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New features developed in Program Increment 2023-02

Time flies! Twelve weeks have gone by again: We present the work of our development teams in the solutions Supplier Quality Management, Invoicing and AirSupply. Supplier Quality ManagementThe goal of the last three months was to create more transparency for the customer and supplier in the Technical Review solution by means of a new status display in the navigation area: As a result, the users can now easily identify the categories in which questions have already been answered. They can also immediately check which categories contain questions that have been accepted, not accepted, or tentatively confirmed. InvoicingThe user interface of SupplyOn Invoicing has been rebuilt from the ground up — both in terms of design and functionality: Users can now see a lot faster which functions are available to them and how they can use them.Thanks to the revision of the invoice validation, it is now possible to identify and correct potential validation errors more easily.All lists, such as the invoice list, now have a full table view with extended display options. For example, the users can more easily show and hide columns, sort, move or filter them as needed.Even non-registered suppliers can now view the processing status of invoices in the Payment Status Overview. They no longer have to contact the customer's support team and get the information they need much faster.Find more information about the new user interface here. AirSupplyThe last few months have also been dedicated to making it even easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to use the AirSupply SCM solution. The Easy Starter Package includes process simplifications as well as a streamlined message format that can be implemented even without any mapping experience. The new preconfigured software enables a stable and encrypted exchange oforder data,order confirmation dataand forecast data. In the Scaled Agile Framework, one development period seamlessly follows the next. So stay tuned to find out which new features we will develop in the next Program Increment.

Inside

Kicking for a cause: SupplyOn at the Charity Company Championship 2023

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, the SupplyOn soccer team was once again in action for a good purpose. Like last year, the Charity Cup was held at the Nymphenburg Sports Park. In 2023, however, with the whole package and not cut back as in 2022. More precisely this meant 24 teams in total divided into four groups. The first two teams in each group made it to the second round.Max and Flo, the founders of the Charity Cup, put a lot of effort into organizing a great event. Everything was thought of - the course of the tournament and the care for the players were great. The weather played along and so there was a nice atmosphere similar to a summer party. This year's patron was Jimmy Hartwig, this time not only by video message, but live on site. He stayed for the whole day and kept making short motivational announcements in between, reminding the participants that it's all about having fun and to take care of each other. He was also available for photos and conversation - a great guy.Although there was no victory for SupplyOn SC, there were some close scores. Once again, we were unable to practice before the tournament. What remains are fond memories and the look ahead to another participation in 2024.Of course, we are always happy to welcome new teammates! 🙂Sporty greetingsSteffenMore information about the organizer (in German):www.charitymeetschallenge.comwww.muenchnergeschenkeregen.de

Supplier Community

Supplier Community Event: sustainability and ecosystems shaping the near future of supply chains

