Inovis takes supply chain to social networking boundaries

Filed in archive Products on February 14, 2009

I wrote a post recently about adoption of social networking features and Web 2.0 by supply chain vendors. Here comes another example from Inovis:

Inovis which provides solutions for managing business communities has launched a new product "Social Network" which creates secure online communities for retailers and suppliers to communicate and exchange organization and contact information.

According to Market Watch, in this solution users can sign into a private web site to see contacts at trading partners and update their contact information and their company's trading profile, ensuring their latest data is available to their business community. When a supply chain manager finds an error or problem in a purchase order or shipment, they can go online to quickly identify and contact the right person at the supplier, third-party logistics (3PL) provider or contract manufacturer who can help resolve the issue before it causes delays and errors in the supply chain.

For a vendor manager at a large retailer, maintaining contacts at two or three thousand suppliers is an uphill battle, particularly given 20-30% turnover rates and changes to email addresses.

"Social networking gives individuals a direct link to one another, to stay in touch and receive updates about activities and changes in each others' lives. We're applying the same concept to business communities so that retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and vendors can better understand each others' roles and responsibilities, and stay updated on changes in staffing, projects or products," said Erik Huddleston, chief technology officer, Inovis.

However, this product is part of the Inovis Business Community Management platform, which manages the lifecycle of a business community, from onboarding to compliance and governance.