ACI Group launches its new Customer Portal to help deliver transparency in the supply chain powered by Oomph Works – Supply Chain Manager

The software, which has been developed by Oomph Works Ltd, an ACI Group company, has been designed as a workflow management application that orchestrates the collection, tracking and improvement of materials and supplies across the supply chain. Built to enable international expansion, the platform has now launched and provides ACI Group’s customers and suppliers improved visibility in their supply chain through the integrated customer portal, which is accessible on the company’s new website.

Karsten Smet, CEO of ACI Group, commented: “We’re excited to launch our new distribution software, Supply Chain Manager. The solution build on Oomph Works CRM is central to how we run our business. As such, it means our customers and suppliers will have full visibility into our service via the integrated Customer Portal. Seen as the connecting bridge for the supply chain, SCM delivers full visibility of commercial operations and, by using AI, it will provide several value-added services over the coming months to predict, adapt and respond to the challenges our industries face today, thus empowering our customers.

“Rising political tensions, material shortages and more has made navigating the complexities of the supply chain much more difficult. For example, the Red Sea attacks have not only caused costs to skyrocket but has also forced ships to re-route through the Cape of Good Hope, causing further delays to expected shipments. With SCM, our customers will be able to track their orders and, in the future, can find alternative routes to those challenges, understand the expected costs and make a choice – both in economic and environmental value.”

SCM will also evaluate a company’s scope 3 emissions – one of the most substantial barriers for a business to overcome as they occur outside of the direct scope of responsibility. SCM calculates both upstream (raw materials production) and downstream

emissions (storage, operational waste etc) to enable both companies to easily visualise and understand their scope 3 emissions data. The portal can even suggest improvements a company should make to decrease its overall carbon footprint.

While reporting scope 3 emissions is currently issued voluntarily by companies, the UK government has backed an endorsement process to assess the suitability of the standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) for use in the UK, which means reporting scope 3 emissions could become mandatory soon.

“Many companies today are discovering that calculating their carbon footprint is no easy feat,” Karsten continued. “Data from a 2023 report estimated that NHS England’s total carbon footprint in the supply chain was over 60%1, while up to two thirds of the bakery industry’s overall emissions originates from farms2. The data that SCM is able to calculate and visualise for companies is therefore paramount to helping them reach the net zero 2050 target, outlined by the Paris Agreement.”

SCM is proprietary to ACI Group and powers its customer portal to help deliver added value across the supply chain. Many of the features developed over the last 12 months will be backported to the Oomph Works CRM solution, which is currently available for free to ACI customers, or via subscription. Additional features for the portal, alongside an international launch, are targeted for a future date.

For more information on ACI Group’s activities, please visit the company’s newly launched website: https://www.acigroup.biz/.

References

1. Supply Chain Digital, ‘NHS England’, 2023

2. British Baker, ‘Sustainability Matters: how bakeries can deal with scope 3 emissions’, February 2024