FR Consult us

Automating supply chain and logistics.

Forecasts, replenishment plan, supplier orders, goods receipt, stock, picking, shipping, customs: the supply chain runs on a chain of decisions that all depend on the same data, spread across the ERP, the WMS, the TMS, partner portals and a great many files. Automation connects that data, calculates what can be calculated and leaves the team the trade-offs between service, stock and cost.

The department

Who does what in the department.

One team, distinct roles. Those with their own page are linked.

Supply chain departmentsupply chain director or head of logistics operations

The relays : Sales and marketing, who carry demand; purchasing, who negotiates with suppliers; production, which consumes components; logistics providers and carriers, who execute part of the flows. The supply chain holds the thread between them all.

The ecosystem

What the department receives, and what it passes on.

Dotted flows are those where information is most often re-keyed by hand.

It receives

  • Forecasts and commercial operationssales, marketing, key accounts
  • Customer orderssales administration, e-commerce, retailer EDI
  • Supplier confirmations and delaysorder acknowledgements, e-mails, portals
  • Advance shipping notices (ASN)suppliers, plants, providers
  • Delivery statusescarriers, freight forwarders, tracking portals
Supply chain and logisticsERP · WMS · TMS

It passes on

  • Supplier ordersto suppliers and purchasing
  • Picking and shipping ordersto warehouses and carriers
  • Availability and delivery datesto sales administration, customer service and e-commerce
  • Stock value and projectionto finance and management control
  • Customs declarationsto the declarant or customs representative

flow that worksflow often re-keyed

Across the department

What gets automated.

Not an isolated task, but the circuits that run through the department every month.

  • Data consolidation

    Sales, stock by site, open orders and expected receipts flow automatically from the ERP, the WMS and the portals into a single, up-to-date base.

  • Recurring calculations

    Baseline forecast, net requirements, order and replenishment proposals, stock coverage: recalculated at every cycle, with the calculation shown.

  • Reading partner documents

    Order acknowledgements, shipping notices, delivery notes, freight invoices: an AI agent reads them, updates the ERP and flags discrepancies.

  • Prioritised alerts

    Imminent stockouts, supplier delays, blocked shipments, dormant stock: ranked by their effect on customer service and on stock.

  • Management indicators

    OTIF, service level, coverage, forecast accuracy, logistics cost: calculated the same way every period, with no manual consolidation.

  • The S&OP pack

    Forecast versus actuals, projected stock, capacities and risks assembled on a fixed date, with a first commentary drafted by an AI agent.

What stays human

  • The S&OP trade-offs between service level, stock level and cost.
  • Allocating stock that cannot cover everything, and the relationship with suppliers, providers and carriers.
  • Choosing what to automate, and in what order.
Use cases

How to automate, case by case.

Each case starts from a question leadership teams ask. The starting point, what gets automated, the tools involved, and what stays in the teams’ hands.

  1. How do you automate the S&OP process end to end?

    Today
    Every month, the supply team rebuilds the S&OP pack from the ERP, the sales forecast files and the capacities sent by production or the warehouses. The demand review, the supply review and the executive meeting follow one another on different file versions, and the decisions taken are rarely recorded.
    What gets automated
    A fixed S&OP calendar triggers the steps: freeze the demand forecast, calculate requirements and projected stock, compare with capacities and prepare scenarios. Data is consolidated automatically from the ERP, the forecasting tool and the schedules, and an AI agent drafts the first commentary on variances and risks. Decisions from the meeting are recorded and flow back into the replenishment plan.
    What stays human
    Trade-offs between service, stock and capacity, and the commitment to the plan, remain management’s.
    • ERP
    • Forecasting tool
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool
    • AI drafting agent

  2. How do you automate the calculation and tracking of customer OTIF?

    Today
    OTIF is calculated at month end in a spreadsheet, from ERP extracts and delivery confirmations collected from carriers. Each department has its own definition, and nobody can say whether a delay comes from replenishment, the warehouse or transport.
    What gets automated
    A single rule is set: date and quantity promised to the customer against date and quantity delivered, line by line. The tool automatically matches ERP orders, WMS shipments and carriers’ proofs of delivery, then assigns each variance to its cause: stockout, late picking, late transport, partial delivery. The table is updated daily, by customer, by site and by channel.
    What stays human
    The definition of the customer promise and the action plans by cause are decided by supply chain management with sales.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • Carrier portals
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  3. How do you automate stockout root-cause analysis?