A network in a world of networks: the latest Supplier Community Event revolved around supply chain ecosystems, digital twins, circular economy and much more: It's all about sustainability and our responsibility to the younger generation — in his keynote, Stefan (Executive Board, SupplyOn) described the change of consciousness that is currently happening in everyone's minds.The approach for the implementation of climate strategies? Moving away from all the individual concepts by large companies. Instead, striving for a common open and standardized approach along the multi-tier chains.And how? Together with some of our global customers, we have designed a solution based on two pillars:Connecting the supply chain ecosystems of the OEMs with all business partners along the supply chain all the way down to raw material suppliers, taking into account new industry standards such as Catena-X.And thereby making use of the concept of the digital twin.In this video, we explain how these two variables - supply chain ecosystems and digital twins — are related to each other: Our next speakers Brynja (Portfolio Manager Sustainability) and Tim (Product Manager Carbon Footprint) addressed the topic of decarbonization. They first presented a joint initiative of some of SupplyOn's customers on the Company Carbon Footprint. The idea is to gather supplier data on companies' CO2 emissions.But it is not only the company level that is of interest here. Brynja and Tim showed how customers can share carbon emissions on products level in a standardized way with the new Product Carbon Footprint solution. A sustainable supply chain must also be resilient to potential disruptions: Michael (Product Owner) went on and presented his Capacity Management solution. He showed how the supplying companies can use it to see the customers' future demands and planning. This way, they identify bottlenecks much earlier than in the past and avoid interruptions in supply.Just like resilience, the digital twin plays a part in Stefan's path to end-to-end sustainability along the multi-tier chain. The Parts Traceability solution works according to this exact principle. Daniel, (Vice President for Transport Management & Analytics Solutions) presents how customers collaborate with their business partners in the solution on twin related data. This transparency of production on both the customer and supplier side (Manufacturing Visibility) also significantly minimizes delivery and quality risks.However, nothing beats concrete use cases. That's why our guest speaker Mallik (Senior GM) reports on how Schneider Electric is tackling the challenge of end-to-end traceability with the help of SupplyOn Parts Traceability. Thank you for your valuable contribution, Mallik!SupplyOn: an open platformThomas (Vice President for SRM & Portal Solutions) continued with a special announcement: Currently, suppliers can only use SupplyOn by invitation from their customers. This is the case, for example, in the Supply Chain Collaboration solution: Customers typically invite their business partners to electronic data exchange here. The focus is also on direct, so-called single-tier exchange; the integration of sub-suppliers only comes into play in exceptional cases.With regard to ESG, however, we have to think in a new way. Because all tier levels have to be involved here - and with as little effort as possible. SupplyOn will open up the platform in the future so that suppliers can start independently. On the one hand, this means that it will be easy for suppliers to register sub-suppliers as well as for suppliers to register their customers. In addition, suppliers can also exchange data via interfaces with business partners who use a different ESG tool. The only prerequisite is that the exchange of ESG data must take place in a standardized manner.For many of you, this approach of open platforms and ecosystems surely reminds you of Catena-X — and with good reason! Because that is exactly the vision behind it — the connection of individual data rooms to a network of networks.And how does SupplyOn fit into the Catena-X landscape? Florian (Portfolio Manager Ecosystems) told the audience in the next agenda topic. He presented three options for this:Portal-to-portal integration (log in with SupplyOn credentials and use Catena-X applications) Certified data exchange (collaborate with business partners using other Catena-X applications in the three SupplyOn solutions already presented:)CO2/Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)Parts TraceabilityDemand & Capacity ManagementPortal integration of 3rd party software from Catena-X directly in SupplyOnSupplyOn in ShortYou don't speak to several hundred supplier users every day! That's why trainer Regina took the opportunity to use the last few minutes of the event to present her new training initiative "SupplyOn in Short". Every month, she takes a close look at a different SupplyOn solution together with interested suppliers. She answers questions from the audience and shows how to use the solution most efficiently.An event full of reveals and new impulses! We hope our viewers enjoyed it as much as we did.Did you miss the event? No problem! Here you can watch the recording of the event:

Industry News

Fly like you drive – 2023 mid-year recap: supply chain digital transformation insights

