Improving Order and Fulfillment Operations: Purchase Order Management

Introduction
The growth of the global supply chain has put constraints on companies’ purchase order management processes. Where it used to be easy enough to keep tabs on domestic acquisitions and the occasional import, managing procurement across the miles has become increasingly onerous for organizations whose supply chains extend across borders, oceans, and continents.

Not knowing if suppliers will meet projected demand, the inability to manage supplier compliance, and a lack of consistent communication across suppliers are just a few of the key concerns that organizations are grappling with. Gaining access to accurate information and data to determine whether projected demand will be met, and ensuring that relationships remain solid in light of these challenges, are two other hurdles companies are attempting to overcome.

The Research
To better understand the importance of purchase order management solutions in business today, Peerless Research Group (PRG) on behalf of Logistics Management for Ryder Supply Chain Solutions surveyed 468 top supply chain and logistics executives in U.S.-based manufacturing and distribution industries. Study results show that businesses are able to apply more accurate data and achieve a better flow of information which is helping to realize operational cost savings, better control over inventory levels, gaining greater utilization of assets and increased sales as a result of a successful purchase order management implementation.