Al Futtaim Logistics: New website is strategy for the 21st century
Al Futtaim Logistics has launched a website it says brings to customers "cutting-edge IT solutions designed to enhance and complement business processes". The company, a member of the Al Futtaim Group of Companies, launched its new interactive website www.logisticsuae.com as part of what it said was a new integrated marketing communications and operational strategy.
"This new strategy is set to take the logistics business into the 21st century, with high-tech and innovative logistics solutions aimed at being of ultimate assistance to businesses across the UAE," said a company spokesman.
"Powered by Al Futtaim's own inhouse-built Enterprise Internet Application Framework (EIAF) and tightly integrated to one of the most sophisticated IT solutions worldwide, the SAP R/3 ERP system, Al Futtaim Logistics has an IT platform to manage supply chains more effectively by seamlessly integrating various business processes," he said. "The web-site now offers this capability to customers." The site consists of a generic section, accessible to all visitors, and a members area, which is restricted to authorised users namely customers and employees of Al Futtaim Logistics. The generic section provides information about the company and its services. This section includes a detailed description of each of the services on offer, the organisational structure and the customer service processes, employment opportunities, staff news, contact details, press releases and general information.
The members' area, on the other hand, has been developed with the objective of providing customers with full visibility of the supply-chain, whilst also giving them the opportunity to conduct online:
Subsequent rollouts in the pipeline will offer more web-based value addition to Al Futtaim Logistics' services, the spokesman indicated.
Commercial manager Peter Roest commented: "Our web-site is just the first step in Al Futtaim Logistics' integrated marketing communications and operational plan. We realised that our existing customers needed complete accessibility to their stock and full visibility of movement of that stock, so we have planned and implemented a system that achieves this."
Continuous development and improvising of systems and delivery of service has seen Al Futtaim Logistics grow from an in-house logistics service provider for the Al Futtaim Group, to one of the largest logistics service providers in the region.
A large and growing proportion of the company's sales volumes are generated through non-Al Futtaim Group customers. "The development of the website, which provides for a full comprehensive overview of the company, it's services and its capabilities is targeted to the market at large, and already we are seeing results in terms of enquiries and feedback," said Roest.
The company said the website was unique in its integration with SAP R/3. "SAP R/3 ERP system is one of the most sophisticated IT solutions available worldwide, and it provides customers with an integrated IT platform that effectively manages supply chains with seamless integration of otherwise separate logistics processes," said Roest. "This integration ensures that the supply chain is managed based on availability of up-to-date factual information and transparency ensuring full visibility of a customer's inventory and stocks in-transit."
Added Roest: "We are not merely looking at increased sales over the Internet, we want to use its facilitative nature to make our business more competitive. It is this service offering that enables customers to worry less about their inventory, freeing them to concentrate their efforts towards servicing their own clients.
"This offers comfort to customers in knowing that the information is there, when needed."
