On May 2023, Manhattan Associates organized its annual user conference, Manhattan Momentum 2023, in Phoenix, AZ. This globally renowned event serves as a platform for customers, partners, and industry experts to collaborate, discuss best practices, delve into the latest industry trends, and stay informed about product updates. Below are some notable highlights from this year’s conference.
Manhattan Momentum 2023 Updates
Manhattan Active Yard Management:
Manhattan Associates introduced the concept of unifying supply chain commerce six years ago. They presented their vision at a conference and unveiled the Manhattan Active solutions, which were built on a cloud-native, microservices-based architecture. It facilitated better collaboration among teams, partners, and customers, resulting in faster and more efficient operations. In this year’s conference, they unveiled the innovative Manhattan Active Yard Management solution. This advancement brings Manhattan customers one step closer to achieving a fully unified supply chain.
Manhattan has redesigned yard management to seamlessly integrate with its warehouse and transportation management solutions on a single cloud-native platform. This unified approach enables optimization opportunities that conventional siloed systems cannot achieve. The innovative solution includes a digital twin representation of the yard, offering real-time insights and dynamic updates. It provides clear visibility into dock doors, yard positions, trailers, their status and contents, as well as real-time progress of warehouse operations and information on pending arrivals and yard movement.
API-Based Architecture:
Manhattan Active Omni enables customers to control their fulfillment process through user interfaces or API. Customers can make changes to their orders such as updating the shipping address, adding or removing items, adjusting quantities, or canceling the order before shipment. For store pick-up, customers can modify the pick-up window, designate an alternative pick-up person, or provide a ship-to address if unable to pick up at the store. These customer-controlled options also apply to business-to-business scenarios, allowing changes during the fulfillment process. Manhattan Active WM seamlessly incorporates these customer-initiated changes into existing replenishment and loading tasks. With over 40,000 API connections available, data and functionalities can be shared seamlessly across different solutions within the comprehensive Manhattan Active suite.
Manhattan Active Warehouse Management Updates:
During the Manhattan Active WM track, one notable enhancement introduced is the ergonomic cubing option, which allows users not just to cube a pallet by weight or volume, but also reduces the risk of injuries while maximizing volume utilization. As mentioned above, yard management has also seen several improvements, including a real-time view of the yard with status updates, arrival times, alerts, and detailed insights on inbound and outbound operations. Additionally, enhancements were made to optimize put-away travel using trailer content and calling WMS by API to determine the most suitable put-away location. Recent enhancements have also addressed the issues of detention and demurrage avoidance.
How ITOrizon Can Help You Utilize These New Enhancements?
We offer a range of services to assist our clients throughout the upgrading process of the Manhattan Active suite. Our services encompass different stages, each designed to ensure a successful transition and maximize the benefits of the recent roll-outs. Here’s an overview of the various stages and how we support our clients:
Vision & Discovery Session:
We collaborate closely with our clients to understand their current operational flow and define clear key performance indicators (KPIs). We conduct a meticulous gap analysis, examining applications and the integration layer to identify any areas that require attention. By assessing performance requirements early on, we develop a realistic project plan with effective risk mitigation strategies.
Manhattan Design Session:
We assess design elements against the existing Manhattan Active landscape and validate the design for any existing or potential gaps and work collaboratively to find innovative solutions to address these gaps. Our goal is to create a future-proof design and provide integrated design for WMS, MHE, WCS, TMS, and ERP, while conducting a thorough change impact analysis and implementing a robust quality assurance strategy.
Application Configuration:
ITOrizon configures the applications to incorporate our clients’ specific business setup within the Active platform. We pay meticulous attention to detail, addressing any exceptions or errors that may arise. Rigorous testing allows us to identify and resolve system failures, data issues, or process gaps prior to the go-live phase. We also assess the potential ripple effect of conversions and develop contingency plans to ensure stability in the production environment. Our proactive approach enables us to identify and mitigate any showstoppers or performance bottlenecks beforehand.
Change Management:
We understand the importance of user adoption and provide comprehensive support during the change management phase. Our team designs and develops reports that cover key KPIs for all user types, providing visibility into operations and essential metrics. Our team assists in creating standard operating procedure (SOP) documentation and conducts training sessions to ensure a smooth transition. Furthermore, we provide expert guidance and interpretation of reports, ensuring our clients can derive maximum value from the upgraded system.
Go Live & Post-Go Live Support:
During the go-live phase, we plan, execute, and manage the cutover process to minimize disruptions. Our dedicated support team is available 24/7 to provide prompt assistance and resolve any issues that may arise in the production environment. We also support our clients in implementing QA automation, streamlining processes, and enabling continuous improvements even after the upgrade.
At each stage of our services, we aim to deliver a seamless and successful upgrade experience for our clients while providing comprehensive support to ensure our clients fully leverage the potential of the Manhattan Active suite. Get in touch with our expert team to leverage the recent Manhattan Active upgrades.
