BT Launches Cloud-Based Solution for Global Supply Chains

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BT today announced new cloud-based capabilities for BT Trace, its portfolio of supply chain solutions designed to help organisations overcome the challenges of managing increasingly complex global supply chains. BT Trace now includes a cloud-based solution that will provide a single, accurate view into complex supply chains in near real time, to see how and where changes need to be made and enable customers to improve operational efficiency.

Companies with a global supply chain deal with multiple issues, from counterfeiting and shrinkage to product recalls and perishable goods. This is typical for global companies active in industry sectors such as consumer packaged goods, logistics, manufacturing, pharma or retail for example. They need an accurate understanding of all inventory and on-shelf availability, all the while trying to comply with regulations and operate a sustainable business. Supply chain visibility is a challenge for those companies because of the multiplicity of formats, sources and partners that collect data. All too often, their various resource planning and backend systems are not even connected. BT Trace helps companies respond to those critical challenges.

The new cloud service announced today, cost effectively and securely collects, stores, shares and interprets high volume event data about goods and assets moving along an extended global supply chain. The new service integrates the complex information from the various resource planning and IT systems used by global companies - and by their suppliers - to provide a single view of the whole supply chain through a customised web portal.

Melanie Posey, Research Vice President at IDC, said: "Through the combination of global network and data centre reach, multi-tiered security capabilities, industry expertise, and systems integration skills, BT brings to market a differentiated value proposition to the challenging problem of supply chain management. The cloud-based capabilities announced today for BT Trace provide global companies with end-to-end visibility of their supply chains and expedite the process of transforming enterprise resource planning data into real-time, actionable business intelligence."

The new service has been trialled and tested with TNT Express, one of the world's largest express delivery companies. The service developed by BT in close collaboration with TNT was implemented to help drive operational efficiency; improve customer service and optimise reverse logistics.

Steve Brown, Divisional General Manager of TNT Special Services stated: "We have shown that greater visibility across the supply chain increases efficiency and flexibility.  There is no doubt that a single view across all systems and data speeds up processes and identifies significant events, allowing us to respond in new and better ways to our customers, and they, in turn, deliver a better service to their customers."

Luis Alvarez, CEO for BT Global Services, said: "Billions of dollars are attributed to the cost of an organisations' global supply chain, with boardroom focus firmly on reducing cost and driving up operational efficiency. We are uniquely positioned to solve today's key supply chain challenges based on a heritage of managing complex data interactions over our global network. In addition, BT's worldwide infrastructure, service provision, security expertise, and track record of successful system integrations align precisely with the demands of modern supply chain systems. This combination is brought to bear through our strategic focus on global industry sectors, including consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, logistics, pharmaceuticals and retail. Customers in those sectors clearly depend on the efficiency of their supply chains to gain competitive advantages. With BT Trace, we are pioneers in providing those customers with the ability to identify inefficiencies, streamline their processes and be more successful in their market place."

Note for Editors

BT Trace is a comprehensive supply chain portfolio of services designed primarily for global companies active in consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, logistics,  pharmaceuticals and retail sectors. Its cloud-based capabilities rely on BT's new Cloud Compute platform. By using those new capabilities customers benefit from a flexible, scalable and reliable platform in a secure and controlled environment within BT's global data centres. In addition, BT's global professional services team within BT Advise provide consulting, integration and managed services for supply chains.

BT is an active member of a number of associations and standard setting bodies focused on the supply chain industry, including GS1, ECR, ELUPEG, and National Retail Federation. We also work on supply chain solutions projects with academic institutions such as the Tsinghua University.

BT Global Services focuses on strategic sectors to better serve its customers: consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, logistics & pharmaceuticals, retail, banking & financial markets, government and health  Customers active in these sectors benefit from a range of industry focused assets in product portfolio, solution designs and infrastructure as well as sector specific customer management and service teams.

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries.  Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services.  BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Retail, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

In the year ended 31 March 2012, BT Group's revenue was £18,897m with profit before taxation of £2,445m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.  BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. 

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

SOURCE BT