APICS and JD.com setting up supply chain benchmarking system

APICS, the association for supply chain management, and the Chinese online retailer JD.com have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) to introduce an omnichannel benchmark system which they say will “advance best practices in the end-to-end supply chain performance of the e-commerce industry”. In a statement issued yesterday (16 August), the two parties said the benchmark system will leverage APICS’ Supply Chain Operations Reference model (SCOR) and JD’s technology platform to “provide major suppliers of JD with real-time comparisons to their competitors and their respective industries at both regional and global levels”.

APICS and JD said they will also establish a SCORmark Omnichannel Benchmarking special interest group to develop best practices from their cooperation for global e-commerce supply chains.

“Supply chain management has become increasingly complex as consumer demand has shaped omnichannel retail experience expectations,” said APICS CEO, Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CAE, CPA. “We have a unique opportunity to work with the largest retailer in China, JD.com, to set standards, identify best practices, elevate supplier performance and then share the resulting knowledge with supply chain organizations around the world.”

Yongli Yu, president of supply chain R&D for JD.com, added: “Smart supply chain is a strategic imperative for JD’s growth, and our work with APICS is an important step in that.

“We are focusing on opening our capabilities to suppliers and partners to further the development of AI-powered, technology-driven smart supply chains. This strategic partnership will provide insights derived from real-world surveys, allowing us to deliver a performance-driven measurement and improvement platform for real-world solutions.”