Supply Chain Integration

Our expertise and passion, your reliable partner

Total guidance on supply chain integration.

Digitally purchase and sell from your familiar ERP system. Reduce administration and error costs, and increase speed. Optimize the supply chain, and reduce risk and capital tie-up on inventory. Prepare for regulatory obligations.

Successful in five steps

Vision & strategy

Determining the vision, strategy, objectives and short- and long-term requirements. Then translate to, and prioritize requirements.

Process optimization

Mapping and optimizing functional and technical processes, and data flows of purchasing and sales with suppliers and customers.

Data & communication

Putting master data of products, customers and suppliers in order. Setting up communication and data flows, and securing them in the organization.

Choice solutions

Select required future-proof solutions and partners for implementation. Drafting business case and project documents.

Implementation

Implement the chosen solutions, integrate with customers and suppliers, and secure the change in the organization.

We are happy to guide you from a-z in chain integration from level 1 – 4.

You determine what you want to be helped with, the chain integration program is flexible and is tailor-made for you.

We operate objectively and independently with only 1 goal, to make you more successful as a customer.

Here you can see some step-by-step information to help you get started.

It is important to start by interpreting a clear vision, strategy and ambition. How important is or is chain integration seen by your entire organization?

The ambition starts with better cooperation with customers and suppliers and, in this cooperation, digitizing and automating the administrative purchasing and sales processes. Efficiency, speed and performance improve, but is that all you want to achieve?

By being an indispensable link in the chain, jointly managing inventory and responding to market demand offer many more opportunities. If the ambition is to increase competitiveness, grow in market share and respond to changing market demand, you are playing the game at a different level. This does demand the necessary of your organization, technology and future vision on chain integration.

The pace at which everything is determined depends not only on your organization. It also depends on the readiness, willingness and future vision of your suppliers and customers. Important to convince your relations and bring them along in this change.

We will be happy to help you properly interpret your vision and strategy and translate it into requirements for your organization and technology, and create a roadmap and planning. We become even more enthusiastic if we can guide you afterwards to select and implement the required solutions and changes for your organization and supply chain partners.

Read under “Determining chain integration level” what the benefits are for each level and what that requires of your organization and partners in the chain.

Chain integration means working closely with other organizations in the chain. The shared vision is that integrated control across company boundaries offers advantages for all chain partners. A strategic partnership is therefore important.

The entire supply chain is the chain of companies that begins with the extraction of raw materials and runs through suppliers, manufacturers and the (retail) trade to the end users.

Supply Chain Management (SMC) is: Management of the flows of goods, information and money within and between the links in the chain from suppliers to the customer. The goal is to control and optimize these flows. SMC is already well applicable when there is good and long-term cooperation with suppliers and customers.

There are four levels involved in SCM, each offering benefits but requiring deeper integration and closer collaboration:

Integration level 1: the information integration level
In addition to the flow of goods, there are two other flows, the information flow (mainly order and planning information) and a financial flow. The goal is to achieve major efficiencies in these administrative flows:
1. More efficient purchasing and sales process
2. More efficient invoicing and faster payment
3. Reduced errors, error costs and failure costs
4. Better performance and higher satisfaction

Integration level 2: logistics management integration level
Level 2 is mainly concerned with increasing competitiveness through efficient inventory replenishment at the sites and efficient operations at the companies in the chain.

Often only what is needed is ordered, the frequency of orders goes up sharply, the quantities per order go down. The speed of delivery and the reliability of delivery must therefore increase. After realization, the right product is delivered to the right place at the right time at minimum cost and efficient replenishment or even continuous replenishment (CRP) is achieved.

The shared goals of companies in the chain that can be realized:
Reduced capital tie-up, write-downs and lower risks through lower inventories;
Increased competitiveness and customer satisfaction through higher delivery reliability and faster lead times;
More efficient operation through improved planning, reduced handling and bundling of transportation.

A prerequisite for success is good strategic cooperation and trust with suppliers and customers in the chain. In this cooperation, inventory policy, inventory management (VMI), cross-docking, and standardization of product, packaging and operations are jointly shaped. Transparency on sharing data such as market demand and forecast is key.

Integration level 3: the market operation integration level
With level 3, the effectiveness and efficiency in the chain is further improved as the chain partners work together in terms of assortment and promotion. The needs of the end customer (B2C or B2B) are central here. The choice of assortment of products and services, quantities and price differentiation are continuously coordinated with each other in order to respond well to fluctuations. Together, direction is taken through the concept of category management (CM) and capacity planning. Framework, call-off, volume and scheduled business contracts support the flexible response to market demand.

