Customer

Global Consumer Products Manufacturer

Executive Summary

A major global consumer products manufacturer sought to improve their supply chain operations with a centralized resource that could monitor their worldwide shipping vessels in real-time in order to effectively monitor their resources. They also saw benefit in incorporating data such as weather events and disease outbreaks that might negatively affect their shipments. TST developed a system using iSpatial^TM and Google Maps^TM to fully integrate all of their data in a web-based platform, providing vital information that keeps their shipments on track. The result is a simple to use system that ensures that shipments are kept on track, and unforeseen costs are minimized.

Challenge

The customer’s supply chain spans the entire globe with ships carrying containers in and out of nearly every major seaport in the world. They wanted to explore an effective way to visualize their entire supply chain, using enterprise data and business requirements in order to quantify and demonstrate ROI. A variety of outside variables affect shipments on a daily basis and with their multiple data sources siloed in separate systems, the customer did not have an effective way to make meaningful business decisions that would help to reduce costs and delays. Without a real-time, easy way to unify this data and monitor potential disruptions to their supply chain, unforeseen costs were a standard occurrence.

The Solution

The customer approached Thermopylae Sciences + Technology (TST) on a recommendation/referral from Google to develop a custom geospatial system to accurately provide real-time information on their supply chain. TST created a custom solution based on iSpatial^TM and Google Maps^TM to bring together all their previously siloed data into one enterprise web-based system.

By creating a system to visualize the customer’s data, as well as incorporating data from other external sources (weather, sea conditions, etc.), the customer now has access to a multitude of factors that could impact their supply chain routes. By leveraging this capability, They are able to quickly and easily view their entire global supply chain routes in near-real-time through nearly any desktop web browser. Through this, they can now quickly and accurately identify and mitigate any disruptions.

Capabilities

The new SCV (Supply Chain Visualizer) overlays a wide variety of data onto a custom application based on Google Maps and iSpatial. By combining supply chain routes, ports, vessels, and active orders, the customer is able to get a complete visualization of their entire supply chain. But, when combined with data about weather events, disease outbreaks, and political unrest, the system becomes a much more powerful tool - one that can help predict costly disruptions. The system is capable of producing alerts, displaying detailed information on potential disruptions, and what vessels/orders/logistics might be impacted by the disruption.

TST also created a companion mobile application, based on the Ubiquity^TM mobile framework, that allows employees to access their internal supplier portal and supply chain map. The mobile application also allows suppliers to complete surveys and receive push notifications, more effectively communicating with management.

Conclusion

This solution is yet another example of how a TST product, combined with the power of Google Maps, can be custom tailored to meet a corporation’s specific use case. Starting with a model of their supply chain, TST worked with this customer to develop a world-class decision-making tool that results in a more reliable supply chain, while providing measurable ROI.

← Back