CARY, NC. and MEMPHIS, TN. Jul 13, 2004 -- The concept of the "paperless office" has not quite come to pass. There are still instances within supply chains when hardcopies of documents are required. This requirement can have the effect of unnecessarily slowing down supply chains. BridgePoint, Inc.,  the leading provider of global, multimode transport process management and vendor process management solutions, announced today that it is solving this issue by offering iPlex Doc Attach as part of the iPlex Transport Process Management solution.

While seemingly simple in nature, the ability to upload and download documents and relate them to specific orders and shipments is just one more step in facilitating business processes within supply chains. Examples of iPlex Doc Attach's value include:

Immediately save time and money
As multinational corporations (MNC) outsource manufacturing overseas, the following is a common business process. The MNC creates an order and sends it to its regional management offices. This office manages regional outsource operation partners. In order for the partner to fulfill the order, it must produce a Letter of Credit (LOC) to start production. Many countries require a hard copy of the purchase order on letterhead, and often with a signature, to apply for the LOC. Currently, the regional office will manually download and print the purchase orders locally, then use a courier to send the documents to the outsourced partner. This process costs money and time. In addition, it is common for orders to change from five to eleven times from initial placement. Each time there is a change the document must be produced, and an acceptance process must be followed. By simply attaching the original, home office generated, order document in iPlex, the outsourced partner can download the document themselves and begin to process the order immediately, saving valuable time and financing charges, not to mention courier fees. Further, using the alerting capabilities within iPlex, any updates to the order will automatically alert the outsource partner for immediate action.

Faster compliance with worldwide documentation regulations
Security and customs regulations are a way of life in global trade. Countries around the world impose their own regulations regarding the documentation needed for international shipments. This can add time and cost to the supply chain. With iPlex Doc Attach, brokers and agents are able to send required documentation to a central, shared location with direct relation to the shipments involved, thus removing extra days and costs from the shipment cycle caused by coordination of needed paperwork. As each document is added, alerting is triggered to notify interested parties, allowing quicker reaction to speed global trade.

Further iPlex Doc Attach uses include:

• Collaboration - Buyers and Suppliers will be able to share manufacturing specifications for items within an order.
  
  
• Speed of payment - Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) and carriers can upload scanned signatures on manifests and receipt documents as Proof of Delivery (POD).
  
  
• Availability of Country of Origin documents to meet import/export regulations.

Other functionality includes:

• Document Attachment Security: Access to the attached documents can be restricted based on the various user role assignments within the application - so that only the proper users can upload or download documents.
  
  
• Document Attachment Alerts: Alerts can be set on both orders and shipments to inform designated users of new and updated attachments.
  
  
• Document Attachment Events: The uploading of documents can be set on a schedule within the application as an expected event. This allows users to then define alerts and tolerances associated with the event - facilitating event management.
  
  

"BridgePoint continues to increase its value in facilitating supply chain business processes," states Stephanie Miles, general manager, BridgePoint. "The key to enabling value through collaborative activity is not only providing a method of sharing information, but connecting that information to increase velocity of delivery activities."

About BridgePoint
BridgePoint, a division of CSX Corporation, is headquartered in the Research Triangle Community of North Carolina's Raleigh/Durham area. Their logistics networking solutions enable clients to reduce inventory and improve cycle times. The solution suite includes their proven logistics network with data integration and applications for product and order visibility, alerts and exception management, carrier contracting and others that offer immediate value measured in operational improvements and tangible financial results.

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