This changes the push strategy to sell products or services to pull strategy. The emphasis on managing individual inventory locations changes to jointly managing the total assortment and inventory. The traditional and separate procurement of products and services changes to a collaborative and integrated approach.

In modular procurement, end products are assembled from different modules. Finished products are designed so that components can be used in multiple finished products. Components are added at the last minute to make the final product. Modules can be produced efficiently while end products can be custom assembled shortly before a customer-specific end product is purchased. This principle is also used in modular manufacturing where the supplier YIT delivers the semi-finished products to the customer in the process.

In this way, efficient promotions and price differentiations of products or quantities in the chain are possible. With the extension of integrated marketing communications to chain marketing communications, the companies in the chain align trade, retail and consumer marketing to the end customer (B2C or B2B).

Integration level 4: the market development integration level
At level 4, the chain partners take cooperation one step further to improve effectiveness within the chain. In this mode of cooperation, the focus is on the area of product development to minimize complaints in consumption and production processes and to optimize the result of the processes. The joint product improvement and development should lead to an even better alignment with the demand of the end customer (B2C and B2B).

Benefits are achieved by improving customer service, reducing costs and increasing competitiveness.

Cooperation at this level of integration often requires radical changes for chain partners involved. Change management is recommended for all levels of chain integration, for this level mostly a requirement for success. This also applies to the trust that partners must have in this chain.

Before you start chain integration, a number of aspects are important, these we can guide for you in the chain integration program:

Master data of customers, suppliers, products and services
This data, along with other data, must be complete and up-to-date, and centrally available to your organization and supply chain partners. The organization must be equipped to guarantee the quality of data, with IT solutions that support business processes. Designing and setting up the data and communication flows is a logical next step.
If there are already standards for products and services designated in ETIM or GS1, consider adopting them. This saves a lot of work and you can be sure that the same thing is meant in the chain.

Process optimization
Before digitizing and automating properly and with a good ROI, it is advisable to optimize business processes. Removing unnecessary or improving process steps is important. Hereby looking to the future and less clinging to the past.

Organization, technology and change management
With a clear vision, strategy and ambition, the right translation can be made to requirements for your organization and technology. Look closely at existing standards and avoid customization. If the starting point is the other way around, there is a risk that choices will be made that cause unnecessary costs and delays in a later phase. Choose the right starting point and create a clear roadmap that will take you forward into the future.

Don’t underestimate the changes coming for your employees in the organization and among your supply chain partners. With the right change management approach, you increase acceptance and key to success.

Project management and agile working
Chain integration projects require close coordination within the organization and with your chain partners. Good management and follow-up is important to stay within budget, planning and scope. The agile way of working allows you to achieve results faster with smaller changes and increase acceptance within the organization. A good side effect is that changes can be anticipated well in the interim.

We have given you an inside look at chain integration. The chain integration program is flexible and can be tailored to your needs. Whether it is the total guidance and relief, parts of it or you have individual questions about it? We are happy to help you!

Electronic invoicing

As of 2026, electronic invoicing is required by law for all companies operating within the Netherlands. We are happy to guide you through the implementation process. Together, we will prepare you in a timely manner for all the changes this regulation entails.

If your company operates internationally, then the obligation may be earlier, different rules apply and invoice sharing opportunities exist.

Contact

Carbon Footprint and Product Carbon Footprint.

We are happy to help you understand, improve and digitally exchange greenhouse gas impacts and reduction opportunities throughout your company’s value chain. Carbon footprint registration (ESG, CSRD, ESRS1 and ESRS2) may be or become mandatory for your company.

The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) insight from your suppliers and automatically processed in your records. Insight into the value chain and save on Scope 1 + Scope 2 + Scope 3.

Contact

SCSN – Digital entrepreneurship

Easily connect to the SCSN network of the manufacturing industry and immediately start doing business digitally with all connected suppliers and customers. Digitize purchasing and sales processes and optimize your supply chain. Prepare for sustainability obligations with PCF, CO2 contribution and green certificates and electronic invoicing.

We are happy to guide you through the entire process.

Contact

Stock in the right place in the chain

Collaborate with suppliers and customers to control your assortment, inventory location and stock levels. Reduce inventory risks and capital tie-ups, improve delivery performance and customer satisfaction.

Contact

Indispensable link in the chain

Increase your competitiveness and increase your value in the chain.
Integrate and optimize your processes with suppliers and customers.
Partner with your suppliers and customers, grow together and increase your market share.

Contact