The debate between SCE best-of-breed software and ERP software continues as supply chains become more complex and the demand for expanded functionality and customization increases.  Today’s supply chain must be agile and react swiftly to changes in corporate goals and objectives, as well as consumer demand, while continuing to control costs and sustain optimum service levels.  Considerable progress has been made in the SCE software industry, expanding its offerings to include enhanced optimization and performance management tools.  Best-of-breed WMS and TMS solutions are now more configurable, allowing you to make quick adjustments to workflow and allay the pressures of a demand-driven business.

According to a recent Gartner Research Study, basic warehouse management functionalities – receiving, put-away, replenishment, picking, packing, shipping, etc. – have become homogenous across competing WMS providers.  There are substantial differences, however, in the value-added capabilities of the best-of-breed WMS solutions, placing emphasis on vendors’ abilities to develop functional enhancements to support a diverse market with complex supply chain networks.  Businesses are gravitating toward solutions that are adaptable during and after implementation, and support a “contemporary” architecture better-suited for upgrades and systems integrations.

Figure 1. Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems

Source: Gartner (April 2009)

The above illustration depicts where best-of-breed WMS providers are positioned in the marketplace, as provided by Gartner.  4SIGHT is partnered with some of these key vendors and is in continued pursuit of partnerships with more key vendors to provide a full WMS service offering to its clients.

TMS Best-of-Breed

A recent Gartner research study revealed the demand for TMS solutions has increased substantially in recent years as companies realized the value in better transportation planning and execution.  The same study also found that most TMS providers have invested heavily in enhancements to their base applications.  While cost-reduction initiatives and service-level improvements remain the key drivers to increasing the demand for TMS solutions, the study points out other factors – asset-based routing & scheduling, freight procurement, performance management, GREEN initiatives, and global deployments and international logistics – have influenced providers to further develop their application suites, offering more robust solutions enabling businesses to manage most, if not all, their transportation needs from a single source. 

The above illustration depicts where best-of-breed TMS providers are positioned in the marketplace, as provided by Gartner.  4SIGHT is actively pursuing partnerships with some of these key vendors to provide a full TMS service offering.

Systems agility, faster return on investment, shorter implementation times and enhanced functionality through modular upgrade paths are just a few advantages to support the movement from a central ERP solution to the deployment of robust SCE best-of-breed applications.  4SIGHT is focused on helping clients with their integration strategies as they continuously expand their enterprise solutions, dedicating a practice area that focuses strictly on best-of-breed solutions across the supply chain network.