By: Maria Williams

The current supply chain management landscape is complicated. With all of the new technology available to companies for integration at various stages of completion, each company seems to be operating an entity unto itself. In the context of supply chain management, the individuality of each separate location is detrimental to the supply chain as a whole. With some stores devoted to upholding traditional standards and methods, while others are keen to embrace technological innovation in every way, getting everyone on the same page can be incredibly difficult. 

As always in business, communication is key, and no company is better suited to ensuring communication than Manhattan Associates. A team that understands the growing importance of cloud-based solutions in supply chain management, Manhattan Associates is the pre-eminent WMS software company in the world (according to Gartner Magic Quadrant) and is prepared to usher your company’s supply management chain into a new generation of innovation, cohesively.

The History of Manhattan Associates

Manhattan Associates’ roots go back over thirty years. In 1990, five technology experts were hired by clothing retailer Jockey as part of a larger project to install an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. While working together, these five associates couldn’t help but notice gaps in Jockey’s ability to ship its goods to larger retailers. Through this observation of Jockey’s failings, an innovative idea was formed.

The team decided to start their own company and designed a new packaged Warehouse Management System (WMS) that simultaneously assisted businesses in complying with the complex shipping and labeling requirements of large retailers and allowed for constant updates to the system. This meant that their WMS would never be outdated because, unlike traditional methods, it was a malleable and ever-evolving source of information.

Manhattan Associates’ Chain of Command

Today, Manhattan Associates’ solutions do much more than merely optimize a warehouse. In the three decades since that initial innovation, Manhattan Associates has continued to expand its capabilities and deliver cutting-edge methods that get unprecedented results. 

Through innovative and market-leading technology that manages transportation networks, order fulfillment, inventory optimization, and point of sale and store solutions, Manhattan Associates is changing the nature of supply chain management with their patented system. By optimizing facets of supply, such as supply chain commerce software, supply chain management software, warehouse management, transportation management system, labor management, carrier management, demand forecasting, customer engagement, and more, Manhattan Associates has proven able to cultivate a healthier and more fruitful business environment.

Manhattan Associates Embraces the Cloud

For over 30 years, Manhattan Associates’ solutions have changed with the needs of the supply chain world, and their ruthless commitment to supply chain innovation has always been and will always remain constant. In 2024, that means incorporating Cloud-native technology to help initiate a wave of better, safer, and more reliable data storage.

The use of the Cloud also encourages Manhattan Associates and the companies it teams with to foster an environment of constant evolution and improvement. The Manhattan Active cloud-native platform allows Manhattan’s systems to update faster than ever before, which serves as a catalyst, inspiring companies to feel free to update their methods at an even faster rate. It’s a symbiotic relationship in which both sides contribute forward momentum, in the name of achieving the best result possible.

Manhattan Associates’ Story of Saving Giant Eagle

One of the single largest food retailers and distributors in the United States, Giant Eagle, was facing trouble. With a fleet of over 340 drivers that cover a combined total of over 16 million miles per year to countless stores around the country, Giant Eagle was having difficulty keeping their supply chain management system neat and effectively consolidated, which was leading to business problems.

Transportation technologies that keep track of their supply chain management are split between three disconnected systems, leading to disarray in their transportation strategy. Varying delivery times for more than 460 stores resulted in decentralized routing, ongoing delivery pressures, inefficiency, and wasted miles.

Through enlisting Manhattan Associates, Giant Eagle was able to consolidate their technology platforms down to a single solution: Manhattan TMS. By optimizing inbound and outbound orders, Manhattan Associates’ system allowed Giant Eagle to maximize efficiency and spending, bringing food to stores and tables across America that much quicker.

The Manhattan TMS reduced Giant Eagle’s empty miles by 8% and total miles by 7.7% through optimized delivery schedules, improved cube by 7%, and filled available capacity with backhauls, which improved load utilization and lowered inbound costs.

Words of Praise for Manhattan Associates

Following this success, the Vice President of Giant Eagle, Ann-Marie Daugherty said, “Partnering with Manhattan gave us the capability to move to a much more efficient, sustainable, holistic transportation model, which allowed us to gain greater efficiencies across our entire supply chain.”

In response to these words of praise, leaders from Manhattan Associates said, “We want to help more companies fully unify their supply chain to have full visibility into their products, orders, and end-to-end. At Manhattan, we offer more than just supply chain solutions. Our team of experienced industry experts is dedicated to equipping our partners with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of supply chain commerce effectively. This journey is made possible through our advanced cloud-native technology and close collaboration with our partners.”

The Benefits of Manhattan Associates’ System

By maximizing warehouse efficiency, Manhattan Associates enables the companies it works with to provide essential products to those in need. Whether it is getting time-sensitive items to their locations faster, orchestrating orders in a more efficient delivery fashion, or unifying disparate systems into a single functioning experience, Manhattan Associates’ ambition is to take care of the technical logistics to free up their clients to do their very best work. By connecting and innovating every step of the supply chain, Manhattan Associates strives toward a central goal: to move life and commerce forward.

Leaders in Supply Chain Commerce

A publicly traded company that services over 1,200 customers globally, 4,500 associates worldwide, and over thirty-four years of experience in the business to their name, Manhattan Associates has remained debt-free since its founding in 1990. Pushing forward, Manhattan Associates continues to invest in leveraging the latest technologies in the interest of achieving the best possible results for their clients.

Published by: Holy Minoza