Microsoft Supply Chain Platform

Microsoft today announced the new Microsoft Supply Chain Platform that will allow organizations to create a more resilient and sustainable supply chain using an open, flexible, collaborative, and secured platform. Right now, supply chain data inside organizations is spread across legacy systems, Enterprise Resource Planning programs (ERPs), and custom solutions. Microsoft Supply Chain Platform tries to bring all the data together in a single location.

The Microsoft Supply Chain Platform provides building blocks across Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Teams and the Power Platform for organizations to adopt capabilities that address their specific needs. They can use hundreds of data connectors in Dataverse to gain visibility and act across their supply chain. Microsoft is also depending on its partner ecosystem for building this Supply Chain Platform.

  • A rich supply chain partner ecosystem includes advisors and implementers like Accenture, Avanade, EY, KPMG, PwC and TCS.
  • To help customers find the best solution for their supply chain needs, the Microsoft Supply Chain Platform connects to Blue Yonder, Cosmo Tech, Experlogix, Flintfox, inVia Robotics, K3, O9 Solutions, SAS, Sonata Software, To-Increase and many more.

Microsoft Supply Chain Center is the core of the new Supply Chain Platform, and it is a “command center” for data from across existing supply chain systems, like Dynamics 365 and other ERP providers including SAP and Oracle, along with stand-alone supply chain systems. Check out the video demo below.

The new Supply Chain Center also comes with pre-built modules that address supply chain disruptions across supply and order fulfillment, as outlined below:

  • The supply and demand insights module uses advanced Azure AI models to predict upstream supply constraints and shortages through supply intelligence. Organizations can perform simulations using data from their supply chain network to predict being out of stock, over-stocking or missed-order lines. Combined with smart news insights, which provides relevant news alerts in the Supply Chain Center on external events, supply chain practitioners can make decisions and plan with real-world event information and historical insights for product demands.
  • The order management module in Supply Chain Center intelligently orchestrates and automates fulfillment with a rules-based system using real-time omnichannel inventory data, AI and machine learning. Organizations can quickly meet future order volumes and fulfillment complexities by extending their capabilities with pre-built connectors to specialized technology partners for order intake, delivery and third-party logistics services. Existing Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management customers will automatically get access to Supply Chain Center and the order management module at launch.
  • With secure, built-in Teams integration, customers can mitigate supply constraints by collaborating with external suppliers in real time to secure new supply sources, troubleshoot transportation issues and communicate up and downstream impacts based on changes.
  • By having partner modules built into the Supply Chain Center, customers can easily unlock specific solutions like freight visibility from Overhaul. Since everything runs off Dataverse, the data is consistent no matter what module you are using. This eliminates pasting information back and forth and reconciling which reports have the most up-to-date information.

You can read more about Microsoft Supply Chain Platform here.