Supplier Collaboration Portal
Last updated November 6, 2025
Flowlity’s vision extends to connecting all partners in the supply chain. The Supplier Collaboration (Network) module is designed as a portal that can be opened up to your suppliers (or even customers). The idea is to share information like forecasts and orders in real-time, improving communication and trust with your partners.
Here’s how the supplier collaboration works in practice for end-users:
- Sharing Forecasts: You can choose to share the demand forecast for certain products with specific suppliers. For example, a supplier who provides you a component can log into Flowlity’s portal and see the projected demand for that component for upcoming months. This transparency helps the supplier plan their production and inventory on their side, reducing the risk of surprises. It turns the relationship more into a partnership, where both you and the supplier are looking at the same expected demand.
- Sharing Order Plans: Suppliers can also be given visibility of your planned orders (purchase requisitions) in addition to confirmed orders. This means even before you officially place an order, the supplier sees an indication of what might be coming. For instance, if Flowlity recommends that you will likely need 1000 units next quarter (though you haven’t confirmed it yet), a supplier could see that as a forecasted order. When you do confirm and send an order, that moves to a firm commitment the supplier can act on.
- Collaborative Adjustments: Through the portal, suppliers might respond with constraints or confirmations. Flowlity can allow suppliers to input their available capacity or propose delivery dates. If a supplier sees your order and cannot meet the exact date or quantity, they could update the portal with a feasible promise (for example, “I can only deliver 800 units by that date, 200 a week later”). This information can feed back to your plan – possibly alerting you to capacity issues or prompting you to adjust your plan (maybe you’ll seek another supplier for the remaining 200 units, or adjust production schedules).
- Single Source of Truth: By using the Network module, you avoid scattered emails or spreadsheets. Both you (the planner) and your supplier are on the same platform. When you update a forecast or adjust an order, they see it immediately. When they accept an order or add a comment, you see it immediately. This reduces latency and miscommunication.
From an end-user perspective, using the supplier collaboration might involve inviting suppliers to the platform and granting them access to specific data (likely configured by product or by supplier). Flowlity ensures that a supplier only sees their relevant info (they won’t see other suppliers’ data or unrelated products).
Benefits: The main benefit is improved reliability. Suppliers with access to your forecasts can align their production and inventory, leading to fewer last-minute issues. It fosters a more proactive relationship – for example, if a big demand spike is forecasted 3 months out, the supplier can start securing raw materials now. It also builds trust: instead of bargaining or second-guessing, both sides operate with shared data.
Flowlity’s supplier portal essentially turns supply chain planning into a network exercise, not just an internal one. Over time, this can reduce lead times and buffer stocks because each party trusts that the other is working with up-to-date information.
(Note: As an end-user, you would likely coordinate with your Flowlity project manager to onboard suppliers to the portal. The interface for suppliers is simplified – they may see a dashboard of what you intend to buy, and they might acknowledge or adjust quantities/dates.)
In summary, the Supplier Collaboration module (sometimes referred to as the Network module) is about extending visibility. By empowering suppliers (and potentially customers, in a similar way) with real-time data, Flowlity helps to synchronize the entire supply chain network. This reduces the bullwhip effect and creates a more resilient supply chain where everyone can adjust to changes together.