Oracle ERP for Logistics & Supply Chain.

How does ETHX Softcon implement Oracle WMS and transportation management for logistics companies?

ETHX Softcon implements Oracle WMS, Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) and Fusion SCM for 3PLs, distributors and shippers, with integration into carriers, customers and Fusion Financials. Warehouse scope covers inbound, putaway, picking, packing, shipping, wave planning, LPN management and scanning for distribution centres. Transportation scope includes carrier selection and management, freight rating, route optimisation, multi-stop routing, load planning and shipment tracking. For 3PL operations, the team configures multi-customer billing, customer portals, EDI and SLA tracking, and supports ANSI X12 and EDIFACT through OIC and partner adapters.

Freight billing includes carrier invoice matching, freight cost allocation and recovery workflows. Real-time dashboards provide visibility from order to delivery with exception handling, and AI options cover freight document processing, demand sensing and exception triage. Delivery begins with network, flow and EDI assessment, followed by design of the location model, WMS strategy and integration plan, build, a four-to-six-week pilot distribution centre or lane with real volumes, and DC-by-DC rollout with operator training.

What should logistics and distribution companies plan for in an Oracle ERP programme?

Logistics and distribution companies, especially third-party logistics providers, should plan the ERP around client integration, activity-based billing and carrier connectivity, because a 3PL's revenue depends on capturing every service it performs and its clients judge it by the accuracy of the data it returns. The design has to keep each client's inventory, rules and messages separate while running shared warehouse operations.

Client integration usually runs on EDI. In the X12 standard, a depositor uses the 940 Warehouse Shipping Order to tell a warehouse to make, modify or cancel a shipment, and the warehouse returns a 945 Warehouse Shipping Advice, which is used to reconcile order quantities with shipment quantities. For ERP design this means client-specific item, unit-of-measure and reference mappings, clear rules for partial shipments and substitutions, and monitoring that flags orders received but not confirmed. Each client onboarding becomes a mapping and testing exercise, so a repeatable template matters.

Billing is the second consideration. A 3PL bills for receiving, putaway, storage, handling, value-added services and accessorial charges, often at different rates per client and contract. Oracle Warehouse Management supports billing by activity using service agreements, pricing and warehouse activity data, generating invoices into Oracle Receivables; the design work lies in defining billing sources and making sure every chargeable activity is recorded as a transaction. Storage billing depends on how occupancy is measured, for example by locator days, volume or area. Third, carrier integration: shipment status (X12 214) and freight invoices (X12 210) need to be connected so freight cost can be matched to shipments and, where contracts allow, re-billed to clients. Finally, lot, serial and expiry capture may be required for regulated clients such as pharmaceutical or food shippers, so these controls should be configurable per client.