Managing both automotive and aerospace, as well as complex manufacturing, has kept me busy attending back-to-back conferences in 2023. It's only fitting to title my latest blog post with a nod to an old advertising colleague and friend, Steve O'Connor, who used to host an annual "Ski Like You Drive" event in Wisconsin (the Vail of the Midwest, sort of). It's fascinating to observe the strong connection between these industries, which share many suppliers. Automotive manufacturing, with its faster production and shorter lead times, is often at the forefront of transportation technology. Now, as Jetson's-style flying cars become a reality, they are becoming even more intertwined.As we approach the mid-year mark, it's clear that 2023 has flown by, driven not only by the series of conferences in the aerospace and automotive sectors but also by the surge of inquiries about our supply chain solutions. Now more than ever, organizations are seriously engaged in digital transformation efforts, with tight deadlines to meet. One customer aptly described the current situation as a "two-year backlog." After the uncertainty caused by the global pandemic, we face the same old challenges, along with new ones and ongoing unknown risks.A hectic yet exciting year so far: conference insightsThe Stellantis Town Hall Meeting kicked off my conference circuit. Hosted by MEMA (Original Equipment Suppliers) in the Detroit area, this conference provided an overview of Stellantis' future vision and strategies. It was a half-day session followed by an opportunity to meet the team and network with industry professionals.Next up was the PNAA’s Annual Aerospace Conference, called Advance 2023. This well-attended conference brought together hundreds of aerospace professionals from over 350 companies at the Lynwood Convention Center in Seattle. It was a great occasion to reconnect with old friends and explore the current and future state of aerospace, including technology advancements and supply chain challenges such as shortages, more visibility, transparency, and our ecosystem. Technology and tools were top of the list of subjects, and the message was clear for need for partners in the supply chain. I managed to contain myself and not stand up in the audience, wave my arms, and yell, "Hello, come talk to me about SupplyOn". Global discussions were in play, with a close eye on our overseas counterparts.Circling back to the East, I visited the South Carolina Automotive Conference in Greenville, South Carolina. The hot topic here was sustainability, an increasingly crucial aspect of the automotive industry. It was an excellent opportunity to learn from industry pioneers and explore the latest advances in sustainable practices. The conference also featured a display of Clemson University's autonomous vehicle, which showcased cutting-edge 3D printing technology.In between the conferences, meetings, workshops, and proposals we held our Annual SupplyOn North American Summit in South Carolina, near our North American headquarters. The summit was led by our Global CEO, Markus Quicken, and our North American CEO, Derek Baggerly. We concluded our summit with a tour of the BMW factory, complete with robots, exoskeletons, and hydrogen-fueled golf carts. This summit also kicked off customer and shareholder visits to North America. What’s unique and special about these visits is the engagement with our customers and the inclusion of their feedback into our technology roadmap. This is one of the key reasons I call SupplyOn the “Goldilocks” company: just right the right size to support customers like BMW and Airbus but also the right size to be agile, flexible, and accessible in order to partner genuinely.Next up was the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) SMC Conference, hosted by Boeing in Phoenix, Arizona. This conference always provides an intimate setting for OEMs and suppliers to get together. Honestly, these events feel like part family reunion/part work happy hour but with very informative and inspiring sessions—topics surrounding supply chain challenges with parts, policies, governance, ESG, and future predictions.Aeromart followed shortly after AIA in Montreal, Canada. This conference toggles back and forth between Montreal and Seattle each year, further building our alliance. Discussions centered around supply chain challenges, future needs, labor shortages, visibility, transparency, and leveraging technology and tools. SupplyOn had a prominent presence at the conference, hosting a booth and delivering a workshop by our CEO, Derek Baggerly, to bring the buzzwords to business case. Sustainability, transparency, visibility, and ecosystems, to name a few.Throughout 2023, the demand for our supply chain software has been overwhelming, leading me to prioritize partnerships and skip a couple of conferences. However, this high demand signifies the growing importance of digital transformation in supply chains. As we move forward, transparency, visibility, collaboration, and sustainability remain key drivers in meeting the needs of 2023 and beyond.Looking forward to the Paris Air ShowWrapping up the mid-year recap, I'm excited to attend my first Paris Airs Show. This is an important event, particularly with the increased interest from North America. I'm honored to be a part of the show and look forward to engaging with industry professionals, learning more about aerospace organizations, and enjoying the airshow. Stay tuned for the show's highlights, the rest of 2023, and more!

Inside

Girls’ Day 2023: … and action!

