Transparency in the supply chain

Obi wants to digitise its supply chains, diyonline reported in January, and is working with Tradebeyond to do so. The software company, which is headquartered in Hong Kong and has 16 locations worldwide (including Germany and the UK), has specialised in digitising and making the purchasing processes of retailers and brand companies more efficient for more than 25 years. With this long-standing expertise and international experience in Asia, Europe and the USA, Tradebeyond sees itself as one of the leading providers in the field of supply chain digitisation.

But what does that mean in concrete terms? "We digitise the entire value chain from A to Z," says André von Appen, Vice President Europe at Tradebeyond. By "entire", he really means everything: from planning and product development to supplier management, the global procurement organisation, order and quality management, logistics and delivery to warehouses in Europe.

Tradebeyond summarises all information in a central system and the data can be accessed at any time by all parties involved, depending on access rights. "We deliver an end-to-end supply chain," says von Appen, explaining the benefits, "and help to significantly increase collaboration, transparency, sustainability and speed in the supply chain. This enables a cloud-based solution in real time and integration of all participants, both internal and external."

All suppliers and their factories are stored with their contracts, codes of conduct, compliance certificates, product and branding guidelines and other documents and can submit offers in real time within the system. The buyer can thus compare the requested parameters at a glance. "Our new customer Obi can therefore collaborate with all suppliers, factories and partners worldwide in real time and bring new products to market faster and more efficiently," says von Appen. In addition to Germany's largest DIY store operator, the international purchasing association Arena in Europe is also cooperating with Tradebeyond in the DIY sector.

The supply chain specialist promises not only an increase in efficiency (it expects time savings of 30% to 40% with a corresponding reduction in costs), but also the traceability of all data, from the origin to the finished product; the so-called "chain of custody" is mapped. This point is becoming increasingly important, particularly with regard to German and European…