Achieving Supply Chain Visibility, Agility and Alignment: SMTC Case Study

We recently completed a SMTC case study entitled Achieving Supply Chain Visibility, Agility and Alignment.

SMTC is a global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider having spent more than two decades working in close partnership with diverse Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the computer, industrial, communications, consumer and medical markets. This case study provides insights on how SMTC is operating effectively amid a volatile environment by achieving high levels of supply chain agility. As an example, SMTC is able to do quick and deep analysis prior to making customer commitments. Case in point: for a single, discrete order (or order change), SMTC is able to determine the clear to build based on material status for every single part within two minutes. For a multi-level customer order involving a hundred different SKUs, the entire clear to build analysis can be performed in less than an hour. Years ago, previous to RapidResponse, SMTC’s ERP system was databases that produced silo reports, and that were manually consolidated. RapidResponse has brought all sites together, producing a single data source from which to manage operations. Taking a holistic approach to leveraging RapidResponse across the company, SMTC's use of RapidResponse has evolved and permeated throughout the organization over time. Scott Tracey, VP Supply Chain, SMTC, is quoted in the case study:

“We’ve tailored RapidResponse to our business. It gives us an avenue to continually enhance our processes. RapidResponse allows us a great deal of flexibility to do our own changes without having to make the type of large investments with developers that are typical with ERP systems and their associated modules. Virtually all of the configurations we’ve made have been done by internal employees that have become RapidResponse power users. I like to think of Kinaxis as personalization tool not a customization tool.”

To learn more, download the case study here: http://www.kinaxis.com/downloads/customer_spotlight/spotlight-SMTC.html