Supply Chain Orchestration for dummies

Article

Yuri Marx · 11 hr ago 8m read

#Analytics #API #Business Rules #Dashboards #Databases #IntegratedML #Interoperability #IoT #SQL #InterSystems IRIS

Supply Chain refers to a set of processes and activities performed by the company's business areas and its suppliers and partners (stakeholders), from the acquisition of raw materials, through production, to delivery to the end consumer. It can be better managed using SCM solutions with the orchestration of the InterSystems IRIS:

Planning process

All Supply Chain processes demand strong planning, always supported by data and analyses necessary to plan and execute activities in line with quality, accuracy, agility, and economy in the acquisition of raw materials, production, storage, delivery (logistics), and, if necessary, return (reverse logistics) of products to the end consumer. The InterSystems IRIS can support Supply Chain planning with its interoperability, database and analytics features:

The InterSystems IRIS has some adapters available to capture data:

Adapter	Edge	Use case
SQL Inbound Adapter	SQL Edge	Collects data about orders, inventory, and occupied capacity from SQL databases in the systems of stores, e-commerce platforms, warehouses, and factories.
File and FTP Inbound Adapter	File/FTP Edge	Collects data on orders from stores and distributors submitted via files.
REST, HTTP and SOAP Inbound Adapter	HTTP Edge	Collects data about orders, inventory, and occupied capacity from SOAP and REST services in the systems of stores, e-commerce platforms, warehouses, and factories.
MQTT Adapter	IoT Edge	Collect sensor data about production capacity
Kafka and MQ adapters	Messaging Edge	Collects data about orders, inventory, and occupied capacity from Kafka and MQ topics in the systems of stores, e-commerce platforms, warehouses, and factories.

After capturing data, it is necessary to process the data using business processes, business rules, transformations and store the results into operational and analytics repositories:

In the context of Supply Chain, the following examples of information are generated for planning:

Data for Planning	Term	What does it help with planning?
Number of orders per product and per location	Next 1 to 3 months	Quantity of raw materials to be used Factory production schedule Inventory schedule Delivery schedule
Current and short-term inventory	Next 1 to 4 weeks	Factory production schedule Inventory schedule Delivery schedule
Production capacity	Next 1 to 3 months	Quantity of raw materials to be used Factory production schedule Inventory schedule Delivery schedule Financial planning

Sourcing Process

The sourcing process is fundamental for acquiring all the raw materials and other services and products necessary for the manufacturer's production from suppliers. This process requires integrating suppliers with the manufacturer to collect data and execute automated actions between systems to establish flows for price quotations, orders, purchases, deliveries, and continuous supplier evaluations, prioritizing economy, quality, and speed.

InterSystems IRIS operates at each stage according to the following table:

Sourcing step	IRIS component	Actions
Price quotation	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process IRIS database IRIS BI Integrated ML	Get prices from suppliers Select best prices Store prices show price quotation dashboards Predict prices
Select suppliers	Business Process	Analyze prices and demands and select right suppliers
Order	Business Process	Send orders to SCM and ERPs

Manufacturing process

The manufacturing process consists of activities necessary to transform raw materials into goods.
The main activities involve starting with production planning and then separating the raw materials, assembling the production line, preparing and maintaining the machinery, carrying out production, performing quality control, and packaging for delivery. These activities have a high degree of automation. In this way, InterSystems IRIS becomes fundamental:

The following table details where the IRIS components operate to assist in the automation and improvement of the manufacturing process:

Manufacturing step

IRIS component

Actions

Raw material allocation

REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters

Business Process

IRIS database

IRIS BI

Integrated ML

Automated orders to SCM/ERP

Orchestrate Production/SCM/ERP

Store orders, traces, inventory

Store, analyze and predict material allocation and quality analysis

Monitoring and preventive and predictive maintenance of production line machines.

REST, MQTT Adapters

Business Process

IRIS database

IRIS BI

Integrated ML

Receiving data from machine sensors to control production and schedule maintenance.

Automate parts requisition, maintenance requests, and production reporting to the ERP and SCM systems.

