Introduction
Oracle’s E-Business Suite is the only end-to-end business application that runs entirely on the Internet, supporting e-business across manufacturing, supply chain management, customer relationship management, business-to-business, financials, projects, human resources, and business intelligence functions. The Internet environment drives short cycle times and high customization. An e-business responds by leveraging the strengths of its manufacturing processes to gain a compelling strategic advantage. These companies require high-velocity hybrid manufacturing solutions to meet customer demand.
The Oracle E-Business Suite consists of more than 100 modules built on a single data model—any piece of data is stored only once. This alone provides a level of data integrity and consistency that is difficult if not impossible to attain using multiple data models, often the result when attempting to integrate disparate “best of breed” software. And consistent, accurate data is the cornerstone of good decision-making and good business.
Oracle Manufacturing provides a comprehensive selection of manufacturing solutions combined on one ERP backbone, along with the flexibility to employ these solutions concurrently for maximum efficiency. Oracle is a leader in manufacturing solutions and has developed significant innovations in Flow Manufacturing and mass customization techniques. These manufacturing products are fully integrated with Oracle’s E-Business Suite and offer a high-performance manufacturing solution that will enable you to compete and win in today’s volatile marketplace.
Distribution support is another key component of the ERP backbone. Oracle provides a full suite of Inventory and Warehouse Management functions fully integrated with Order Management and Procurement capability. This is what enables an e-business to collaboratively execute its supply and distribution plans across its entire supply chain—not just within its four walls.
Support functions, including Costing, Quality, and Pricing are also critical elements of the Oracle E-Business Suite. They provide accurate measurement of profit margin and product quality. These results, in turn, enable true business intelligence, which facilitates continuous improvement.
Who Should Read this Book
Anyone who wants to improve his or her perspective of Oracle Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management products from a business process point of view will find this book an interesting companion. It should appeal to both functional and technical implementation team members. Major functional challenges are thoroughly illustrated, and the possible ways to face these challenges are discussed in detail.
Reviewing the areas of greatest interest to you will improve your overall understanding of the software, because the book is organized by manufacturing and supply chain functions rather than individual modules. You will have a greater appreciation of the integration between the application modules, and increased ability to address business issues using the full power of the Oracle E-Business Suite.
Organization of the Book
The book is divided into six parts:
Introduction
Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Supply Chain Planning
Supply Chain Execution
Support Functions
Business Intelligence
Chapters within these parts focus on Manufacturing and Supply Chain functions rather than individual Oracle modules. This approach will help you to understand how the various modules in Oracle Applications integrate with each other to support a functional or business process. Each chapter might cover features from more than one module. For example, Chapter 7 covers features from Oracle Bills of Material, Oracle Work in Process, and Oracle Flow Manufacturing. A module might appear in more than one chapter, but the features that are covered in each of those chapters will be different. For example, the features of Oracle Work in Process are covered in both Chapters 7 and 16. Logical data models are included in various places to further the understanding on various subjects. Reading logical data models is not difficult and there are various published materials on this subject all over the Internet.
Where appropriate, there are sections that explain the usage of business object interfaces (APIs or Application Programming Interfaces) and open interfaces that should be used by technical implementers while interfacing with third-party or legacy systems. Chapter 22 is a case study that discusses a hypothetical company and its business operations. Each section includes a list of suggested activities that are intended to trigger your thought process. Use these activities to think about the hypothetical business and design your solutions for the various problems posed by the business.