On April 27 it was time again: On Germany's Girls' Day, five girls once again had the opportunity to get a taste of everyday working life at SupplyOn. With the motto "Empowered. Connected. Visible - Take your future into your own hands", we not only wanted to show them how exciting and varied the IT industry is - they were also able to put their talents to the test. But let me start from the beginning.The supply chain in a nutshellWe started with a welcome and a short workshop on the supply chain. Product Manager Carina and Product Owner Pia used a short explanatory video and eye-catching icons to explain how a supply chain works, why it is important and what exactly SupplyOn does. The girls then had the chance to get hands-on and build the supply chain for a car."Roll camera!" with the Onboarding teamIn the second workshop, our Onboarding team introduced the girls to the SupplyOn Studio and their work. Our consultants Susann and Charlotte first explained why we built a professional film studio at SupplyOn and how we use the content produced there. Charlotte then gave an insight into presentation techniques. Here, the focus was particularly on how to appear on camera and which aspects to consider when posturing, speaking and choosing words.Equipped with a lot of useful tips, the girls were then able to put their skills to the test both in front of and behind the camera. Three SupplyOn colleagues from different departments were on hand for the interviews. Two of the girls formed a moderator duo to learn more about their careers and everyday life at SupplyOn. Meanwhile, the other three worked behind the camera with Jonah, Susann and Charlotte. During this practical part, we were absolutely thrilled by the professionalism and self-confidence of all the girls in front of the camera. After one take everything was in the can. A big thank you also goes to our interview partners Patricia, Almudena and Pia, who gave the girls a candid insight.While Charlotte and Jonah edited the videos, Susann showed everyone how to create a supplier information portal in our content management system. The highlight for the girls: They will have their own Girls' Day portal with all the videos, lots of photos and useful presentation tips. A nice souvenir of a rich and exciting day at SupplyOn.Careers in the IT industry: as varied as life itselfAfter an eventful morning and some refreshments, the program continued. The next part was a presentation of different career paths. We had prepared the individual stages of four colleagues on a large whiteboard with pictures and slips of paper. Now the question was: Which step belongs to whom? Which job titles do I understand? What order could the career steps have?After a short period of reflection, Regina (Training), Maria (EDI team), Daniela (Consulting) and Katharina (Finance) solved the puzzle. Now the differences and diversity were easy to see. We have colleagues who are university graduates, others are high school graduates or have graduated from schools in other countries. From previous work experience as a security guard to an electrician to a receptionist, it was all there. And yet they all have one thing in common: SupplyOn.This is what we want to pass on to the next generation: A career path doesn't always have to be straightforward. Nothing is set in stone forever. And above all: Have fun doing what you do! After the wonderful presentation, it was time for a well-deserved lunch break. And after this refreshment, the day was almost over: At the end of the day, we reviewed the individual stations with the girls — and as a highlight, they were able to watch their own interview!Text written with great support from Julia Hughes and Katharina Winsczyk

Inside

New SupplyOn features developed in Program Increment (PI) 2023-01

Our development teams have been working at full power over the past three months. Check out the results in the areas of Visibility & Analytics, Supply Chain Collaboration, Invoicing and AirSupply: Visibility & AnalyticsAt the end of the latest development phase, we are introducing new options in the Product Footprint solution: From now on, it includes a comment function that facilitates the collaboration on the platform. Added to this is the new "Create parts" function. This allows the user to easily create the parts that are not existing in the list of parts. Supply Chain CollaborationFresh breeze also in the area of Supply Chain Collaboration. New, modern user interfaces now offer even faster orientation in the following overviews:Orders and Line Items Overview (new: streamlined way to confirm orders)KanbanGoods ReceiptDue DeliveriesFor shipping notifications, there is now the possibility to prevent early creation of ASNs, as well as to reduce the manual effort required to maintain the smallest packing unit.The new "Issue Center" functionality shows where a user needs to take action to ensure a smooth business process. In the first step, inconsistencies in the delivery forecast process are provided. InvoicingIn many Chinese regions, an additional option for creating Fapiaos (domestic Chinese invoices) using the Golden Tax System has now been established. The so-called "Fully Digitalized e-Fapiao" is currently in pilot phase. Suppliers located in these regions might be obliged to use Fully Digitalized e-Fapiao instead of traditional paperbound Fapiao.Invoicing now supports the necessary download format in addition to the known transfer options. All other steps in the Golden Tax workflow remain unchanged. AirSupplyThe new Repair Order process in AirSupply allows customers to place repair orders for suppliers. This new process is based on the existing order process, but supports some specifics of repair processing:The customer can inform the supplier of the date of dispatch and the expected date of arrival.The supplier or repair center confirms receipt of the parts and, after evaluation, can upload a cost estimate in AirSupply, which is immediately sent to the customer.The supplier specifies the expected repair duration and costs. This allows the customer to schedule and agree on the date and price with the supplier - all steps can be carried out seamlessly in AirSupply. Did you like the features presented? Stay tuned to find out what enhancements our development teams will introduce in the coming months.

