The Problem:

Today's enterprises and organizations big. medium and small have their data distributed across various systems, in different formats across different platforms. Data lakes, stand-alone databases where isolated data warehouses, reside holding sometimes critical business operational information disconnected from larger interconnected data streams. Such a situation not only is inefficient and ineffective but also costly for organizations to maintain. Companies with such platforms are not only at loss of not be able to utilize the data but also loose out in understanding important business critical trends and insights which otherwise will help the business.

Our Solution:

Aline's unique data management and master data management platform is developed on a revolutionary big-data platform combining technologies in a creative and innovative way to provide holistic master data management solutions. The solution not only intuitively combines data from different systems, formats and structure but also provides a framework to extract, transform and utilize the data in a way that is useful for the entire organization. Such an end-to-end integrated architecture not only facilitates intuitive data integration across disparate systems but also aids in effective end use of the data in such a way that it provides useful and critical business insights for your entire organization. Some of the key features include:

• High Scalability/ Extensibility: The solution is easily scalable and extendable across the enterprise irrespective of the data volumes and number of systems to be integrated. The platform provides flexible and nimble integration framework to ensure faster responsiveness, usability and extensibility irrespective of the number of data sources, structures, formats and end user access requirements.
• Data Integration: Solution integrates real-time with wide variety of most common enterprise wide database, data warehouse and data repository systems including SAP, Oracle, DB2 etc. Based on pre-configured integration framework the solution connects, monitors and collects the data real-time as soon as the data changes in the source systems. Applying the pre-set cleaning and transformation logic the data gets transformed and is made readily available for users or for predict analytics and reporting purposes down stream. This provides the advantage of no separate data workflow creation and execution as part of enterprise wide data flow orchestration environment. The solution collects, automatically transforms and stores the data making it readily available for the end business.
• Predictive Analytics/ Reporting:

The Problem:

Today's Buyer and Supplier organizations spend significant time in exchanging information via legacy methods, a process inherently has many disadvantages including lack of visibility into supplier reactiveness from buyer's point of view and lack of consistency in buyer's demand signal from supplier's point of view in order for to act consistently. In current volatile market place, changes in consumer and/or end customer demand is ubiquitous. In such a dynamic world, in order to satisfy their customer(s), Organizations prefer a tight collaboration with their Suppliers more so than ever before. However, factors such as geographic spread of concerned teams from buyers and suppliers, lack of real time visibility into buyer's and supplier's actions and legacy information systems are a major hindrance for effective collaboration resulting in significant operational ineffectiveness.

Our Solution:

Aline's Real-Time Collaboration solution, with a uncompromising focus on collaboration, will perform the following tasks ensuring higher productivity maximizing efficiency: -

• Ensure suppliers and buyers have the access to same information on a single easy-to-use, intuitive platform
• Provide visibility into suppliers and buyers actions as the information changes, and alert the concerns users/ managers to take appropriate step
• Integrate tightly with other Enterprise Planning and ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle to ensure information exchange is tightly integrated with out the need for extensive workflows/data flows.
• Profile user activity and match it against the enterprise strategic objectives in order to ensure day-to-day Procurement Operations are aligned with Strategic Procurement's objectives
• Provide highly user centric information interfaces that resonate with day to day activity ensuring maximum productivity

The Problem:

Current Purchase Order Management process in large to medium enterprises is largely ERP centric. Though it has inherent advantages however, the process is NOT tightly coupled with complementary periodic global Supply Chain Planning and Optimization processes adopted by most of the industry leaders and high performing organizations. Disadvantages to such de-coupled processes include: duplication of processes & systems for purchasing function leading to inefficiency and error-prone outcomes, additional effort in process, people and systems integration leading to increased costs and a persistent gap between globally optimized procurement planning and day-to-day procurement operations.

Our Solution:

Our PO Management solution integrates tightly with your Global Supply Chain Planning, ERP, Warehousing and Inventory systems. We ensure tightly integrated end-to-end process right from optimized results reviews to creation of POs in your Enterprise Systems automatically ensuring tight approval process upfront by the concerned teams/personnel.

The Problem:

The complexity of global business networks, global supply chains and constantly changing global and local regulations presents a big conundrum for today's Organizations in their quest to select right suppliers. In such a dynamic environment how do companies ensure they are doing business with the right supplier(s)? How do they assess risk(s)? How do they make decisions to select suppliers that match their culture, strategy and vision and most importantly execute against it in a consistent manner?

