Through Mx Supplier Collaboration, Anchor Tool & Die accesses and relays information that was previously difficult or impossible to share with the companies it supplies.
Anchor Tool & Die's Customer Service Manager Barb Murawski says one of the most beneficial aspects of Mx Supplier Collaboration is that it lets users supply advance shipping-notice information, including shipping details and tracking data.
AN OHIO-BASED TIER-ONE, HEAVY-VEHICLE PARTS MANUFACTURER, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS) does business with 219 suppliers. It recently incorporated an Internet-based e-collaboration system called Mx Supplier Collaboration from e-Ventus Corp. The system lets companies easily view releases, promises, shipments, receipts, and performance indicators that define the supplier-customer relationship. The product not only streamlines Bendix CVS's business but also that of its suppliers.
Anchor Tool & Die Co. produces metal stampings and assemblies and is a long-time supplier to Bendix CVS. Through Mx Supplier Collaboration, the shop obtains information from and supplies information to Bendix CVS that was previously difficult or impossible to share. Anchor receives current, accurate information — by part and time period — and it knows what products are on firm order and what is planned for purchase.
Through the vendor-managed and vendor-owned (consignment) features of the system, Anchor keeps current on its product stock levels at Bendix CVS. It knows when that company pulls or consumes stock, which makes for quick replenishments and better management of inventory and logistics costs.
On the shipping side, Mx Supplier Collaboration lets Anchor supply advance shipping-notice information, including shipping details and tracking data. Bendix CVS planners need only access the system to find out what has shipped and when. According to Barb Murawski, Anchor's customer-service manager, this is one of the most beneficial aspects of the system.
The system also features integrated messaging that provides secure communications between parties that are linked to specific orders/releases. These e-mail messages thread to a specific part number, providing a chronological history of the communications.
"This e-mail collaboration improves communication and saves us time," says Anchor's MIS Manager Ed Howman. The feature is particularly valuable when an employee is out of the office and others need to access information that would typically be stored in the employee's personal mailbox, he adds.
To begin using e-collaboration, Anchor did not need to buy software or undergo a lengthy or complex implementation. Anchor simply starts Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and signs into the system for e-collaboration.
e-Ventus Corp.
Cleveland
e-ventus.com
