Selerant announced today that it has launched the Selerant Collaboration Portal (SCP), a new vendor management tool for process manufacturers. This new portal will provide a more controlled, efficient, and secure data synchronization between suppliers and manufacturing companies, using Selerant's web-based Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tool, DevEX.
"Typically, vendor data is received by several different ways, such as spreadsheets, emails, and actual paper communication," explains Selerant CTO, Jacopo Colombo. "Manually entering all of the data creates several issues, not the least being data accuracy. One error can lead to a significant cascade and can result in non-compliance, serious cost controls, delays, and quality control."
Selerant's Supplier Collaboration Portal (SCP) provides a clearer path from the source (supplier) to the DevEX PLM database. The process begins with configurable questionnaires that structure how and what data is uploaded by a vendor. The questionnaires can be organized into a hierarchy and utilize workflow processes to initiate notifications and actual synchronization. Manufacturers can also use the questionnaires to standardize vendor selection, by requiring all prospective suppliers to enter the same required data. Once a supplier has been approved as an official vendor, SCP will automatically synchronize the DevEX database.
"The most critical aspect in integration is securing intellectual property rights," states Colombo. "We specifically designed SCP so it is completely separated from the DevEX database. Any data updates can only be initiated by an approved vendor and go through a firewall. So no vendor or supplier can ever have any access to the confidential formulations in DevEX."
Not only will the SCP improve efficiency and data accuracy, but also visibility and traceability as each data upload is indexed, version-controlled, and immediately accessible to DevEX users. In addition, companies can define event-driven notifications so both the supplier and DevEX users are notified for new required questionnaires or data updates.
Industry leaders from Selerant's User Conference are already projecting estimates on how SCP will change their current vendor management capabilities, with the majority projecting 40% or higher ROI. (Source: TechValidate TVID 094-600-134)
