The supply chain is the process by which a business gets products from point "A" to point "B." It comprises many parts like product sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics. Supply chain management is an area of operations that includes the activities within the supply chain. This means it involves managing all these different aspects while minimizing costs and risks. Harrington Group International is one of the industry's best supply chain management firms. Below are supply chain management tools that can help businesses in this department.

1. Shipping status tools

These tools can help track the status of all shipments within the supply chain. This means they are there to help keep track of all orders and ensure that they don't leave the supplier without what was ordered. A good example is a shipping-tracking software that is typically used by retailers whenever they try to ship a product. For instance, it can tell them if the product is delayed or whether it has been damaged during transport. This can help a business to take the proper steps so that they'll be able to get their shipment on time.

2. Order processing tools

Order processing tools help businesses manage their orders as they come in. These are essential tools because they can help organize a company by informing them if a product is out of stock, damaged, or needs to be repaired. For example, these order processing tools can play an integral part whenever a business tries to ensure that all the specific requirements of an order have been met. It can also manage the warehouse and see what is stocked there.

3. Inventory management tools

Inventory management software works very well with order processing tools as it can help control the inventory of all goods coming into the warehouse. These help businesses track their list and see what they have in stock. It can be used to check the quantity and position of products in the warehouse. It's a perfect tool because it informs businesses when there's a need to re-order so that they'll know when they need to replenish supplies.

4. Supply chain analytics tools

These are there to help with optimizing the supply chain as a whole. They're typically used to help collect and analyze data so businesses can find ways to increase productivity and minimize costs. These tools are handy when the company is experiencing a lot of growth and need to keep up with demand. Because of their comprehensive information database, they can track these significant changes in the supply chain and inform them on what needs to be done.

5. Buyer tool

This is one of the essential tools in a supply chain. It's there to help businesses track all the orders they've received to find out the items that came back undelivered. This is very useful as most companies have no idea what goes undelivered and why. An excellent example of a buyer tool is an order tracking software that allows tracking all deliveries throughout the supply chain.

Conclusion

Harrington Group International is a company that provides leading supply chain management software and services. The tools mentioned above are just some tools that can be used in any business.