SCM Insights · Technology Illuminate your supply chain: Discover the power of SupplyOn Supply Chain Locations The biggest risks are the ones you don’t see. In today’s complex and volatile global market, companies are grappling with issues such as geopolitical tensions and strict regulations. At the same time, unexpected disruptions often hide deep within multi-tiered supplier networks.Supply chain transparency has never been more critical - or more elusive. Many risks go unnoticed until it’s too late. But what if you could illuminate your entire supply chain? Not just Tier 1 suppliers, but also further down the supply chain, where individual components are processed and assembled.SupplyOn Supply Chain Locations is a pioneering solution that enables companies to make their entire value chain transparent and manageable, from the smallest production steps to finished components.The challenge: You can't manage what you can't seeMany organizations today suffer from a fundamental visibility gap. They know who their Tier 1 suppliers are. But beyond that? It’s often a black box. Risks often remain undetected in the sub-tiers.Common risks in manufacturing supply chains include:Regional concentrationSingle points of failureSub-tier supplier capacity issuesRegulatory requirements (for example, LkSG, UFLPA, CSRD)Without a clear line of sight into the full production process and all entities involved, companies struggle to trace quality issues, assess ESG performance, or ensure compliance.The solution: Map your manufacturing realitySupply Chain Locations enables you to display the entire manufacturing footprint, multi-level deep. It provides business-critical visibility by enabling you to:Map the full supply chain network, multi-level and location-specificIdentify manufacturing locations and work steps beyond Tier 1Collaborate efficiently with suppliers through built-in SupplyOn platform integrationCollect data in a structured, standardized format for easier traceability and internal integrationSemiconductor manufacturing, for example, involves numerous distinct, geographically dispersed steps. From wafer sorting to backend testing, or sub-assembly to final packaging, Supply Chain Locations illuminates every touchpoint.Data collection: A structured, scalable approachHaving accurate, comprehensive data informs you of potential risks tied to specific geographies or dependencies. Through flexible templates and multi-level data inquiries, businesses can capture:Supplier identities on all tier levelsManufacturing site locations (BoM structure-driven)Specific work steps at each site (e.g., grinding, assembly, finishing)This data flows seamlessly into internal systems or is utilized across other SupplyOn solutions, such as Risk Management, Sourcing, and ESG, creating a truly connected supply chain management ecosystem.Key benefits: See more, move faster, improveCritical data is shared across functions to anticipate potential events and improve reliability. Unprecedented visibility: Gain a complete picture of your manufacturing network, identifying entities and activities you previously couldn’t see. Proactive risk management: Spot concentration risks and geopolitical exposures. Identify single points of failure before they become disruptions. Regulatory compliance, simplified: Comply with LkSG, UFLPA, and CSRD more effectively by leveraging accurate, traceable supply chain data. Enhanced quality management: Trace product quality issues directly back to specific processes or sites—no more guesswork or fragmented analysis.Trusted foundation: Integrate and collaborateSupply Chain Locations benefits from the robustness of the SupplyOn platform. Here is where technology and collaboration join forces, providing you with:Secure, multi-tenant architectureVast existing supplier network, with many already onboardDeep integration with sourcing, procurement, and quality systemsEfficiency through data standardizationYou can also leverage the SupplyOn platform for efficient communication and data transmission by suppliers. Supplier collaboration is the key to building resilience, ensuring compliance, and enhancing quality control.Ready to illuminate your supply chain?Risk does not stop with Tier 1. So don’t be left in the dark. Avoid surprises with SupplyOn Supply Chain Locations. Gain the visibility you need to make better decisions, faster. Build strategies that are grounded in real, actionable supply chain intelligence.
Inside · Technology Intelligent support: More than just a hotline Since its launch more than six years ago, the SupplyOn Support Center has been very popular among users. With more than a million clicks per year, it offers users a comprehensive range of help pages, tutorial videos and individual customer portals. But that's not all - the support portal is constantly evolving and setting new standards in digital support. Groundbreaking technologies for maximum efficiencyThe SupplyOn Support Center uses the latest technologies and intelligent services to resolve support queries faster and more accurately than ever before.✅ AI-powered problem analysis: Artificial intelligence recognizes patterns and analyzes support cases in real-time to provide targeted solutions.✅ Semantic search: Users find relevant answers and solutions in seconds thanks to intelligent algorithms that understand natural language and deliver contextual results.✅ Observability: Our proactive monitoring components analyze user behavior and automatically derive improvements.✅ Proactive notifications: Early warnings alert users to potential problems before they occur, helping to prevent outages.✅ Omnichannel support: Users can get help through a variety of channels, including the AI-powered chatbot, the self-service portal, email, or phone.The next stage of evolution: AI-powered assistance botThe next major milestone is the introduction of an intelligent AI assistance bot. This will be integrated directly into the application and will use linked customer data to provide personalized assistance in real-time. Rather than being reactive, the bot will automatically recognize what help a user needs and proactively suggest solutions.Features of the new AI assistant botAutomatic error detection and correction: The system identifies potential problems at an early stage and offers solutions before the user needs to take actionPersonalized recommendations: Based on previous requests and usage data, AI suggests customized supportSeamless application integration: Users no longer have to switch between different systems-the bot provides help right where it's neededAdvanced speech and text processing: Using state-of-the-art NLP technologies, the bot understands natural language and provides accurate answers in real-timeConclusion: A next-generation support experienceThese innovations make the SupplyOn Support Center one of the most advanced of its kind. It goes far beyond traditional support to provide an intelligent, seamlessly integrated and proactive help experience. Users benefit from faster solutions, intelligent error prevention and unique, personalized support.The future of support is here - and it's smarter than ever!
