F4F has taken the concept of electronic document exchange to the next level by providing a set of web-based applications which integrate with the B2B Platform to deliver supply chain automation.

The Supply Chain Management (SCM) suite enables trading partners to work co-operatively in the space between their own back-office systems. Each module can be licensed separately for use, and enables you to share information in a secure way with your trading partners or to view (and if desired, import into your system) information which they have made available to you.

There are currently four modules within the SCM suite:

Price Manager: This module allows a supplier to load Price Lists and Price Update proposals from their back-office system into the central database. Price Lists can be printed, downloaded as files or imported by Buyers directly into their own system, ensuring that any future Purchase Orders to that Supplier always carry the correct prices. If the Supplier uploads Price Update proposals, Buyers are alerted by the system and have the opportunity to discuss them before they become “active”.

Inventory Manager: An invaluable way of keeping track of consignments stocks, this module allows Distributors to notify a Supplier of the current stock levels, by product by location, of all stocks they hold. The frequency of update is agreed between the trading partners.

Transport Manager: Built with the grain trade in mind, F4F Transport Manager enables companies to receive the weight and other details of goods delivered by hauliers working for them. It also allows available jobs to be published to hauliers who subscribe to the system.

Code Manager: Whenever two companies exchange documents electronically, the problem of aligning the codes in the two different IT systems presents itself. Typically this is an issue with Product Codes and (Buyer’s) Customer IDs / (Supplier’s) Delivery Address Codes. Code Manager removes this problem by allowing one partner to upload their codes and the other partner to key in the corresponding codes from their system.