Our Solution:

Aline offers a unique fact driven Supplier Assessment solution that combines both historical data as well as data from wide variety of public and private sources to offer a unique assessment/rating of your potential Supplier(s). By understanding your key objectives in procurement and sourcing strategies the solution offers various ways to capture supplier risks in various scenarios such as single sourcing, key/critical component sourcing etc. and facilities informed decision making to reduce the risk. The solution also offers ways to capture various supplier relevant data related to their business operations incl. management risk, corporate outlook, corporate performance, management capability, employee capability, cost structure, total quality performance, systems, philosophy, process and technology capabilities, sustainability and environmental compliance, financial stability, scheduling and control systems performance, asset performance, e-commerce capability, long-term relationship potential, risk of its suppliers etc. Leveraging this information it provides framework for your organization to formulate effective supplier assessment criteria based on your strategic and operational procurement needs.

• High Scalability/ Extensibility: The solution is easily scalable and extendable across the enterprise irrespective of the data volumes and number of systems to be integrated. The platform provides flexible and nimble integration framework to ensure faster responsiveness, usability and extensibility irrespective of the number of data sources, structures, formats and end user access requirements.
• Data Integration: Solution integrates real-time with wide variety of most common enterprise wide database, data warehouse and data repository systems including SAP, Oracle, DB2 etc. Based on pre-configured integration framework the solution connects, monitors and collects the data real-time as soon as the data changes in the source systems. Applying the pre-set cleaning and transformation logic the data gets transformed and is made readily available for users or for predict analytics and reporting purposes down stream. This provides the advantage of no separate data workflow creation and execution as part of enterprise wide data flow orchestration environment. The solution collects, automatically transforms and stores the data making it readily available for the end business.
• Predictive Analytics/ Reporting:

The Problem:

When it comes to innovation, RFx is now one of the least innovative technologies on the market, but still one of the most important. The more time you have to focus on strategic planning versus tactical operations, the more likely you are to spot innovative solutions that will save you significant money and increase the overall value of your procurement process.

Our Solution:

Aline offers an intuitive, easy-to-use, template driven, easy-to-configure and customize solution to enable smooth end to end RFx process covering following features:

• Identify potential suppliers to initiate Request For Information
• Collaborative process across multiple departments including Global Procurement, Legal, product etc. to short list the candidates
• Work with them to gather Request For Proposals
• Consolidate suppliers and proceed with Request for Quote
• Collaborative Process across the departments to pick the winner.

Our RFx solution is one of the big breakthroughs in strategic sourcing automation â€" enabled via the introduction of collaborative supplier portals.

Today's Enterprises, despite having technology-enabled procurement systems, frameworks and processes in place, procurement executives continue to face several challenges including: inadequate spend visibility, high savings leakage, maverick spending, disparate procurement processes and systems, unsatisfactory contract management and compliance, high total cost of ownership (TCO) etc. To win in today's highly competitive market place organizations are facing urgent need to successfully navigate these challenges while taking the procurement function to the next level resulting in increased cost savings for the company.

Our Solution:

Delivered in the Cloud, Aline's Spend Management solution is a flexible and scalable platform, which can be deployed rapidly enabling enterprises to enhance savings, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), and improve supplier performance and compliance measures. Offered on an outcome-based, pay-as-you-go pricing model, Aline provides enterprises with better spend predictability and visibility, while lowering their capital investment outlay by converting capital expenditure (CAPEX) to operational expenditure (OPEX).

Pre-built, and pre-configured with industry best practices, Aline's solution helps companies achieve faster time-to-market and is designed to help companies benefit by way of:

• Superior sourcing and category excellence
• Enhanced spend control and visibility across direct and indirect spend categories
• Improved process standardization and efficiency
• Best-in-class technology and tools
• World-class sourcing and procurement services
• Improved compliance

The current processes to evaluate Supplier Performance and Assessment rely heavily and largely on the annual or semi-annual or periodic assessment of Strategic/ Operational Procurement teams leveraging a combination of subjective and objective assessment scorecards. Such processes hide real problems in effective supplier collaboration. Suppliers are off the hook from day to day poor performance actions including delivering materials late, of poor quality or not meeting the commitment. Such fallouts ultimately affect the customer service or day-to-day operations of the Buyer's organization. Hence it is imperative that the Organizations adopt a holistic Supplier Performance Assessment framework that is reflects every action against the agreed commitment with each of the Suppliers.

Our Solution:

Tightly integrated with enterprise wide ERP and warehousing systems, our Supplier Performance/Assessment solution collects real-time transaction data from these systems and parsing this data with predefined rulesets, the solution calculates real-time performance for each of the suppliers. The solution clearly demonstrates the performance of the supplier over various time periods, highlighting the trends. The solution also matches the real time performance against the intended Strategic Procurement targets and provides a compliance score in multiple dimensions such as - Quality, Quantity, Price, Reliability, Risk etc.

