Miller brews up automated e-commerce supply chain hub
1 min read
Miller Brewing Company, the US’ second largest brewer, says it has provided mandated electronic supply chain e-commerce to retailer customers while shielding its distributors from the cost and complexity of the system.
The firm implemented GXS Managed Services to create a B2B integration hub and thus enable its six major breweries and network of independent distributors carrying 40-plus brands to run e-commerce and EDI with retailers.
Miller is paying a portion of the cost and its overall system is enabling all partners to maintain control and visibility of the complete demand chain.
“Our selection of GXS Managed Services was the next step in our mission to streamline the supply chain process, and improve transaction processing,” says Dave Baumann, vice president of Information Systems at Miller Brewing Company.
“We value our distributor partners as the face of this company with retailers... Ultimately, we expect GXS Managed Services to be a major asset for supporting growth and efficiencies, both for our business and for that of the distributors.”
Miller and its distributors will now be able to reduce operational costs, increase productivity and improve business performance without additional headcount.
Specific benefits cited include: a reduction in cost and complexity for the entire Miller distribution system; the ability for retail customers to automate purchasing, receiving and payment processes; and improved sales and merchandising as a result of increased order accuracy. Miller and the distributors now get automated order fulfilment, shipping, invoicing and accounting – which reduces the number of invoice discrepancies and shortens store delivery timeframes.