Inside

Ready for take-off: AirSupply in Japan

On October 25, 2022, SupplyOn was honored to welcome a delegation from the Japanese Aerospace Industry, for a signing ceremony about a Proof of Concept (PoC) with The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC) and Eva Aviation (as Japanese Consulting Company, and now part of SJAC), involving three major Japanese Aerospace OEMs.The PoC was about jointly exploring our supply chain collaboration solution for the aerospace industry, AirSupply.The Japanese delegation not only visited SupplyOn, but also attended the AIRTEC fair in Munich and then travelled to visit BoostAeroSpace in Paris, the AirSupply Governance Organization.The proof of concept has meanwhile successfully been conducted involving several Japanese Aerospace companies, as first step for further possible collaboration.SupplyOn is committed to engage in the Japanese market, and in that context will have a booth at the upcoming Aeromart Nagoya (September 26-28, 2023).

SCM Insights

Product development: the why & how of supplier-initiated change requests

Feasibility studies play a crucial role in the automotive industry during the procurement process for parts under development. After all, even before these new parts are developed and contracted, companies need to ensure that they can be delivered in the required quality and quantity, on time and at appropriate conditions. SupplyOn Technical Review has been efficiently handling all of this for years. In most cases, the customer provides the specifications. But it can lead to even greater efficiency and project success if the suppliers can also initiate changes themselves.The classic Technical Review processTechnical verification is the process of verifying the quality, quantity, delivery dates, and conditions of a new part. For this purpose, the customer company requests information from the suppliers by means of a questionnaire. The customer then assesses the supplier's feasibility and maturity.Change management: a new process for Technical ReviewAutomotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen has been one of the main users of the Technical Review process since its inception. And because Technical Review has worked so well from the start, they wanted to see if Technical Review could be extended beyond the standard process.ZF project manager Alejandra Rangel Granados explains: "We often have a situation where a supplier needs to independently coordinate and approve necessary or desired changes to the product and process with us as the customer before the change is implemented. In this way, the supplier can be sure that ZF, as the customer, agrees to the change. "And it was no coincidence that SupplyOn already had a concept up its sleeve. There were already concepts on how Technical Reviews could also be initiated by the supplier. With a small expansion of the Technical Review, the time had come at the beginning of 2023: the improved process based on Technical Review was ready for ZF.How the supplier-driven Technical Review process for change requests worksAs a prerequisite for the supplier-driven process, the customer first creates a template. This template defines the type of changes, such as product information, that the supplier can send to the customer.The supplier can then use this template to send structured change requests and start the coordination process with the customer. After receiving the request, the customer may need to coordinate further details with the supplier and check the feasibility of the change. The result is immediately displayed to the supplier in Technical Review and sent as an email notification.Advantages of the optimized processZF project manager Alejandra Rangel Granados: "The ZF Commercial Vehicle Solutions division has been using the new process with its suppliers since mid-January 2023. Previously, change requests for parts and processes were made via unstructured e-mail communication, which was difficult to track. Thanks to SupplyOn, we can now offer a fully electronic, easily traceable and data-secure process. In addition, we are now much better informed before the supplier makes any changes."Suppliers also benefit from the new process. They now receive timely feedback on important change requests. Emails from the supplier are no longer lost because the change is stored transparently and securely at SupplyOn.Meanwhile, SupplyOn is already making plans for the next expansion stages of Technical Review. Product Manager Martin Weber comments: "We are sure that we will be able to implement further use cases based on Technical Review quickly and easily." So, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the all-rounder Technical Review — in any case, the end of the line does not seem to have been reached yet.

