — To increase revenue, improve service levels and reduce costs, corporate leaders are increasingly turning to the supply chain to help. When it comes to selecting a solution, however, there are many options. Both ERP and SCE solution providers have answers, and deciding which is best for you is another story. To meet all your business objectives, you must go further than a simple functionality comparison.
"ERP vs. SCE: Choosing Enterprise Resource Planning or Supply Chain Execution Technology for Supply Chain Efficiency and Savings," the new white paper by Tompkins Associates, covers the many factors that should drive decision-making when comparing ERP vs. SCE supply chain solutions.
As ERP vendors gain ground in the SCE space and best-of-breed SCE players continue to expand their services, being able to evaluate which solution is best for you is more important than ever before. Even though projected growth over 2002 is only 1.9%, technology spending in 2003 will still bring opportunities for supply chain applications, according to Forrester Research. A recent survey reports that applications with the greatest chance for success this year are those that reduce costs through greater efficiency, greater customer satisfaction or solutions for integration problems.
Before making an additional investment in your ERP or purchasing a new system, you must understand the factors that should drive your decision-making. Comparing ERP supply-chain extensions and best-of-breed SCE technologies is the most important thing you can do. These are some essential questions that to ask:
• Are there enough critical differences in functionalities between an ERP solution and an SCE solution to make the decision for me?
• What factors other than functionality should be compared?
• What are the shortcomings of moving from an ERP module in the warehouse to a best-of-breed SCE vendor's technology?
• How do cost and ROI compare among these solutions?
Ultimately, companies will need to make a well-researched judgment as to whether the greater functionality of an SCE solution in such areas as warehousing, transportation, visibility and slotting offers a sustainable benefit that exceeds the time and financial commitment of moving away from a ERP solution. As with all IT investments today, the perceived ROI will have to stand up to heavy scrutiny.
"ERP vs. SCE: Choosing Enterprise Resource Planning or Supply Chain Execution Technology for Supply Chain Efficiency and Savings" provides criteria for evaluating general warehousing, labor and task management, and transportation management, and will help you make the decision that will deliver the greatest supply chain value.
For your copy of this free report, visit: www.tompkinsinc.com/publications/monograph/details.asp?monographID=WP-07 or call 1-800-789-1257 today.
