Software improves multiple business processes, including supply chain management (SCM). Having the right systems in place helps you save money, manage your risks, and maintain compliance.
If you’re a supply chain manager, check out the top 10 types of supply chain software that will make your team more productive and boost your ability to satisfy your customers.
1. Inventory Management Software
If you’ve ever worked at a big-box store on Black Friday, you understand the importance of inventory management. While customers likely expect you to sell out of big-ticket items during the holidays, stock-outs are costly for just about every business, from retailers to B2B providers of equipment and materials.
Inventory management software helps you plan your inventory based on customer analytics and other insights so you always have what you need but aren’t storing excessive inventory. These systems also help you automate purchase orders and other parts of your process so you can replenish your stock before it sells out.
2. Warehouse Management Software
Warehouse management software (WMS) optimizes every part of your internal operations. These systems let you track your inventory more accurately without relying on paper documents and tedious data entry. You can also automate parts of different processes, such as inventory picking and submitting purchase orders.
A warehouse management system helps you plan your storage space to make it easier for your team to move around the facility and find the inventory to fulfill orders. It will generate insights into your busiest times so you can plan your staffing to best meet your needs.
3. Transportation Management Software
Deliver your inventory faster without damaging it using transportation management software. This software gives you real-time visibility into how your merchandise is moving through each stage of the supply chain. Use it to identify potential disruptions and plan alternative routes so you can still deliver goods on time.
Some transportation management software integrates with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, which helps you match new orders to available drivers. These systems also help you plan routes more effectively so your truck drivers can deliver more in less time.
4. Supplier Relationship Management Software
Your supply chain depends on smooth relationships with partners and vendors. Supplier relationship management software offers communication tools that help your partners and vendors understand your needs.
Supplier management tools also let you assess vendor contracts so you can effectively negotiate the prices and terms that work best with your budget. You can also add notes about supplier performance, which keeps your procurement team on the same page so you don’t accidentally rehire a poorly performing supplier.
5. Order Processing Software
Manually processing orders is time-consuming and involves mountains of data entry, which leaves you open to human errors. Order processing software reduces these errors so you can accurately fill your customers’ orders.
These solutions also help you manage your inventory so you’re not overselling items based on outdated information. It’s also easier to fill orders from multiple channels.
6. Demand Planning Software
As artificial intelligence has improved, so has its ability to generate useful insights from large volumes of data. Demand planning software uses AI to analyze your previous orders along with market data to help you plan your inventory levels.
With this software, you can identify trends and patterns that impact your inventory levels and plan accordingly. You can also coordinate with your sales, marketing, and production teams to manage customer demand and avoid stock-outs.
7. Enterprise Resource Planning Software
ERP systems integrate data from multiple sources into one platform. An ERP system can integrate information from your inventory management, warehouse management, and order processing systems for a big-picture view of your operations.
This software also serves as a single source for documents so your team doesn’t have to sift through multiple platforms to find what it needs to serve customers and fill orders. You can also use it to automate processes such as invoicing and accounts payable.
8. Procurement Software
Procurement software helps you organize and manage your sourcing process to maximize your budget. It serves as a single source for invoices and purchase orders from multiple vendors so you can see what you’re spending for each product line.
AI-powered procurement tools automate approvals and vendor payments so your administrative team can focus on more complex customer service tasks.
9. Supply Chain Visibility Software
If you want to collect and analyze data on your whole supply chain, from end to end, invest in supply chain visibility software. These solutions give you insights on everything from your suppliers to your vendors, allowing you to identify bottlenecks and service disruptions and smooth out wrinkles in your supply chain.
They also help you manage risks such as unforeseen market shifts or natural disasters that can disrupt your supply chain. Because you can identify these risks sooner, you can develop strategies to mitigate them.
10. Supply Chain Analytics Software With AI
Take your supply chain visibility to the next level with artificial intelligence. AI can evaluate large datasets to improve your demand forecasting and supply chain optimization strategies. Some supply chain analytics solutions offer data modeling to help you identify patterns and trends. These resources help you organize your warehouse, plan your logistics, and manage your inventory to better meet customers’ needs.
Tips for Choosing the Right SCM Tools for Your Business
Buying and implementing SCM systems can be expensive and time-consuming. Instead of trying to overhaul all of your software at once, evaluate your existing platforms and figure out how different SCM tools can fill the gaps.
Find software that integrates with your existing systems and lets you scale as your business grows. Look for a platform that’s intuitive so you can easily train your team.
Unlock the Power of Surgere for SCM
Surgere offers multiple supply chain management solutions that can improve your processes and overall operations. If you’re not sure which is right for you, our engineers will evaluate your systems and provide recommendations to meet your needs. Learn how you can be more effective with Surgere. Contact us today to learn more.
