SAP Business Network for Logistics
(BN4L) also known as LBN (Logistics Business Network) is a cloud solution to
collaborate among business partners such as Shippers, Logistics service
providers (LSPs), and Carriers. It is also called a network of networks. SAP Business
Network for Logistics (BN4L) is built on SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform),
hence security, scalability & in-memory processing is also featured in it.
So, how can SAP Business
Network for Logistics (BN4L) assist you? It is now very easy to invite your
partners onto one platform with SAP Business Network for Logistics (BN4L). SAP
Business Network for Logistics (BN4L) provides different kinds of applications
for respective tenants, such as Shipper tenants & Carrier tenants. For
example, In Shipper tenant Dock Appointment scheduling App, Freight Request
for Quotation App, etc, & In Carrier tenant, Manage Invoices App, Self-book
dock appointment App.
SAP Business Network for Logistics (BN4L)
provides three options:
1. Freight Collaboration
In logistics, customers need to collaborate
with their partners on an end-to-end process, but most platforms are
corporate-centric, and all modes of transport are not supported and are
unavailable globally. The SAP Business Network for Logistics (BN4L) Freight
Collaboration option connects your business partners for an end-to-end
logistics execution by exchanging documents and sharing insights. The SAP BN4L
Freight Collaboration tool provides visibility between logistics personnel. As
both shippers and carriers are on the same platform, it’s easy to track
processes and exchange documents. By using SAP BN4L Freight Collaboration
option, you can broadcast your tender to multiple freight forwarders, which
opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
2. Global Track & Trace
As its name suggests, SAP Business Network
for Logistics (BN4L) Global Track and Trace option tracks business processes.
With SAP Business Network Global Track and Trace solution, businesses can
choose from predefined standard apps or customize them according to their
needs. SAP BN4L Global Track and Trace allows business users to gain real-time
transparency into processes. Users can query any tracked process and display
its retrieved data from end to end. BN4L Global Track and Trace offers a
feature called rule-based triggering for situations such as delays and
accidents. In addition to sending emails to the user, rules can also trigger
emails to the back-end system.
SAP BN4L Global Track and Trace includes
preconfigured scenarios based on ERP deliveries and shipments. The solution
provides an App for Business users that allows them to
· Display milestones with planned and actual dates/times
· Display details of processes
· Report planned and unplanned events
· Visualize related locations on a geographical map
3. Material Traceability
SAP Logistics Business Network Material
Traceability As a product brand owner, you may encounter the following
questions as part of your effort to ensure that the product is procured from
trusted sources.
1. How and where the product which is procured was produced?
2. From where are the ingredients coming from?
3. Which supported certifications do the ingredients have?
4. To whom is the product supplied?
5. How many supplied partners use this batch of the product?
For all of these questions, there is one
solution called “Material Traceability” provided by SAP BN4L (SAP Business Network
for Logistics). SAP Logistics Business Network Material Traceability enables
sharing of product batch attributes, product batch classification, outbound
delivery, purchase order, and so on across an entire supply chain network;
links sources captured from the network and uses that source for upstream and
downstream analysis by leveraging blockchain technology. Blockchain technology
provides a trusted environment so that business partners can safely share
product information.
SAP Business Network for Logistics (BN4L) Material
Traceability option is licensed within SAP Business Network for Logistics (BN4L)
separately & integrates with SAP & non-SAP systems through public APIs.
Looking for a reliable SAP BN4L (Business
Network for Logistics) implementation partner? Meet NAV IT Consulting. We are
already implementing the 3rd SAP BN4L implementation project. NAV IT experts
help company leaders, logistics managers, 3PLs, carriers, and shippers to
understand the shifting dynamics of global logistics networks in a continually
evolving supply chain ecosystem and support companies to evaluate if SAP
Logistics Business Network is a suitable collaboration platform for them.