Too often, order fulfillment solutions create islands of capabilities rather than a seamless process from receipt to delivery of an order.

That is beginning to change, according to John Jazwiec, company results leader for RedPrairie. The company demonstrated at D/C Expo a suite of products designed to manage order fulfillment beyond the four walls of the warehouse by incorporating broader supply chain process management concepts.

The suite includes real-time visibility to inventory, orders and shipments; optimized real-time planning of shipments and consolidated loads to reduce transportation costs; integrated workflows between transportation and warehouse management to drive internal collaboration; robust warehouse management capabilities; visibility to logistics constraints and capacities; and real-time alert notifications for events and exceptions inside and outside the four walls of the warehouse.

"This integrated approach reduces the time, cost and risks of implementation, while providing the greatest opportunities to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve customer service," Jazwiec notes.