SEEBURGER Wins CHaINA Best Supply Chain IT Solution Award For Advanced EDI Implementation At BeijingBenz-DaimlerChrysler
SEEBURGER Inc. announced recently that it has earned Best Supply Chain IT Solution honors from the China Supply Chain Council for deployment of a complex Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system at BeijingBenz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Ltd. (BBDC), the first car factory in China to implement full Just-in-Sequence operations.
The SEEBURGER system has already automated communications with more than 150 of BBDC's parts suppliers, marking a major accomplishment in a country where EDI is used only on a very limited basis. The system utilizes traditional and online portal-based SEEBURGER solutions, and it integrates third-party logistics provider (3PL) messaging as well as AIAG B10 compliant barcoding for suppliers, making it China's first fully integrated automotive supply chain management infrastructure.
In granting the award, the Council cited the widespread adoption by BBDC's supplier base, praised the solution for "giving the manufacturer a competitive advantage in the China Automotive market," and noted that the system "has forced other OEMs to re-evaluate their supply chain management solutions."
The CHaINA Awards are the only supply chain and logistics awards in China. They honor manufacturers, retailers and other practitioners whose supply chain programs, initiatives or systems have achieved positive business results in China. This year's awards were announced on November 9 at the CHaINA Summit, China's largest supply chain event.
"EDI is not widespread in Asia, but it was mandated by Daimler Chrysler to optimize BBDC's supply chain. The challenge was to enable large suppliers as well as smaller local ones that have minimal I.T. infrastructures," said James Hatcher, Managing Director, SEEBURGER Asia Pacific Ltd. "Online portals have solved the problem in North America and Europe, but they require significant localization in newer manufacturing centers like China. The business processes differ and suppliers resist change. This implementation is significant because it solves all of those problems and provides a solution that the suppliers actually use."
BBDC licensed the SEEBURGER WebEDI Automotive Partner Portal for use with smaller local suppliers lacking ERP systems or sufficient BBDC volume to justify a conventional EDI setup. The portal enables suppliers to view and respond to messages generated by BBDC's SAP system or third-party logistics provider and is fully double byte-enabled for Chinese language use. In addition, it has an integrated barcode generator that produces AIAG B10 compliant barcode-readable labels to enable automated goods receipt at BBDC's warehouse, equipping smaller suppliers with capabilities previously available only to larger partners.
BBDC also deployed the SEEBURGER B2B Gateway to allow traditional EDI message exchange with local Tier 1 partners, DaimlerChrysler Europe for Mercedes Benz E- and C-Class sedan builds, and DaimlerChrysler USA for Chrysler 300C production.
BBDC selected SEEBURGER to handle business-to-business integration responsibilities because of the company's two decades of B2B automotive experience, native integration with SAP, and support for all global standards.
About SEEBURGER
SEEBURGER is a leading provider of global business integration solutions designed to optimize transactions throughout the extended enterprise by automating trading relationships with all partners regardless of their size and technical resources. Launched in 1986 to provide integration solutions to the automotive industry in Germany, the company today is ranked among the top business-to-business gateway providers by top industry analysts, and serves more than 7,000 customers in more than 50 countries and more than 15 industries through its flagship B2B Gateway and related products and services. SEEBURGER has global offices in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, including a U.S. office that opened in 1998. For more information, visit www.SEEBURGER.com
About the China Supply Chain Council
The China Supply Chain Council is China's leading society dedicated to furthering the knowledge, understanding, and career development of executives, managers, and professionals in the field of supply chain, logistics and manufacturing management in China. The privately owned not-for-profit organization represents leading manufacturers and retailers operating in or with China - and the service providers, solutions vendors and the consultants who serve them. It is affiliated with the Global Supply Chain Council, a fast-growing community reaching more than 50,000 professionals in high-growth markets like China, India and Vietnam formed to stimulate the understanding, adoption and use of supply chain management.
SOURCE: SEEBURGER Inc.