    Today
    When a stockout hits an important customer, the team traces it back by hand: forecast too low, order placed late, supplier delayed, stock blocked at receipt or badly spread between warehouses. The analysis takes time and is only done on the most visible stockouts.
    What gets automated
    For each stockout, the tool rebuilds the item’s history: forecast, order proposals, supplier dates, receipts, stock by site, reservations. It classifies the stockout by its main cause and aggregates causes by family, supplier and site. An AI agent drafts a summary of recurring causes for the monthly review.
    What stays human
    Corrective actions on parameters, suppliers or organisation are decided by the supply team.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • Forecasting tool
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  4. How do you automate the detection of dormant and slow-moving stock?

    Today
    Dormant stock mostly appears at stocktake or when the write-down provision is calculated, when it is too late to clear it on good terms. Lists extracted from the ERP mix genuine dormant stock, safety stock and seasonal items.
    What gets automated
    The tool continuously calculates, by item and by site, the last issue date, coverage and turnover, taking seasonality and open orders into account. It separates dormant stock, overstock and safety stock, suggests options (transfer to another site, commercial operation, return to supplier) and tracks the effect of the actions taken.
    What stays human
    The choice between transfer, clearance, return or destruction remains a management decision with finance and sales.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  5. How do you automate stock projections for finance?

    Today
    Every month, finance asks for a projection of stock value for the budget and cash planning. The supply chain assembles it from the replenishment plan, forecasts and cost prices, in a file rebuilt each time.
    What gets automated
    The tool projects stock in quantity from forecasts, open supplier orders and the replenishment plan, then values it with costs from the ERP. The projection is delivered to management control in the same format every period, with the variance against the previous month and its explanation.
    What stays human
    Accounting valuation and provisions remain the responsibility of the accounting team, which closes them in the ERP.
    • ERP
    • Forecasting tool
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  6. How do you automate end-to-end order tracking, from supplier to customer?

    Today
    To tell a customer where their order stands, someone has to check the ERP, the supplier portal, the WMS and the carrier’s website. Each department sees its part of the flow; none sees the whole.
    What gets automated
    A single view links, for each customer order, the supplier orders that serve it, the receipts, the picking and the shipment. Statuses flow automatically from the ERP, the WMS, the TMS and partner portals. Orders at risk are flagged before the customer chases, with the cause and the new likely date.
    What stays human
    The decision to warn a customer, prioritise an order or book express transport stays with the team.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • TMS
    • Supplier and carrier portals
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  7. How do you automate logistics cost calculation by order and by channel?

    Today
    Logistics cost is known overall, from the provider’s invoice and the freight invoices, but not by order, by customer or by channel. Discussions about free-shipping thresholds, minimum orders or delivery charges rely on estimates.
    What gets automated
    The tool allocates warehouse and transport costs to each order from WMS movements, TMS shipments and matched invoices. The full cost is calculated by order, customer, channel and product family, and updated at each close.
    What stays human
    The allocation rules and the commercial decisions that follow (free-shipping threshold, minimum order, delivery charges) are decided with sales and finance.
    • WMS
    • TMS
    • ERP
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  8. How do you automate monitoring of failed EDI messages?

    Today
    Orders, shipping notices, invoices: some EDI messages fail without anyone noticing straight away. The error is discovered when the customer chases or when a delivery turns up at the dock unannounced.
    What gets automated
    Every incoming and outgoing EDI message is tracked until it is integrated into the ERP or the WMS. Rejections are detected, classified by cause (unknown item, price mismatch, missing location code) and sent to the right person, with a correction proposal prepared by an AI agent. A table tracks the partners and messages most often in error.
    What stays human
    Correcting master data and discussing the source of the error with the partner stay with the team.
    • EDI
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • Messaging

  9. How do you automate warehouse and transport capacity planning from forecasts?

    Today
    Warehouses and carriers discover activity peaks at the last minute: sales, a launch, a promotion. Staffing, dock and truck requirements are estimated from experience.
    What gets automated
    The tool turns sales forecasts and the inbound plan into projected workload: lines to pick, parcels to ship, pallets to receive, by site and by week. The workload is compared with the declared capacity of each warehouse and each carrier, and overruns are flagged early enough to be anticipated.
    What stays human
    Using temporary staff, overtime or an additional carrier is decided by the warehouse and transport managers.
    • Forecasting tool
    • WMS
    • TMS
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool

  10. How do you automate supply chain coordination for a product launch?

    Today
    A launch involves product, purchasing, replenishment, the warehouse and transport, each with its own task list. An incomplete item record, a component ordered late or a location not planned is enough to delay the on-sale date.
    What gets automated
    A shared backward schedule starts from the on-sale date and generates the supply chain milestones: creating the item and its logistics data, first orders, receipt, put-away, allocation. The tool checks progress in the ERP and the WMS, reminds the owners and flags milestones at risk.
    What stays human
    The choice to postpone a launch or allocate the first quantities stays with supply chain management and marketing.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • Project tracking tool
    • Messaging

