The goal or purpose of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) partnership programs is to electronically share information between members of the supply chain resulting in shorter lead times, reduced inventory, reduced obsolescence, and more efficient manufacturing.

The upstream member of the supply chain (the supplier) takes on more decision making for what to supply to the customer.  The result is a more leveraged relationship for the supplier and improved service for the customer.

Managing the VMI process requires a good planning engine that includes flexible integration capabilities.

​

VMI, SMI (supplier managed inventory), or CPFR (collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment); The problem is always the same. Customers and suppliers manage and share their electronic information in dozens of ways and formats. A supplier needing to establish a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) partnership relationship with multiple clients can expect to receive customer data as a combination of Excel files, ASCII files, EDI, XML, exported reports, and more. To complicate the matter further, this data can be transmitted over email, FTP, web portal, EDI VAN, and private or public exchange networks.

The SCP built-in Data Mapping functionality automates VMI communication with any electronic data source from something as simple as an Excel spreadsheet, to retrieving data from the Internet... even to the extent of automatically locating emails in an inbox, detaching and unzipping (if necessary) the required attachment, and processing the information. And it doesn't stop there. SCP is also capable of automatically communicating data and reports back to clients who are anxious to know how much inventory is being held at their suppliers and what shipments they can expect.

​

​