SCM Insights · Technology

Digital twin: are you ready for new business models?

A digital twin is defined as the digital image of a product or process. It supports process optimization, early error detection, and automation gains along the entire value chain. New, service-oriented business models can be created based on the digital twin. However, the German economy is still having a hard time with digitization and an even harder time with digital twins."A large proportion of companies are using digital technologies to secure their competitiveness, but not to develop new business models, for example in the form of digital, portfolio-complementing value-added services," says Michael Finkler, VDMA Board Member for Software and Digitalization, in a recent article for Industry of Things (article in German).Digital twin — already a realityAdmittedly, digital twins are not yet at the forefront of many conversations and processes at customers and suppliers to create new value-added products and services. Nevertheless, SupplyOn has been working on this in the background for some time. For each material number, for example, all available data — even at serial number level — is combined and made available. This makes it possible, for example, to automate goods receipt or to provide quality data electronically. SupplyOn supports various initiatives in this regard, such as Industry 4.0, Asset Administration Shell (AAS) or Catena-X standardization.Hence, the foundation is laid for companies to develop their own value-added services or secure competitive advantages based on a digital twin. Now it's time to get active and creative!

Supplier Community

The first Supplier Community Event for suppliers in the Aerospace industry

In addition to numerous events about various SupplyOn solutions, we also hosted one for our aerospace suppliers.News, tips and tricks on SupplyOn solutions were on the agenda — this time for AirSupply and Invoicing.Christian, our Vice President SCM & Finance Solutions, gave an exciting keynote speech, which was then followed by our product experts providing insights into the solutions.How can I customize my AirSupply dashboard according to my needs?How can I decide which email notifications I receive, how often they are sent to me and when?How can I schedule my downloads in the future?Saskia and Wolfgang answered these questions all about the AirSupply solution.Ludwig then showed the suppliers how the Invoice Clearance process will be supported in Invoicing in the future and how suppliers in France and Spain will be able to send their invoices to the central government agency via SupplyOn.In the second part of the event, we moved from the product demo into practice: representatives from two companies discussed the usage and benefits of AirSupply in their processes - and how the benefits can be further increased. Why was this so exciting? In the panel discussion, we looked at both sides of the coin - the customer's view as well as the supplier's view.One of the invited companies - Airbus Aerostructures GmbH (formerly PAG) - fulfills both roles and uses SupplyOn on both the purchasing and selling sides. That's why two representatives from Airbus Aerostructures - Jan-Hendrik Drees, Supply Management in the role of the "buyside" and Christoph Bertz, HO Ordering Process & DP Account Management, in the role of the "sellside" - met Benjamin Klotzbücher, Sales Manager at Georg Martin GmbH, an innovative supplier to Airbus Aerostructures, in the SupplyOn Studio.All three panelists agreed on the quintessence of the discussion: AirSupply offers the great advantage that any company, regardless of size and IT resources, can use the solution and benefit from it. However, it is also clear that the benefits increase with the depth of the integration of AirSupply into the company's own processes, and that a back-end integration, such as the one implemented at Airbus Aerostructures, is only worthwhile above a certain order volume. Nevertheless, even for smaller companies, a potential for added value can be identified and leveraged with less effort, for example by exploiting the greater transparency or by making intelligent use of the structured digital data with as many customers as possible on the same platform.Airbus Aerostructures has written a remarkable success story in this regard by approaching its customers with the clear intent to collaborate via AirSupply in the future or to expand the scope of its usage. As a result, Airbus Aerostructures is now using SupplyOn AirSupply very successfully with 20 customers.We would like to thank all contributors for a highly rewarding event with interesting outlooks, helpful information on usage and an exciting panel discussion with a wide variety of viewpoints and insights into the everyday life of a customer and supplier! Stay tuned and find out everything about the next events with new guests and topics here.

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