Sept/Oct 2003

SAP has fired the latest round in the ongoing battle between integrated enterprise software systems and best-of-breed systems, adding new warehouse management capabilities to its mySAP ERP system. The latest version includes yard management, cross docking and value-added services in addition to standard WMS functionality. The value-added services include detailed functions such as clothes hanger insertion, price marking, tagging and packaging and labelling.

While some of these features might seem modest, SAP sees them as supporting its wider-ranging move to extend the perceived functionality of its systems beyond the "four walls" of a business - an approach that was seen as a constraint in early implementations. The company describes the new features as "a step toward creating more supply chain visibility and building adaptive supply chain networks."