The gateway interface runs on Microsoft's BizTalk Server and SQLServer 2000 running on Windows 2000 platform. VisualStudio.net toolswere used to develop the applications. Customers can submit purchaseorders, requisitions and any other trade documents through variousformats such as EDI, fax and Microsoft Excel or Word files to Li &Fung. The gateway will convert the documents in XML and integrate thedata into the Li & Fung order processing system.

Suppliers of Li & Fung can install off-the-shelf SCMTalk packages(which runs on BizTalk) to hook into Li & Fung's gateway. By doing so,they will be able to enjoy a full picture of the size, specificationsand status of the final customer's order, as long as they implementthe necessary applications. "It makes the supply chain transparent andthe processes are seamless," says Ho. The participants put themselvesin a position where they can react instantly to, say, a sudden changein specifications or a disruption at any point in thechain."

The solution also helps customers better prepare themselves for thearrival of goods. "Say the products at the factory are almost readyfor delivery," says Ip. "The factory has to report to Li & Fung forpacking instructions: the number and size of cartons, in what coloursand so on. Once we get an update on these things, we add in our owninformation, and transmit it on to the customer." This enables thecustomer to plan for the arrival of goods. The final-product factorysimply needs to feed this data into its SCMTalk solution, whichenables Li & Fung to instantly read it. In other words, the customertoo is seamlessly linked to the manufacturing supply chain. "Duringthe days before we partnered Microsoft, a customer would receiveinformation from various sources on the status of thegoods," says Ip.

Stretching

The fact that the underlying protocol of the whole solution is in XMLmeans that the solution can be stretched out to reach into banks andlogistics companies. Suppliers can also opt to have their SCMTalksolution integrated with their in-house IT systems, such as ERPERP oraccounting applications. "We have partnered with a Hong Kong-basedsystems integrator called Eastpro that can undertake the integration,"says Ip. Alles zu ERP auf CIO.de