Large corporations and small suppliers must work together as smoothly as possible in the supply chain. However, “the gap between SMEs and large companies continues to widen,” as Prof. Holger Müller of the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences stated at the presentation of the BME Barometer Electronic Procurement 2018 in Leipzig. A digitized supply chain “does not spontaneously combust,” emphasized Dr. Silvius Grobosch , Chief Executive of the Federal Association for Materials Management, Purchasing, and Logistics eV.: “Medium-sized companies in particular are still having a hard time.”

At the same time, the pressure from the market is steadily growing, in no small part because digital supply chain solutions are currently evolving significantly towards more comprehensive, collaborative platforms. Just in February, SupplyOn introduced a track-and-trace solution for the entire supply chain: Real-Time Visibility can tell all those involved in the supply chain in real-time where a particular commodity is currently located, whether on land or at sea. The data connection is easily established via EDIFACT, IDOC or an API. Shortly thereafter, the consensual acquisition of Euro-Log was announced by the provider of supply chain collaboration solutions for the manufacturing industry, with a focus on automotive, railway and aerospace. SupplyOn is thus expanding its portfolio with established and cloud-based transport management. However, Euro-Log is expected to remain a separate company with its own solution.