Specialist software provider Syscom PLC has announced the release of advanced shipment management functionality for Microsoft Dynamics™ AX. This latest functional enhancement follows Syscom’s successful launch of Microsoft Dynamics AX Apparel & Textile into the UK market in 2008 and has been developed as part of a continued commitment to tailoring this fully-integrated industry software solution to the unique demands of the apparel and textile market place.
Now available from Syscom, this latest development compliments existing features designed specifically for textile and apparel companies such as multi-dimensional item coding and product matrix functionality. “The textile and apparel sectors are facing increasing pressure on margins and lead times within an environment of quickly changing market demand,” says Sally Reynolds, Marketing Manager of Syscom. “Consequently, supply chain management is emerging as a crucial success factor. The enhancements introduced by this development will fulfil a functional area that is becoming increasingly business critical – namely container processing.”
Syscom’s development will allow businesses to better monitor and manage shipping times through user defined shipping statuses mapped within a critical path framework. This feature will facilitate the tracking of any given container from source of supply to the end destination of warehouse or customer, enabling organisations to see when a shipment has been loaded onto a vessel, for example, or when it has cleared customs. The contact details for the relevant ports and freight forwarders can be attached to a container’s record, should companies need to expedite delivery, and any changes to shipment details are logged so that the date and time of a change to a delivery date, for instance, can be checked, as well as which user made the changes.
The advanced shipment functionality will also allow companies to perform receipts based on container rather than individual purchase orders, allowing for more efficient container processing. “As organisations look for more cost effective sources of supply, it is becoming common practice to plan container shipments so that orders from one or more suppliers are transported in a single container,” explains Sally. “This optimises shipping charges but means that a number of purchase orders are incorporated in each container. Our latest enhancement gives users the flexibility to look at things from a container perspective as well as a purchase order perspective, resulting in greater visibility into container shipments and leaner purchase order processing procedures.”
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Syscom is one of an elite group of companies qualified to develop industry-specific functionality for Microsoft Dynamics AX. “Microsoft Dynamics AX has been identified by a recent Gartner survey as the only software solution that qualifies as a market leader for product-centric midmarket companies at this time ,” says Sally, “and this is, in part, due to Microsoft’s approach to offering industry specific functionality through a high level of mutual engagement with selected channel partners. This joint innovation model means users can benefit from the experience and customer intimacy of specialist partners such as ourselves. We utilise our market expertise to develop functionality that compliments and enhances Microsoft Dynamics AX for clothing and textile companies.”