How to choose the best logistics ERP for your business?

The supply chain is an essential part of any business. Today, the question is no longer whether to digitise this function, but rather what is the best solution to achieve this.
Having a logistics ERP system, or at least an ERP system that encompasses the specificities of your supply chain, is therefore essential. To gain in efficiency, that’s true! But also in competitiveness, by giving you access to the latest innovations in the sector before your competitors.

In this article dedicated to logistics ERP systems in businesses, Karine Huynh and Albin Migé, SAP Logistics experts at Conseils-Plus, examine the essential features of a good logistics ERP system.
With evaluation criteria and an analysis of the advantages of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business ByDesign, logistics ERP systems will hold no more secrets for you!

Criteria for evaluating a logistics ERP system

Let’s be honest, there is no such thing as the best logistics ERP system! It depends above all on your business strategy and your objectives.

”The first and ultimately most important criterion is to find software capable of managing all aspects of your logistics chain. A good ERP system must provide visibility, traceability, automation and control of the entire supply chain, from suppliers to end customers.
Albin MigéSAP Expert

The features of a logistics ERP system you cannot do without

”Your future logistics ERP system must be reliable, robust and connected. It must cover a whole range of essential features, as these are the features that will enable you to optimise your costs, improve your customer service and increase your responsiveness.
Karine HuynhSAP Consultant

Table of basic features for the proper functioning of a logistics service

Essential Features	Practical Applications
Real-time stock and warehouse management (WMS)	Monitoring of stock levels, shortage alerts, automated inventory Full product traceability (batches, serial numbers)
Warehouse Management System (WMS)	Location optimization, intelligent picking/packing Management of receptions/shipments, automatic labeling
Supply planning	Demand forecasting based on historical data Automatic calculation of reorder points and optimal quantities
Transport Management (TMS)	Route optimization, delivery tracking Carrier integration, transport cost calculation
Reporting and performance management	Stock rotation, service level, logistics costs Real-time performance indicators
Integration and connectivity	Connection with e-commerce, accounting, and suppliers EDI for automatic data exchange
Multi-site management	Transfers between warehouses, stock allocation Consolidated visibility across multiple sites

Features, yes! But above all, real-time data.

Clearly, without the concept of ‘real time’, your Logistics department works with past data, risks delays and therefore makes ill-advised decisions.

For Albin, having a ‘connected’ ERP system is no longer an option: ‘With SAP’s new generation of ERP systems, thanks to the HANA in-memory database, all users have access to instant data. Our customers can thus generate highly graphical monitoring dashboards for hyper-complex processes.’

And real-time data must be accessible throughout the logistics chain, including:

instant visibility of stock levels,
feedback on unforeseen events (delivery delays, excess orders, change of suppliers, etc.)
reliable access to customer data,
logistics cost management,
processing of large volumes of data for predictive analytics.

The cloud will, of course, facilitate data accessibility and synchronisation. But that’s not all! To offer you real-time data, your logistics ERP must be able to connect with the latest IoT technologies such as RFID, sensors, RFID and connected scanners. Finally, its ability to communicate with other external systems through connectors and APIs will boost its performance.

How do SAP ERPs position themselves on logistics issues?

With all its latest innovations, including, as we have seen, its HANA database, SAP is revamping logistics ERP systems and increasing their efficiency.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP and Logistics

While SAP S/4HANA ERP got off to a strong start with its finance features, its logistics features are equally impressive.

With its integrated EWM (for warehouse management) and TM (Transport) modules, S/4HANA optimises every process in your supply chain.
You can capitalise on smart warehouses, high-performance transport solutions, a fully interconnected logistics chain and highly advanced predictive management.
Find out more about S/4HANA Cloud

SAP Business ByDesign ERP and Logistics

SAP Business ByDesign ERP is a good logistics solution for SMEs and subsidiaries that need a comprehensive, simple and integrated cloud ERP system. It covers all aspects of inventory, procurement, order and shipment management. Although less powerful than S/4HANA when it comes to complex international supply chain issues, it still offers solid functionality.Please note: if you would like to know which ERP is best suited to your needs, our team can assist you from the initial assessment stage.
Find out more about SAP Business ByDesign

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) EPM and Logistics

SAC (SAP Analytics Cloud) is the business intelligence solution offered by SAP. It is not an ERP system, but rather a complementary tool to the SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business ByDesign ERP systems. Here, SAC will become an ally in logistics analysis and planning. It will transform all logistics data into strategic decisions and enable you to see, predict and plan.
Learn more about SAC

Add-ons, connectors and logistics

At Conseils-Plus, we are accustomed to working with logistics companies. Ulys (U stores in Madagascar) and Alpina Savoie recently entrusted us with their S/4HANA projects.
And for them, our work does not stop at implementation. We support them in all their development needs.

To do this, we have developed the ERP Customiser. The Conseils-Plus ERP Customiser is a library of connectors and add-ons that we have developed to boost the performance of SAP ERP systems.
We have recently created add-ons that are particularly popular with logistics departments, such as:
the ‘Real-time stock reporting’ add-on:
this application allows you to scan parcels and send real-time stock tracking to your ERP
the ‘Voice picking’ add-on:
this add-on allows your logistics operators to follow instructions by voice. There is nothing to enter, everything is done by audio.
Discover our SAP add-ons and connectors

Why choose the Conseils-Plus team to implement your Logistics ERP system?

An SAP Logistics implementation project can be complex. A good integrator must not only be familiar with ERP, but also have a thorough understanding of your business challenges.

That’s why at Conseils-Plus we have a team dedicated to the logistics sector, so you can benefit from best practices in your field. Our team uses the SAP Activate methodology, which includes change management, training for your teams and a thorough testing phase.

Above all, we remain by your side to support your growth with increasingly innovative system developments.

This article was written in collaboration with Albin Migé and Karine Huynh – SAP Logistics experts.