Descartes Systems Group Inc, the Waterloo, Ontario maker of supply chain software has unveiled its web-based delivery management system to monitor and track the flow of products through supply chains. The company said its Energy DeliveryNet.com is the first software application to allow all parts of the supply chain; suppliers, customers, shippers, manufacturers and so on, to track the whereabouts of products in real-time over the internet. One of the main benefits of the system is that it results in a reduction of inventory levels, as well as dramatically improved time-to cash cycles, according to Art Mesher, Descartes’ executive VP. Through the web interface, users will have access to the current status of shipments, and will receive instant notification about any exceptions to their orders and delivery schedules. In addition, Energy’s event notification framework can supply dynamic real-time messages to any application connected to the system. Any of Descartes’ leading supply chain execution components such as routing, direct store delivery and mobile applications can take advantage of these messages to re-plan, re-prioritize and re-sequence in real time. Energy DeliveryNet.com can either be based locally, on the customers’ premises or users can outsource the service to Descartes who will provide real-time monitoring for between around $1.50 per shipment tracked. If bought in house, the system costs $500,000 for what Mesher called limited transactions, although he did not give an exact number. Larger companies can expect to pay up to $7m or $8m a system, he added.