  11. How do you automate supply chain reporting for management?

    Today
    Every week, a manager consolidates each team’s indicators into a presentation: service level, stockouts, stock, supplier delays, freight costs. The figures arrive in different formats and preparation takes over from analysis.
    What gets automated
    Indicators are calculated automatically from the ERP, the WMS, the TMS and the forecasting tool, using shared definitions. The dashboard is updated every week, and an AI agent drafts a first commentary on notable changes, to be reviewed before circulation.
    What stays human
    Interpreting variances and setting the week’s priorities remain with supply chain management.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • TMS
    • Business intelligence (BI) tool
    • AI drafting agent

  12. How do you make supply chain item master data reliable?

    Today
    Weight, dimensions, pack size, order unit, supplier lead time, customs code, country of origin: this data is entered when the item is created, by different people, then rarely reviewed. Errors are paid for further down the line, in picking, transport or customs.
    What gets automated
    The tool continuously checks the completeness and consistency of item data in the ERP and the WMS: missing field, weight inconsistent with the family, pack size different between two systems, supplier lead time far from the lead times actually observed. An AI agent proposes corrections from supplier sheets and history, and each correction is approved by the data owner.
    What stays human
    Approving master data and appointing its owner remain decisions of the supply team with purchasing and product.
    • ERP
    • WMS
    • Data quality tool
    • AI document-reading agent
Depending on your sector

The same principles, different rules.

  • Fashion and luxury

    Seasonal collections committed well in advance, continuity lines on replenishment, allocation between boutiques, e-commerce and wholesale, high-value international shipments under customs control.

  • Retail

    Daily replenishment of many stores, a warehouse shared between stores and e-commerce, single-unit picking, transfers between stores and returns to absorb.

  • Cosmetics and beauty

    Packaging components with long lead times, batches and expiry dates, launches and promotions prepared component by component.

  • B2B distribution and wholesale

    Large multi-warehouse catalogues, customer orders by EDI, the service level demanded by trade customers and supplier orders grouped to reach the free-shipping threshold.

  • Construction and property

    Materials and equipment delivered to site on the right date, depots and regional platforms, plant transport and split deliveries according to progress.

  • Industry

    MPS and MRP, critical components for production, raw material and work-in-progress stock, export shipments with documents and customs formalities.

  • Pharma and healthcare

    Batches, quarantine and release by quality assurance, cold chain, regulatory traceability and management of critical products in the S&OP.

Your system

The ERP, WMS and TMS stay in place.

Orders, valued stock and accounting entries stay in the ERP; physical movements in the WMS; shipments in the TMS or the carriers’ portals. Automation connects around them: it links tools that communicate poorly with each other, reads partner documents, calculates and alerts. No change of tool imposed.

  • ERP
  • WMS
  • TMS
  • Supplier and carrier portals
  • EDI
  • Forecasting tool
  • Business intelligence (BI) tool
  • Messaging
Frequent questions

What leadership teams ask.

How do you automate a supply chain?
By starting with the processes that come back every cycle: consolidating stock and orders, calculating requirements, tracking suppliers, receiving, shipping, indicators. Start with the one that costs the most re-keying or stockouts, measure it, then move to the next.
Do you need to change ERP or WMS to automate the supply chain?
Rarely. Automation connects to the tools in place and fills the gaps between them. The diagnostic shows whether a limit of one tool justifies replacing it.
Can AI run replenishment on its own?
It calculates, proposes and alerts; it does not commit to a supplier or decide an allocation. Proposals arrive ready to approve, with the calculation shown, and the team keeps the decision.
How do you automate S&OP preparation?
By setting a calendar and a stable data set, then assembling the same pack every month from the ERP and the forecasting tool: variances, projected stock, capacities, risks. Review time goes to scenarios; the decision stays with management.
How do you measure OTIF automatically?
By matching, for each order line, the promised date and quantity with the date and quantity actually delivered, using the ERP and proofs of delivery. The calculation follows the same rule every period and isolates the causes of variances.
How do you connect a logistics provider’s WMS to your ERP?
Through automatic file or API exchanges in both directions: picking and receipt orders to the provider, movements, stock and shipments in return. A daily check compares stock in the two systems and flags discrepancies.
How do you reduce stock without hurting the service level?
By reading stock by item and by site, separating useful stock from dormant stock and setting safety stocks according to item class. Automation produces these analyses continuously; the level of risk accepted remains a management decision.
Is supplier and customer data protected?
Access is limited by role, exchanges with partners go through secure channels, and hosting is chosen with the IT department.
Related departments
02 — Getting started

Describe what’s holding your teams back.

A first conversation to qualify your need. Then a scoped diagnostic: the scope, the solution, the estimate.

Discuss your project

Reply within 48 business hours.