Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

RedPrairie Corporation, a consumer driven optimization company, has enhanced its E2e supply chain execution solution suite to enable third party logistics providers (3PLSs) to better manage the complex inventory management requirements of multi-client public warehouses.

This new release is designed to provide the functionality necessary to properly manage the added complexities of managing inventory belonging to multiple clients within a single facility or campus.

Such capability is essential to ensure that proper service is always delivered to the client and the company never has to make excuses for mismanagement.

Tom Kozenski, RedPrairie vice president product strategy, said in Friday’s statement "3PLs face all of the distribution complexities of a normal warehouse multiplied by the number of clients each facility services.”

“In addition, they have to manage the inventory ownership and billing characteristics unique to multi-tenancy operations. The new release strengthens functions that make this process easier for our many 3PL customers," Kozenski added.

As 3PLs operate as agents for client receipt of product from suppliers, it is critical that they conform to client rules for over-receipt. The enhanced capabilities within the RedPrairie release allow over-receipt tolerances to be set by the supplier, part or client default. General default tolerances can also be set to allow control to be as tight or loose as each client desires.

Because there are several common scenarios where ownership of inventory within public warehouses can change hands between clients or between the 3PL and a client, the new release makes transfer of ownership simple.

The system will record and track ownership, displaying it on RF equipment, screens and reports. It will also create transfer logs and associated billing transactions to accurately reflect the transfer.

Emerson Judkins, Director of Operations for Interstate Warehousing, noted in Friday’s statement: "Transfer of inventory ownership is a common occurrence for us. RedPrairie's enhanced capabilities make it a lot easier for us to manage this to meet client requirements."

The proper management of the complete inventory system is essential to not only keep customers happy, but to earn the business in the first place. 3Pls must be able to demonstrate the ability to properly manage the inventory and the billing characteristics associated with that inventory.

This solution from RedPrairie will better position 3PLs to not only deliver the service that is expected, but to be able to properly manage all processes and demonstrate to current and potential clients that this management is successful.

RedPrairie's new version of the supply chain suite is now available in general release and is being implemented at many new client sites.