Minister's Forerword
Introduction
Credits
Acknowledgements
ICARUS e-COM
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
IMPROVE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR MANUFACTURERS
Icarus e-Com is a leading provider of products and services in the field of electronic business communications, providing a range of electronic messaging and electronic commerce solutions. Originally established in 1988 to provide a commercial Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) service to the air freight community in Ireland, Icarus e-Com has significantly widened its product range and customer base through the use of emerging digital communications, the Internet and electronic commerce technologies. It is a community-owned business; the shareholders include Aer Lingus, British Airways, Ryanair, Lufthansa, Irish Continental Group and some twenty freight forwarders, including Irish Express Cargo, Excel, Walsh Western and Meadows Freight.
Business Case for eCommerce Infrastructure Project
Companies operating in the highly competitive global manufacturing and distribution sectors have responded to the demand for continuous improvements in productivity through investing in relevant technology. These companies have largely maximised their savings potential within the organisation and external factors such as global sourcing and distribution; outsourcing, world class logistics and supply chain management have become central to competitive strategies. The result has been that large manufacturing companies now focus on their core competencies and out-source the remaining activities. Campus style manufacturing facilities are the result; well-known examples in Ireland include Intel, Hewlett Packard and IBM.
This development has benefited the indigenous freight forwarding community in Ireland, which has grown considerably in scale and in the range of services provided. No longer simply import and export clearance service providers, many freight forwarding companies have evolved into Logistics Service Providers (LSPs), participating at a greatly increased level in the management of the logistics activity in the supply chain management for multi-national manufacturing companies.
Timely and accurate information flows between all the trading partners, from component supplier though to distributors and retailers, are essential elements in this business model.
As freight forwarders increasingly merge with larger organisations with greater IT resources, it is especially critical for the SME member of the supply chain to access the same level of technology as their larger competitors.
eBusiness Solution
Icarus e-Com has developed a platform that enables business transactions among a world class manufacturer and its community of vendors, logistics partners and other SMEs. With a clear objective of enabling manufacturers to allow visibility in the entire supply chain, Icarus e-Com has developed an Internet based application in JAVA called eSupply Chain. eSupply Chain allows on-line logistics booking, manifesting and tracking, thereby providing improved supply chain visibility. eSupply Chain will also be WAP enabled.
Initially being piloted with manufacturers Autodesk and freight forwarders Meadows Freight, eSupply Chain will be implemented with several other members of the Irish based cargo community, a group which includes manufacturers, forwarders, airlines and the customs authorities.
Manufacturer - eSupply Chain - Freight Forwarder
Who will benefit from this eCommerce Infrastructure Development?
The integration capabilities of this scalable product mean that it is equally accessible to large and small companies. Icarus e-Com is actively selling eSupply Chain in Ireland and the UK; the company’s marketing activities include specific efforts to increase the participation of SMEs.
eSupply Chain is of particular benefit to:
Shippers
B2B eCommerce Sites
SMEs
Auction Sites
Reverse Logistics Providers
Small LSPs
"eSupply Chain has helped us deliver improved customer efficiency by providing seamless 24x7 access to supply chain services, including booking and tracking, to our customers".
Leo Layden, IT Manager, Meadows Freight
Icarus e-Com
Cargo Community Systems Ltd
2 St John’s Court
Santry, Dublin 9
Tel: + 353 1 8428255
www.ccs.ie
tony.ogrady@ccs.ie