TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS: ClearOrbit offers software for global drop shipment collaboration

ClearOrbit, a provider of real-time supply chain execution (SCE) software solutions, has announced
the availability of SO Drop Shipment (SOD).

SOD allows users to manage the ordering, shipping, and inventory management transactions associated with partners that are drop shipping items based on booked sales orders.

Accessible from anywhere on the globe, over the web, or via XML, SOD provides drop-ship partners with a database-driven collaboration tool that offers visibility to sales orders that require shipment of inventory stored at off-site or remote locations.

With full “track, trace & control” over the most complex virtual supply chains, SOD executes these transactions in real time, based on data housed in the manufacturers’ or distributors’ ERP. When a sales order is executed, and a partner ships a product, SOD generates the appropriate bar code labels for each container, as the software simultaneously generates all necessary shipping documentation. SOD also automatically sends notification to customer service representatives, letting them know the items have been sent to the end-user customer, and SOD automatically manages the ERP transactions required to accurately account for the shipment, no matter where the inventory was stored.

“Customers are becoming more aggressive with regards to cycle time, hence companies must find ways to expedite the order-to-delivery process”, said Adrian Gonzalez, Director, Logistics Executive Council, ARC Advisory Group. “Eliminating nodes from the supply chain by implementing drop shipments or other ‘Distribution Center bypass’ strategies is one approach, but it can only succeed if trading partners have the resources to execute on your behalf, which historically has been an issue because many partners are small and midsize businesses that lack the necessary IT capabilities. ClearOrbit’s SO Drop Shipment is a perfect example of how technology can now be extended to trading partners so that distributed business processes can be executed while maintaining continuity of information and transactions.”

Other features of SOD include 1) automatic pick release of products shipped from the partner’s inventory location in the ERP; 2) strict enforcement of inventory rules; 3) the ability to assign a unique Package Tracking Number (PTN) to avoid shipping errors and increase shipment traceability; 4) bar code label and shipping documentation compliance at all partners’ shipping locations; 5) secure access so that partners see only the sales orders relevant to their locations, and 6) automatic email notifications, to any link in the supply chain, from the OEM to the customer.