E-business
eBusiness Strategy
With the use of internet technology the Smurfit Kappa Group aims to optimize the efficiency of business fulfillment with customers, from order to cash. This requires for the process support the use of electronic messages between the systems of the business partners. The preferred way is to use leading market standards for business processes and electronic messages. Smurfit Kappa Group creates more transparency concerning details of business transactions via self-service possibilities in a secure WebShop.
The KappaConnect Concept
To achieve the optimization objectives, Smurfit Kappa Group created in 2001 a central eBusiness platform "KappaConnect", to enable the exchange of electronic messages from any participating Smurfit Kappa supplying site to any participating customer.
This now proven concept offers Smurfit Kappa Group customers a wide range of advantages: processing orders from placement right through to payment (OrderToCash) becomes more flexible and transparent; automatic exchange of data increases the speed of information availability and reduced the number of errors. Corrective and administrative work is also reduced. KappaConnect gives customers the freedom to choose the level of eBusiness partnership into which they want to enter - one that best matches their own wishes and IT resources.
The program
The choices range from simple tracking and tracing of delivery related information to fully automated control of procurement and warehousing by Smurfit Kappa. Whichever of these solutions you opt for, one thing is guaranteed: you'll have more resources available to focus on your own competences that secure your competitive advantage.
System Integration/VMI:
Precise control of delivered quantities and lead times reduces warehousing costs and releases capital for value-added tasks. Exchanging data from system to system without manual intervention helps to improve such control.
Smurfit Kappa Group supports business processes by electronic messages, directly exchanged between the business partners, using SK-Connect eBusiness platform as a hub. The processes include both the traditional order management as well as the more advanced vendor managed inventory (VMI) concept. When operating VMI, the automatic customer forecasts, stocks and consumption data enable Smurfit Kappa Group to optimize the stock levels, arrange timely delivery of goods and thereby optimise a customer's production schedule.
For the exchange of messages SK-Connect prefers to use available market standards for business processes and XML-messages.
In the paper industry this standard is papiNet. Smurfit Kappa Group is one of the active creators and users of this standard. More information can be found on www.papinet.org.
For direct communication between packaging suppliers and their customers the GUSI standard of GCI is preferred. This standard for processes and XML-messages was developed by the Consumer Goods Industry with their suppliers. It is acknowledged by GS1. Smurfit Kappa Group has been one of the active participants involved in the development of this standard. More information can be found on www.gci-net.org.
WebShop:
The secure WebShop provides customers with a convenient access to their product and transactional information – from ordering to account status and product information. For customers that have a "many to many" relationship with Smurfit Kappa Group the WebShop4All generates a total overview of the business between all participating supplying and receiving companies. A project site in the WebShop offers users one access to cross-company collaboration projects.