The need for manufacturers to increase end-to-end visibility using omnichannel orchestration with a focus on seamless communication between suppliers, vendors and/or distributors is a must. In a recent episode of Talking Logistics, Doug Kimball stated, “You (the manufacturer) have to think in terms of … delivering a personalized and seamless response to customer demand across all channels profitably.” He goes on to say that, “manufacturers have to look at the three C’s: customer centricity, the convergence of the digital and physical supply chains, and collaboration.” Read on to discover three examples of the “why” and “how.”
Problem #1: Drop shipping
The competitive manufacturer will provide clear and immediate visibility to end users of product and/or materials on the shelf or on-hand. Multiple buyer channels have multiple requirements, and that necessitates real-time data transformation to ensure that buyers (including resellers, retailers, distribution centers and warehouses) have immediate access to stock — which, in turn, allows the manufacturer to drop-ship, enhancing relationships with buyers. Without a strategic plan for omnichannel orchestration, manufacturers will be unable to keep up with buyer drop-ship demands.
Solution
The Lumino portal contains a Dynamic Data Rules engine to transform or re-classify data formats to differing buyer requirements and/or third-party specifications. The rules can be generated and managed in-house and applied uniquely to each integration. This functionality is worthy of manufacturer notice if for no other reason than to fulfill drop-ship requirements. A manufacturer might have multiple amazing software solutions (multichannel) at work in parallel between supply chain and distribution — but with Lumino, they work in orchestrated collaboration (omnichannel).
Problem #2: Rapid deploy
The economic turbulence of 2020 underscores the need for a tool that is open sourced with the ability to rapidly deploy in establishing new data highways with trading partners. Situations that lock companies into customizations and proprietary solutions prohibit nimble response to “the speed of change.”
Solution
Lumino by Ariox utilizes dynamic application bridging technology to create bidirectional data paths between any source and any destination system with the Lumino portal as the central hub. Lumino is self-service technology that allows in-house management without coding specialization or consultant dependencies. The Lumino library of plug and play (PnP) connectors function interchangeably with the software neutral portal, meaning system changes or upgrades only require a connector change, allowing for rapid activation in the cloud or on-prem.
Problem #3: Faster, lower, seamless
The force of change is pushing manufacturers to move products faster, at lower costs through all possible channels, seamlessly. IDC, an independent research firm, states that 1 in 5 organizations use more than 10 integration tools, an example of parallel multichannels — which requires heavy workforce involvement and causes relational erosion with trading partners — so not faster, lower or seamless. The problem requires omnichannel orchestration.
Solution
In addition to the Lumino functionalities already mentioned, the Integration Performance Panel, BI Analytics Dashboard & Smart Alert Engine provide omnichannel orchestration and one-stop internal visibility and aggregation of business-critical data for timely decision-making, predictions and trend analysis — so faster, lower and seamless.
Which manufacturing industries are most in need of omnichannel orchestration?
Kimball says, “all of them,” and then points out specifically the pharmaceutical, electronics, consumer goods and automotive industries as those leading the way.
Lumino by Ariox gives users the functionality to manage omnichannel orchestration in-house, in one tool by enabling configuration rather than building from scratch. This ground-breaking solution takes a complex web of connections and organizes it into a straightforward and repeatable practice — optimizing lifecycle visibility and extending omnichannel integration capacity on-demand.
Ariox is a skilled team of business professionals and software developers with the vision to simplify complex data challenges. The team provides tools and services that cost-effectively enable businesses to improve process agility and data visibility in-house.
To learn more about Lumino visit ariox.com/overview, contact ava.cole@ariox.com or click here to sign up for a webinar.