Generate analytical reports and dashboards on productivity, material quality, machine monitoring, and maintenance.

Labor allocation

Business Process

IRIS database

IRIS BI

Integrated ML

Send labor allocation requisitions to ERP and HR systems

Analyze and Predict labor workforce requirements

Produce the goods

REST, MQTT Adapters

Business Process

IRIS database

IRIS BI

Integrated ML

Orchestrate data, requests and responses between manufacturing systems/ERP/SCM

Produce production reports, analyzes and predictions

Delivery and Return Processes

The delivery and return processes are challenging and complex, involving the formation of a network of stores, distributors, distribution centers, and air, land, and sea carriers at a national and international level to ensure the manufactured product arrives at the right time and place at the lowest possible cost. This requires integrating data and processes from all parties involved to synchronize production and delivery capacity, and short-, medium-, and long-term demand:

The following table details where the IRIS components operate to assist in the automation and improvement of the delivery and return processes:

Delivery/Return step	IRIS component	Actions
Match orders and deliveries	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process	Sends order confirmation messages to the relevant internal and external systems
Define the delivery route according to the desired destination, product, and shipping cost	Business Process IRIS database IRIS BI Integrated ML	It runs mathematical and AI models to refine air, sea, and land routes to all intermediate and final destinations of products and records the routes for all systems involved
Maintain and communicate delivery traceability to all parties involved	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process IRIS BI	It updates every step in the delivery route and maintains traceability in the systems of all those involved, in addition to generating dashboards and monitoring reports
Address and record deviations and failures in deliveries	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process IRIS BI	It detects route deviations and delivery failures and records them in the systems of all parties involved, allowing for autonomous (AI) or manual (BPL) decisions on how to correct the delivery
Address and record successful deliveries	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process IRIS BI	It updates all systems involved in successful delivery and generates statistics and analyses that enable continuous process improvement
Manage tax and transportation documentation.	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process	It works in conjunction with the ERP system to issue and synchronize data and documents necessary for the transportation and fiscal and legal registration of products being delivered
Registers customer's return request	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process	It retrieves the return data, registers the return event in the systems of all parties involved, and correlates it with the delivery to maintain traceability
Identifies delivery opportunities for another customer.	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process	It reviews orders to fulfill returned products that do not have quality issues and synchronizes with the systems of all parties involved to register delivery to another customer
Generates reverse logistics for returned items in case of non-delivery to another customer.	REST, Kafka, HTTP Adapters Business Process	It generates the product return route, either to the factory (defect) or to store or distribution center stock. To do this, it updates the systems of all involved parties, in addition to generating analyses and follow-up reports.

Compilation of IRIS components used in Supply Chain and how to learn to use them

Below is a table detailing each component of IRIS used in Supply Chain projects, with links to resources on how to use them:

IRIS Component	Description	Resources
Adapters	Adapters get data and communicate with systems	https://docs.intersystems.com/iris20253/csp/docbook/DocBook.UI.Page.cls?KEY=PAGE_interop_protocols https://learning.intersystems.com/totara/coursecatalog/courses.php
Productions, Business Services, Business Process and Business Operations	Orchestrate systems and data between systems. Automate business processes	https://docs.intersystems.com/iris20253/csp/docbook/DocBook.UI.Page.cls?KEY=EGIN_basics https://learning.intersystems.com/totara/coursecatalog/courses.php
IntegratedML	Predict business metrics to anticipate and take proactive decisions	https://docs.intersystems.com/iris20253/csp/docbook/DocBook.UI.Page.cls?KEY=GIML https://learning.intersystems.com/course/view.php?id=1346
InterSystems BI	Business Dashboards and analytics	https://docs.intersystems.com/iris20253/csp/docbook/DocBook.UI.Page.cls?KEY=PAGE_bi https://learning.intersystems.com/totara/coursecatalog/courses.php
InterSystems Reports	Operational Reports	https://docs.intersystems.com/iris20253/csp/docbook/Doc.View.cls?KEY=PAGE_reports https://learning.intersystems.com/course/view.php?id=1490