3rdwave Global Logistics

Overview

3rdwave Global Logistics is comprehensive in its ability to manage and execute all elements related to import and export logistics management and execution. Within one fully-integrated environment, the organization is able to plan, organize and execute all activities required to insure that goods move to meet the requirements of the organization, and its clients.

Seven key elements are built into 3rdwave Global Logistics that ensure global logistics are managed to support the needs of the organization: visibility, route management, track and trace, event management, communications, historical data integrity and integration.

3rdwave supports your organization's global logistics and security requirements. As governments tighten security and compliance requirements, companies involved in import and/or export trade have been required to meet ever increasing supply chain controls to ensure that their supply chain networks are secure. Visibility into all aspects of the global logistics environment and the ability to capture, understand and report logistics information accurately are essential to meet ever increasing government security compliance. A secure global supply chain now means:

• meeting traditional commercial needs of moving goods to market in a timely and efficient manner; and
• being able to assure that unauthorized, terror-related activities involving your supply chain are monitored and reported to the proper government authorities.

Communicating externally to supply chain partners is dependent on well developed, integrated business processes, data integrity and supporting solutions and information technologies. 3rdwave Global Logistics module supports global logistics business practices and maintains highly accurate information related to SKUs and logistics data throughout the supply chain network. With easy to use web services, EDI interfaces or traditional fax communications, 3rdwave supports collaboration with suppliers, service providers, customers and government regulatory agencies.

3rdwave Inbound Logistics

The 3rdwave Inbound Logistics' module provides complete execution and control over the physical movement of product in transit. Recognizing the variability in communications capability within the global supply chain, 3rdwave's design accommodates communications with suppliers and service providers from the ultra-sophisticated to the most manual operations. This extensibility within the 3rdwave Global Logistics module insures that all information from suppliers, carriers, forwarders and customs is captured thus ensuring total compliance with all regulatory agencies.

Full shipment visibility at the line item level allows operators to confidently execute and manage supplier and customer commitments against in-transit shipments. The result: increased order fulfillment, asset utilization and inventory turns.

When goods physically move against a Sales Contract, Purchase Order or Sales Order, the Inbound Logistics module is activated. It provides full traffic monitoring over import, export and domestic shipments, including trans-loading tracking between origination and termination locations.

Details relating to ocean, air and overland shipment are captured and tracked within the Inbound Logistics module in either real-time or batch mode. 3rdwave's abilities include monitoring complex trans-loading and transshipping details. Detailed information relating to shipments is entered into the system through EDI, web interfacing or manual entry. Once the information is entered, it is immediately posted throughout the system updating all related modules. Any changes to a shipments' status is noted in 3rdwave and alerts can be sent to authorized persons in real time with total security monitoring and compliance reporting.

Real time on-line inquires and hard copy status reports are available at user-defined calls showing shipment and product details related back to Purchase Order, Shipping Instruction and supplier. The 3rdwave Inbound Logistics module supports multi-order/multi-shipment combinations. Users' views include item-specific cargo details; customer or supplier identification; ocean, rail, air or truck reference numbers; Bill of Lading numbers; milestones events at all legs of the shipment; pier management, customs and freight forwarder information, etc.

The Inbound Logistics modules provide complete global routing capabilities. Comprehensive, dynamic route tables allow lanes to be automatically constructed from any origin to any destination across multiple transshipment points and provides all the combinations of modes of transport and carriers available within the system. 3rdwave automatically costs each lane and sorts the lanes according to cost and/or total transit times.

With backward integration to 3rdwave's Purchase Processing module, traffic personnel have access to pre-shipment information enabling monitoring of vendor compliance to performance execution. User-defined event tracking triggers alert authorized internal and external users up and down the supply chain to shipments that are moving outside of planned execution parameters. Forward integration into the 3rdwave Inventory and Warehouse Management module insures that warehouses are notified with appropriate ASN information to support the receiving process. Sales, Marketing, Customer Service Representatives and Management are able to take appropriate action to expedite or alter plans proactively to insure continuous flow of information required to satisfy customer and production requirements.

