Longer Chains, Lower Costs
By Richard Gamble

To create a seamless supply chain, every link must feel like it's winning.

Whether in-house or outsourced, the move to link up the financial supply chain is forcing companies to work off single platforms, so data can be shared. One multi-billion-dollar California electronics manufacturer uses software, produced by Santa Clara, Calif.-based Emagia Corp., to link a California collections staff to a worldwide sales staff, a customer service center in Ireland, hundreds of major customers and logistics providers like FedEx and UPS. Through a common Internet portal, all parties can track the status of shipments and payments, see images of all relevant documents and communicate with each other to resolve problems. The result: millions of dollars of costs removed, a 25% reduction in DSO and disputes that are resolved in half the time it used to take, according to Emagia's CEO Veena Gundavelli.