Introduction
Demand Chain Management (DCM) focuses on aligning supply processes with customer demand. Unlike Supply Chain Management (SCM), which mainly deals with the flow of goods from suppliers to customers, DCM emphasizes understanding and responding to customer needs and market trends.
SEKO 360 DCM offers a comprehensive solution for managing your supply chain.
Company/Entity Types
These types also determine the login permissions for users associated with these companies:
Client - Status view, shipment authorizations (if applicable), manage final destination booking
Supplier (Vendor) - Responsible to create and manage bookings using Seko360 vendor portal
Origin Agent - Responsible to create and manage shipments from creation until they are ‘confirmed on-board’
Destination Agent - Responsible to manage shipments from ‘confirmed on-board’ to final delivery.
Company Function & Process
Functionality | Company/Entity | Process Options | Additional Detail |
---|---|---|---|
Purchase Order Data | Client | Integration via REST API, or FTP JSON, XML, CSV structures accepted | Our integration hub allows us to map any standard output from the client system without needing custom development by the client or ourselves We can support incremental messages containing only new/updated/deleted records, or daily open orders reports where we will determine changes made. We have a number of custom fields at Order and Item level to ensure any critical flags or categories can be captured to support downstream processes and reporting. |
QC Approval | Client / Client Nominated Users | In-System | We support flagging products as being QC approved, when this is done this is available in all subsequent reports / processes. |
Draft Booking | Vendor or SEKO Origin | In-System or Integration | Any Purchase Orders can be assigned to vendor accounts based on the factory or supplier codes provided in client data. We can provide vendors with a booking portal, supported by training in multiple languages (guides, videos, on-demand), where they can make bookings and associate their orders to these. |
Booking Submission | Vendor or SEKO Origin | In System or Integration | SEKO 360 DCM will validate input by users on-screen, or via API to ensure data quality is sufficient at the point of booking submission. |
Pre-Shipment Planning | SEKO Origin | SEKO Internal Integration | Once a booking is submitted, this is communicated directly to our ERP. Our operations teams will then work to confirm shipment details, make carrier bookings, etc. As these processes are completed, data is transferred directly back to SEKO 360 DCM. |
Dangerous / Hazardous Cargo | Vendor or SEKO Origin | In System or Integration | If Dangerous / Hazardous Cargo is identified at any point in the process, this is made clear in SEKO 360 DCM throughout all following processes until delivery, and in integration between our internal ERP |
Shipment Approval | Client | Manual Approval / Auto-approval / Hybrid | We can enforce that all shipments pass an manual approval process by client users. We also offer options to allow shipments to pass auto-approval based on meeting delivery dates, quantity tolerances, etc. In cases where we receive a pre-approved shipment instruction, then pre-approval can also be set. |
Packing Confirmation | Vendor or SEKO Origin | In System or Integration | Vendors can confirm their Shipment Instructions and provide packing confirmation in-system via their logins, or by integration. Should clients have their own packing / labelling portals, data can also be provided by integration. |
Shipment Confirmation | SEKO Origin | SEKO Internal Integration | SEKO operations teams will ensure all pre-shipment information is complete, and with our carrier integrations this data and confirmation of departure is communicated directly to SEKO 360 DCM |
Confirm On Board | SEKO Origin | Automatic / Exception Based | With the provision of packing data by vendors or integration, and our own carrier integrations, this process is largely automated. In cases where an item is outstanding this is visible to our teams through our pending shipments list, and can be addressed/actioned directly within SEKO 360 DCM. |
Document Tracking | Vendor, SEKO Origin, Client | In System, Client Integration, and SEKO Internal Integration | The Vendor portal encourages vendors to provide documents at the point of confirming their Shipment Instruction. This isn’t always available so we additionally have a document upload tool to highlight missing documents to vendors. Our operations team can additionally receive and upload documents to our internal ERP, and these are visible and accessible through SEKO 360 DCM. Our document tracking tool provides client users with a single view of available and outstanding documents for download or intervention. We also support document receipt and transmission over integration. |
In Transit Updates | Automated | In System, Email Notifications, Integration | As shipments progress through the lifecycle, or exceptions are raised, these are shown contextually within the system. Based on these events, we can also configure certain email notifications, and can trigger any number of integration messages dependent upon client need and agreed process. |
Delivery Planning | Client or SEKO Destination | In System | Client users can request delivery though SEKO 360 DCM, which also offers a calendar based view. In the cases where this is managed as a push-based process, or client / consignees prefer to work with local teams directly, our SEKO Destination agents can update SEKO 360 with planned and actual delivery information |
Detention & Demurrage | SEKO | SEKO Internal Integration | Though our links with carriers, and reference data within our ERP, Container Free Time can be made available to clients to support their delivery planning |
Reporting | All | In System, Export from SEKO 360 DCM, Scheduled Reports | All grids within the user interface support customisation, and export of data. This allows users to quickly identity shipments in-system without further processing, or exporting for further analysis. As with any supply chain, there may be a need to provide overnight reporting for distribution within the client business, or ingestion to their system, and we have standardised data extract that can be customised and scheduled as needed |
Analysis | All | In System | All data processed within SEKO 360, and described above, is available though our analysis environment. This provides clients with summaries of shipment volumes, on time performance, supply chain values, utilisation, etc. This data can be filtered by any shipment or order property to allow client business units to focus on their areas of interest. Detail can be also extracted for any further offline analysis or action. |
SEKO360 DCM Process Flow
1. Purchase Order (PO) Creation and Processing
Client: Creates and sends POs to SEKO360.
SEKO360: Processes and stores POs.
iHub Service: Load Purchase Order
2. Vendor Involvement (Supplier)
Creates and manages bookings using the SEKO360 vendor portal.
Uploads necessary documents.
Vendor Booking: Vendors create new bookings or upload existing POs via CSV.
Document Upload: Vendors upload necessary documents like packing lists.
Booking Confirmation: Vendors confirm their bookings.
3. Shipment Process
Origin Agent:
Creates and manages shipments from creation until they are "confirmed on-board."
Adds shipment details and sends them to the client for approval or automatic approval.
Updates missing shipment details.
Client:
Reviews and approves or rejects shipments.
Manages final destination booking.
4. Shipment Confirmation and Delivery
Destination Agent:
Manages shipments from "confirmed on-board" to final delivery.
SEKO360: Confirms shipment and processes a confirmation message.
SEKO360: Sends a confirmation message back to the client's system.
SEKO360 DCM - Cargowise Integration
1. Vendor Booking and Document Upload
Vendor: Creates new bookings or uploads existing POs via CSV.
Vendor: Uploads necessary documents.
2. SEKO360 Processing
SEKO360: Receives booking and document information.
SEKO360: Processes the information and pushes it to Cargowise (Push XUS).
3. Cargowise Integration
Cargowise: Receives information from SEKO360.
Cargowise: Processes the information and updates its system.
4. Shipment Updates
Origin Agent: Updates shipment details in Cargowise.
Cargowise: Receives updates and sends them to SEKO360 (Load XUS).
SEKO360: Updates its system with the latest shipment information.
5. Container Event Updates
Cargowise: Tracks and updates container events.
Cargowise: Sends container event updates to SEKO360 (Load XUE).
SEKO360: Updates its system with the latest container event information.