Such a transparent, real-time, data centric assessment not provides organizations with immediate visibility into their Supply Chain problems but also enables them to be more reactive and tackle the problems upfront, eliminating supply chain disruptions. Also it empowers organizations to better negotiate with Suppliers, find alternate suppliers, assess the risk upfront and position for success eliminating risk.

Most of the Contract Management process across various departments within organizations lack centralized visibility and control in the contract lifecycle management process leading to sub-optimal contract adoption and execution that leads to excess costs. Besides, time consuming contract lifecycles processes lacking centralized legal playbooks and audit trails act as a big hindrance to keep your teams ahead of the competition.

Our Solution:

Aline offers an unique, state of the art contract life cycle management solution that:

• Drives Contract Compliance through a centralized template driven contract creation, monitoring and execution process
• Optimizes Your Entire Contract Lifecycle Management Process via integrated request, author, negotiate, execute, comply and renew with ease processes.
• Accelerates the Procurement and/or Sales Cycle with Contract Management Software
• Reduces the time between contract request and execution with intuitive contract request wizards, robust Legal Playbooks, templates with conditional logic built-in, advanced approvals, automatic connection to quotes and integration to e-signature
• Provides a centralized advance Analytics platform that gives executives the prescriptive insights they need to continue to improve the contract process over time.
• Integrates easily with Microsoft Dynamics, SalesForce or any CRM/SRM solution

Under constant pressure from the competition, Organizations these days are laser focused on better serving their customers. As part of this strategy Companies stock up inventory at multiple stages of supply chain, sometimes to an extent of 15-20% of their total revenue. Such an inventory not only ties up much needed cash that organizations can better use but also faces the risk of being obsolete, EOL etc. leading to real loss of capital. Though many organizations have undertaken concerted efforts to reduce inventory across the company, the results have not met the set out goals. The primary reasons for such a short fall include lack of comprehensive visibility to all of the inventory data across multiple locations of the enterprise, difficulty in integrating all of these various data elements and in few instances not executing appropriate inventory strategy for each of the materials across the company.

Our Solution:

Powered by big-data centric technology our highly scalable, intuitive and easily pluggable Inventory Management solution provides comprehensive visibility into enterprise wide inventory data. It also provides various features to allow you to consolidate your inventory systems into a single, integrated warehouse inventory control solution. With our Inventory control software, you can efficiently manage every stage of the product lifecycle, as well as your different lines of business. You'll be able to manage inventory levels and get stronger control of inventory operations right from goods receipt from suppliers to products leaving warehouse for delivery to customers. Some of the key features include:

• Cost Management: Accurately track and report costs by accounting for specific detailed landed costs and allocating inventory costs by weight, value or quantity.
• Order Fulfillment: Fulfill orders effectively with complete bin management and cross-location visibility capabilities.
• Inventory Control: Control inventory replenishment with capabilities to minimize excess stock and fulfill orders on time.
• Inventory Visibility: Gain real-time visibility into key inventory trends, on-time delivery metrics, shipping costs and more.
• Inventory Control: As these platforms are targeted at retailers, their central feature is to automate a stock counting and tracking across (potentially) multiple warehouses as items are sold and resupplied. Also, the software should supply barcode scanning internally or integrate with barcode scanning technology.
• Inventory Optimization: The software should automate and provide decision support for optimal levels of stocked items based on sales & order analytics. This practice helps with cost control and should suppress or eliminate oversupply of sluggish or immovable stocked products.
• Purchase / Sales Order Management: Orders can be handled within the inventory management platform via inbuilt purchase order and sales order management systems and interfaces.
• Fulfillment: Platforms may centralize, automate, and optimize order fulfillment by consolidating sales information across channels and warehouses to ensure optimal shipping and delivery of products, balancing consideration for shipping costs and customer satisfaction.
• Shipping & Tracking: The system may provide shipping status and logistical oversight and controls, or integrate with 3PL and shipping software systems and modules.
• Supplier Relationship / Supplier Performance Management, & Scoring: Analyzing and scoring supplier performance is a key feature of top inventory management software.
• Order & Stock History: Inventory management systems should also retain and provide access to rich historical data about orders and stocks.
• Backorder Management: When items are out of stock, the system can reduce the cost of resupply by intelligently facilitating and consolidating purchase orders.
• Accounting & CRM, inbuilt or integration: Some inventory management software offers simple inbuilt accounting and CRM capabilities, though most often the system must integrate compatibly with outside accounting and customer relationship management systems.
• Reporting & Analytics: Given the wealth of data generated, transmitted through, and stored in the system, top inventory management software provides analytics and reporting of product and channel performance (including drill-down analytics on product features), cost of goods sold (COGS), profit analysis, and sales forecasting. This can help discover top customers or top sales performers, and other meaningful pieces of information for multi-channel selling optimization.