یکپارچه سازی سیستم های برنامه ریزی منابع سازمانی (ERP) و مدیریت زنجیره تامین (SCM) :مورد تولید کننده شیر در چین

Many modern organizations integrate enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) systems, as they work in a complementary fashion. This often results in technical and organizational challenges. Neway, a Chinese organization, recently went through this complex process. This required efficient procurement and management of hardware, software, and human resources for successful completion. The integrated system was found to improve operations, foster a paperless environment, and provide efficient inventory tracking and picking. It also had several tangible benefits, including reduced lead time and improved inventory accuracy. ERP and SCM systems integration is still a novel concept for a Chinese manufacturing organization. Our case study details the organization's experience, identifies challenges that were faced, and describes solutions adopted to overcome them.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) systems have been implemented and used successfully in many organizations. But managing the operation of such systems is not easy. It is important for operations managers to understand how ERP and SCM systems complement each other. Due to a paucity of case studies on ERP–SCM systems, especially in Chinese manufacturing organizations, we developed a case study of the integration of these systems at Neway, a Chinese valve manufacturer. 2. ERP and SCM systems and their integration Efficient management of supply chains require continuous adjustments of the decision-making process including dynamic pricing and risk assessment, and evaluation of sourcing and logistics alternatives. While SCM systems are suitable for these functionalities, ERP systems are not designed for it. In ERP systems, material, capacity and demand constraints are considered separately. However, SCM systems consider all constraints simultaneously and develop a higher quality plan relatively quickly. The study by Akkermans et al. [1] identified the limitations of ERP systems in coping with the challenges of SCM, including difficulties in crossing organizational boundaries, lack of flexibility in dealing with ever-changing requirements, and dearth of functionalities that focus on managing transactions. While ERP captures and processes necessary data and assists functions such as sales and services, procurement and logistics execution, product development and manufacturing, etc. SCM provides additional layers of decision support both within and beyond organizational boundaries. ERP systems are primarily built on transactions-based systems, while SCM provides visibility, planning, collaboration, and control across and beyond the enterprise. Hence, it is natural that ERP and SCM should be integrated to provide higher business value [14]. Such integration can also support strategic objectives of the organization [6] and [27]. It has been argued that if companies implement enterprise systems, they need to change their management processes, reconsider their organizational structures, and reengineer business processes [18]. A number of success factors and potential issues in implementing enterprise systems have been discussed and some of the key considerations are summarized in Table 1.

The integration of the ERP and the SCM system was a difficult endeavor with many challenges. The ERP system at Neway had many operational problems from inaccurate and inefficient inventory control to poor order fulfillment. The e-SCM changed many basic processes at Neway's manufacturing facilities and was able to provide benefits such as real time inventory information update, better picking activities, and establishment of effective collaboration with vendors and customers. Table 3 summarized the benefits in operational measures about 6 weeks after the integration of the systems. The implementation also provided direct cost savings for Neway, enabling them to reduce lost sales by about US $20,000 per year. Equally, reduction in raw inventory by 15 days resulted in a cost reduction of approximately US $1 million per year and by reducing the monthly purchase frequency from 50 to 10, the e-SCM system produced a savings of US $4800 per year. Thus the project resulted in a high return on investment.