The International CALS/APLS Congress meeting in Taipei this week has
focused on establishing standard e-business processes
with an eye on reducing costs.
CALS stands for “Computer Aided Logistics
Support” while APLS represents “Advanced Procurement and Logistics
Support.”
Congress chairman Howard Mason spoke of the importance of standardizing processes
and contracts, citing recent cooperation between the
United States’ “Big Three” auto makers to develop an
electronic procurement system.
Congress participants hope to set standards for
interactive technical manuals so that the manuals will be applicable
across international borders.
Also at the meeting, Hwang Jung-chou, who is in charge
of the Taiwan government’s efforts to get the island’s
small and medium-size enterprises online, presented a
report on the plan’s progress.
Hwang said that so far 29 major companies in Taiwan,
including Acer, Compaq and IBM, have set up electronic
supply chains.
The next stage of the program is to have the 3,000
largest enterprises on the island using the Net
to handle the vast majority of their purchasing needs.
By 2004, the government hopes to see some 50,000
companies online.
Hwang stressed that a company using e-commerce for
purchasing “can shorten time to market, reduce costs,
mistakes and inventory.”