Technology Observability: A step towards 100% SLA availability In today's digital world, high service level agreements (SLAs) are a key competitive advantage. When using internet platforms, customers expect them to operate without interruption. For many businesses, even short downtimes can have serious consequences. Of course, no technology is immune to failure. So 100% availability is a very ambitious goal. A key component in achieving this goal is the implementation of observability as a core principle of system monitoring and optimisation.What is the key success factor of observability for 100% availability?Unlike traditional monitoring systems, monitoring methods are usually "reactive". In the worst case, this means that a failure is only detected when it has already occurred. A comprehensive observability strategy detects potential problems before they cause failures. Teams quickly identify and resolve anomalies in metrics like latency or memory usage.If a problem occurs, observability helps to quickly identify the possible cause. Traces provide precise information about where delays or errors occur, while logs provide the necessary details to analyze the cause. By continuously analyzing system metrics and logs, bottlenecks and vulnerabilities are detected before they affect availability. This means that optimization is proactive. In practice, logging an application is a major challenge. Logging data must be defined and implemented by the application developers together with the operating units, among others. Here, the DevOps concept plays an important role again, which must be implemented “hand in hand” in practice. Observability should therefore be an integral part of the DevOps workflow.Modern IT systems often use microservices that run in both the cloud and on-premises data centers, with different teams managing them based on the application. Observability creates transparency and provides a better understanding of dependencies and potential vulnerabilities in these complex architectures, promoting a culture of continuous optimization.Challenges in implementing observabilityThe most common problems include selecting the right tools for analyzing mass data. Key technologies include APM (application performance monitoring) tools with AI functions developed specifically for observability. Due to the high volumes of data generated by monitoring, it is necessary to use high-performance databases and event bridges to bundle events and provide detailed control over the delivery of messages to different recipients.ConclusionObservability is an indispensable tool for companies striving for the highest availability. It is not a one-off task, but an ongoing process. It enables organisations not only to react to problems when it is too late, but also to counteract them proactively. Teams can overcome potential organizational resistance by clearly communicating the benefits and added value. The investment in observability pays off: it increases the stability and performance of systems, bringing you a decisive step closer to the goal of 100% SLA availability.
SCM Insights How you benefit from a central procurement solution when having various ERP systems in place Many companies operate historically grown multi-backend system landscapes. Mergers and acquisitions, international expansions, new sites and plants, different update cycles, etc. have multiplied the number of ERP systems within the organization over time. This in itself is not a problem. However, if you wish to use a central procurement system for all your plants and locations at the same time, things become tricky. Today's Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) systems often support only a single ERP as a backend system. So, what to do? (more…)
Technology Software engineering: Don’t slice the elephant – create a paradise Often when someone thinks about software engineering, he gets the recommendation to slice the elephant. E.g., you want to design a nice e-commerce pet shop, you need to cut it into individual slices.But for me, slicing the elephant sounds quite strange: An elephant in slices is still difficult to handle – even then those slices would be quite large (even if they are smaller than the original elephant). Moreover, the slices belong only to that specific elephant. (more…)
Industry News Digitalization in procurement – the eighth BME e-solution conference in Düsseldorf On March 14 and 15, 2017, the eighth e-solution conference sponsored by the German Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics (BME) was held in Düsseldorf. This event is one of the largest gatherings for e-procurement and e-sourcing in the German-speaking world. (more…)
SCM Insights · Technology Easy transfer of inspection certificates with the Advance Shipping Notification (ASN) We are frequently approached by customers seeking a solution for transferring quality and production data generated by a supplier as part of the manufacturing and quality assurance processes. As an attachment to SupplyOn's electronic delivery note, the so-called ASN (Advance Shipping Notification) is exactly what they are looking for. Following the transfer, structured electronic certificate data can be seamlessly processed, analyzed and saved. (more…)
Technology Good bait catches fine fish – part 3: How to write a specification for testers We saw in the past blogs, how a specification for customers and specifications for developers look like. But we write specifications even for testers. But what is needed for testers in a specification? (more…)
Technology Good bait catches fine fish – part 2: How to write a specification for developers In my recent blog we saw, how a specification for customers can look like. A specification needs to fulfill many different requirements and at the same time it has to be understood by the customer, testers, and of course also the developer. Which information do developers need?Developers want to know what they have to implement. Usually they want to develop a pretty solution. “Pretty solution” doesn’t mean a nicely designed user interface at all. (more…)
Technology Famous Easter eggs Famous Easter Eggs - based on this title, you would assume that now something comes about Farbergé eggs or other lovely things like those. But I don't want to tell you about that. Instead I want to tell something about Easter eggs created by developers. (more…)
