News | September 8, 2008

Recent Research Study Shows Compelling Benefits Of Resilient Supply Chains

MARLTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acsis, Inc. (http://www.acsisinc.com), a leader in track and trace solutions for supply chain safety, security and efficiency, today announced its sponsorship of the research report, "Supply Chain Risk Management: Building a Resilient Global Supply Chain." The research study, conducted by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), reveals that there are still significant gaps in supply chain management practices, and offers actionable advice for companies to help minimize supply chain disruptions.

"Growing global operations are forcing companies to more pro-actively evaluate and address their supply chain risks. Companies are sourcing from and selling to more new regions, often adding new carriers, forwarders, logistics, and distribution partners to their network. At the same time, customers are continuously demanding improved service levels," said Viktoriya Sadlovska, research analyst, Aberdeen. "These trends, coupled with increased security concerns that have imposed a new level of regulation on global shippers, are driving firms to increase their focus on supply chain risk management and adopt new processes and technologies to make their supply chains more risk-resilient."

The research study highlights the following supply chain disruption during the past 12 months.

Supplier capacity did not meet our demand – reported by 56% of study participants
Raw materials price increase/ shortage -- 49%
Unexpected changes in customer demand -- 45%
Shipment delayed / damaged / misdirected -- 39%

The trend toward globalization and the new challenges this brings to distributed organizations have placed increased pressure on those who have not managed supply chain risks appropriately. According to the research, best-in-class companies have adopted a more holistic view of supply chain risks compared with lower performing peers and have made more progress in improving their supply chain processes and infrastructure—putting them in a better position to foresee, spot, and respond to potential disruptions. These organizations are:

55 percent more likely than laggards to be at a proactive or resilient stage of supply chain risk management
Twice as likely as others to have no major impact as a result of supply chain disruption
Approximately 40 percent more likely than others to be able to respond to a 20 percent increase or decrease in customer demand for their product within the month

The report authors advise organizations to enhance supply chain risk management across supply chain network design efforts, sales and operations planning, inventory and demand planning. Likewise, on the supply chain execution side, companies need to improve their logistics and transportation management capabilities, secure alternative third-party supply chain partners if needed, and ensure proactive alerting process and response management for disruptions.

"The Aberdeen Group report illustrates how best-in-class supply chains strengthen organizations and make them more adaptable to ever-changing marketing conditions," said Andre Pino, CMO, Acsis Inc. "By focusing on producing timely information and generating higher definition data, businesses have a powerful means to stay competitive."

"Acsis and SAP are working together to solve key supply chain problems uncovered in this study," continues Mr. Pino. "Acsis delivers end-to-end products, solutions and services that help manufacturers and distributors ensure safe, secure and efficient supply chains. Leading manufacturers and distributors in the chemical, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical and other industries employ Acsis' enterprise-class software products to facilitate track and trace, automate data collection, streamline processes and provide real-time access to supply chain information."

Acsis ProducTrak automates and monitors the movement of finished goods from manufacturing through distribution and into the retail environment. ProducTrak taps into the business automation and data collection power of Acsis xDDI to intelligently integrate with SAP, enhance inventory management, maximize product movement and visibility and improve intelligence.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410531&cid=4185

For more information on Acsis, please visit www.acsisinc.com or call (856) 673-3000 .

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen(TM) for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen at http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890 , or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

About Acsis
Acsis is a global provider of track & trace solutions for supply chain safety, security and efficiency. Our enterprise-class software automates data collection, streamlines manufacturing and distribution processes and provides real-time access to supply chain information With implementations in 28 countries, our solutions are used by the leading manufacturers and distributors in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and consumer products to safeguard the general public, protect their brands, reduce risks and increase efficiency and profitability. Acsis is an SAP Services Partner, SAP Technology Partner and charter member of SAP's Enterprise Services Community. Acsis also maintains partnerships with key technology and services providers.