Seeing Is Retrieving

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Anna’s Linens has dramatically improved communications and visibility within its supply chain by replacing manual processes, gaining access to real-time data and providing that information to every link in the chain — from Pacific Rim vendors to store-level associates.

These changes began in late 2008 with its choice of Manhattan Associates’ Extended Enterprise Management (EEM) solution. That decision led to the elimination of reams of paperwork, accelerated processes at every point in the flow of goods, improved communication with vendors and, perhaps most telling, provided a solid underpinning for the retailer’s expansion strategy.

Headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., Anna’s Linens has 260 stores in most major regional markets, as well as three distribution centers. Store assortments range from 20,000 to 30,000 SKUs in bedding, bath, window treatments and products for the kitchen and dining table. The company’s network of vendors extends to China, India and Pakistan.

“Before EEM was implemented, we were creating and manually tracking more than 750,000 purchase orders a year, along with ASNs [advanced shipping notifications],” says Miles Tedder, the retailer’s vice president of supply chain. “But now we create less than 75,000 purchase orders per year and use EEM for automated exception-based management.

“For all intents and purposes, Anna’s Linens’ P.O. tracking process, including ASNs, invoices and chargebacks, is [now] 100 percent electronic, with a complete elimination of paperwork and manual processes,” he says.

In addition, Anna’s Linens has leveraged EEM for store-level inventory look-up capabilities. “Stores can now look at inventory in sister stores when additional items are necessary to complete a customer’s purchase,” Tedder says.

Improved visibility, communications and vendor compliance management “allows for quick and efficient decisions regarding the flow of product to support our customers,” he says. “We benefit by having accurate, real-time information that is simultaneously available to all stakeholders throughout our supply chain.”

The ABCs of EEM
Extended Enterprise Management “is a compilation of a lot of solutions — a catcher’s mitt for information,” says Scott Fenwick, senior director of product strategy for Atlanta-based Manhattan Associates. “The simplest way to think about EEM is to see it as a way to get outside the four walls of your warehouse and get in touch with upstream suppliers, in-store solutions and other tailored functionalities. ... EEM is the umbrella that covers those solutions for outside the warehouse.”

Problems solved by EEM include solutions for the varying levels of sophistication within a supplier base. For smaller vendors that may lack technical communication tools, the only requirement is access to Internet Explorer (and a printer if they are required to print labels), Fenwick says.

The “visibility” feature of EEM translates to greater precision in supply chain management, providing retailers with the ability to be pro-active in addressing real or potential problems weeks before they take possession of the merchandise.

“We have made a business out of helping [retailers] avoid unexpected shipments [and] shipments with goods not labeled properly,” he says. “A big part of our theme is helping customers avoid surprises.”