GT Nexus and Infor Thesis

The continued shift toward outsourcing and expansion to new global markets to meet multi-regional consumer demand moves the shop floor outside of the OEMs’ ERP system to other partners.

OEMs, brand owners, and their supply chain partners all need visibility on production status, and inventory in transit or at rest, so they can allocate incoming shipments to customers, distribution centers, and retail outlets with the goal of minimizing inventory buffer in the chain.

The GT Nexus network connects global companies to their partners, both onshore and offshore, and provides real time visibility on order and shipment status, so brand owners can optimize their supply chain for greater agility, faster turns, and lower costs.

That connectivity is accomplished by integrating the GT Nexus network directly into the back-office systems of the enterprise (including accounts payable, ERP, warehouse management, and order management systems) and then doing the same on the other end with the suppliers, many of which are Infor® customers.

This is not the same as managing a traditional supply chain and receiving raw material or sub-assemblies for final assembly in a brand-owned plant. Instead, the production schedule is now managed by third parties, which creates a need for multi-enterprise order management and coordination - in effect, a business network.