New Aberdeen Report Validates Key Trends in Operational Excellence

PR Newswire (press release) - New York,NY,USA
Globalization, Automation of Inventory Management Processes and Trading
Partner Integration Identified as Top Initiatives REDWOOD CITY, Calif., ...


Globalization, Automation of Inventory Management Processes and Trading
Partner Integration Identified as Top Initiatives

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasingly, global supply
chains and new customer-specific fulfillment mandates are driving companies
to embrace transformational initiatives for operational excellence,
according to a new Aberdeen Group benchmark study released this week
titled, "The Supply Chain Innovator's Technology Footprint 2007." Aberdeen
surveyed more than 200 enterprises for the study, which was partially
sponsored by E2open, the leading provider of supply chain management
software-as-a-service (SaaS) for visibility and control over global supply
networks. Aberdeen's key conclusions include:
-- Innovators are 1.5 times more likely than all others to indicate that
globalization is their top driver for supply chain improvements.
-- Inventory management is the top priority for companies, with nearly
two-thirds of respondents indicating that they are reevaluating their
inventory management processes and technologies.
-- Supply chain visibility is the number two priority for companies in
2007 (very closely behind inventory management).
-- Supply chain visibility is a top area of intention to adopt on-demand
applications.
-- Top areas where companies are embarking on short-term ROI projects in
2007 are inventory optimization (42 percent) and supply chain
visibility (38 percent).
-- Supplier enablement for trading partner integration is a top priority
for companies, with 67 percent identifying it as a technology priority.
This, in turn, is driving adoption of new supply chain processes and
technology. According to Aberdeen, five times as many companies plan to
spend more on new supply chain technology in 2007 than plan to spend less
compared to previous years. Aberdeen identified the types of supply chain
infrastructure areas that companies believe are most important for their
supply chain management technology roadmap:
-- Supply chain management exception and alerting platforms: 52 percent.
-- Master data management: 47 percent.
-- Business process management: 46 percent.
The study also identified several best-in-class companies that have
realized significant benefits from innovative supply chain processes and
technologies. One such company, E2open customer Seagate Technology, was
identified as a leading adopter of flexible supply chain applications.
"Aberdeen's research validates conclusions we've drawn from our
customer base that industry leaders are achieving operational excellence by
executing key supply chain transformation initiatives, such as
globalization, lean demand-driven, low cost country-based sourcing,
outsourced manufacturing, process automation and trading partner
integration," said Lorenzo Martinelli, senior vice president, E2open. "Our
proven speed of deployment provides our customers significant advantage
through accelerated return on investment."
"The Supply Chain Innovator's Technology Footprint 2007" is available
for download at
http://www.e2open.com/landing/aberdeen_research_seagate.php.
Additional information on supply chain trends and customer deployments
is available at http://resources.e2open.com.
About E2open, Inc.
E2open is the leading provider of supply chain management
software-as-a- service for visibility and control over global supply
networks. Industry leaders that power their supply chain with E2open
include The Boeing Company, Celestica, Hitachi, IBM, LG Electronics, LSI
Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), Motorola, Seagate
Technology, Spansion, Vodafone and Wistron. E2open's software-as-a-service
model offers faster payback, larger ROI and reduced risk while requiring
less IT and business resources. Over 15,000 companies worldwide currently
use E2open. Headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., E2open is a privately
held company.