3rdwave Export Logistics

3rdwave Export Logistics streamlines the entire export process enabling logistics' departments to manage carriers and other service providers, as well as preparing all documentation related to export shipments.

Supporting the physical activities of export logistics from carrier quote and contract management, optimized route planning, freight booking, load planning and documentation production, 3rdwave Export Logistics optimizes the cost component with its automated carrier Request for Quotation management.

If integrated with other 3rdwave modules or ERP solutions, 3rdwave Export Logistics supports re-export activity in support of sales, contract manufacturing or claims management.

3rdwave Global Logistics' Integrated Features

3rdwave's Traffic Control Module brings complete visibility and contextual positioning to goods-in-transit. With integration to other modules, goods-in-transit become real inventory fully supporting sales and marketing efforts. The Global Logistics module is internally integrated with:

• Supplier Relations Management (SRM)
• Customer Relations Management (CRM)
• Inventory and Warehouse Control
• Accounting and Finance

Externally linked with:

• Suppliers
• Agents
• Freight forwarders
• Carriers
• Customs brokers/Customs
• Government regulatory agencies

3rdwave's Global Logistics - Module Features

• Tracks all transportation modes: air, marine, rail and truck
• Tracks inbound and outbound shipments through consolidation, trans-load and transship facilities
• Integrated to Purchase Processing, Order Processing, Inventory, and Accounting modules
• Maintains complete shipment details: P.O. numbers, product descriptions, quantities, bill of lading numbers, sales order allocations against in-transit inventory
• Pre-shipment advisement and instruction control
• Tracks/maintains all costs and fees for insurance, freight, freight forwarding, consolidating, etc.
• Import/Export document generation and management by customer/supplier, country, product, etc.
• Supports export inventory management and shipment consolidation
• Traffic File management with product history tracking to Shipping Instruction and Purchase Order
• Database defaulted supplier and customer codes
• Database defaulted origin, destination and port codes
• Freight Forwarder, Broker, Carrier and Shipping Agent maintenance linked to customer/vendor
• Event sensitive tracking of goods in transit: time of departure at port, estimated and actual time of arrival at port, delivery city, point of delivery, Customs control log and transshipment control

3rdwave Global Logistics - Benefits

• A highly secure supply chain - Total capture and monitoring of all information related to a shipment, supported by complete track and trace control and event and workflow management insures all participants have complete visibility of the supply chain. Absolute visibility of all activities related to a shipment insures that any changes to a shipment are immediately monitored and corrective action, if required, is taken. 3rdwave allows the import organization to take and retain control over their supply chain by capturing all shipment-related information even when outsourcing the logistics management and execution functions to third parties.
• Compliance reporting and logistics record maintenance - Customs and other government agencies have placed responsibility on the importer to maintain accurate records related to imports and exports. 3rdwave maintains all history related to a product, shipment, lot, etc., and generates accurate user-defined reports on demand. 3rdwave maintains all information related to a shipment and on historical consistency insuring compliance in the event of a product recall.
• Greater asset utilization - The ability to confidently commit in-transit-inventory to future sales results in improved inventory turns, product allocation, increased cash flow and increased order fulfillment.
• Greater corporate effectiveness and productivity - Elimination of redundant data entry across all functional departments results in streamlined workflow. Cross-department access to real-time in-transit product positions increases information supported proactive decision-making.
• Import/Export functionality within one integrated environment - A systemic approach to global logistics insures that the organization can manage both import and export functions within one highly-integrated environment thus streamlining operations while insuring total global product visibility and integrity to support goods imported, transformed and reexported, rejected goods export and duty drawback, country of origin management, and comprehensive non-asset-based manufacturing control.
• Improved profitability - Enhanced productivity, complete and absolutely visible inventory status, better asset utilization, improved cash flow and improved real time information supporting the enterprise's sales, marketing, purchase and corporate strategic decision-making.