Eleven handoffs. One identity.
The brand goes blind when the purchase order leaves the ERP. From that moment the item is real, it is moving, and it is being recorded by systems that do not know the others exist. Each one records its own step, and none of them holds the whole picture.
The breaks in the thread.
Eleven handoffs sit between the purchase order and the front door, and each one writes to a different system.
| Handoff | Who writes the record | The brand's view today |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order raised | Your ERP | Everything |
| Production booked | Supplier system | An email, usually |
| Goods ready at the factory | Supplier system | A date that moves |
| Freight booked | Forwarder | A booking reference |
| Consolidation | Forwarder | Nothing |
| Port or airport, customs | Broker | A status, if you ask |
| Warehouse arrival | WMS | A receipt, after the fact |
| Putaway and stock | WMS | A quantity, not an item |
| Order allocated | OMS | Everything again |
| Last mile | Carrier | A tracking number |
| Front door, or a return | Carrier | Delivered, or not |
Between the factory and the warehouse, the brand's own visibility is an email and a booking reference.
Everyone owns a tile. We assemble the picture.
Your supplier will not adopt your ERP, and your forwarder will not adopt your WMS. We do not ask them to. We mint one identity per item at the earliest point we can reach, then read every system through that identity instead of trying to merge them.
Changes for the team.
The work your team stops doing by hand.
The warehouse knows a week ahead
Inbound is announced item by item, so space and people are planned before the goods reach the dock.
An item, not a quantity
Stock systems count units. They do not identify them. When one specific unit has to be traced, recalled or proven, item-level identity answers the question, and it is there from the start rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Exceptions find you
Delays, customs holds and carrier exceptions surface as they happen rather than when a customer asks. Each alert names the item and the order it belongs to.
Invoices get checked
Every carrier invoice line is read against the shipment it bills, with surcharges flagged and claims prepared.
Compliance as a by-product.
Because the identity exists from the earliest point in the chain, the Digital Product Passport is not a second project. Each logistics event appends to the passport the item already has. When ESPR reaches your category, the passport is already in place.
Questions we get asked.
What does end to end mean here?
From the purchase order raised in your ERP to the front door, and back again if the item is returned. It includes the stretch between the factory and your warehouse.
Do my suppliers and forwarders have to adopt your software?
No. They keep their own systems. Next Horizon mints one identity per item at the earliest point it can reach and reads each partner's system through that identity, rather than asking eleven parties to converge on one tool.
How is this different from a track and trace tool?
Track and trace follows a parcel, which begins at the label and ends at delivery. This follows an item, which begins at the purchase order and survives consolidation, receipt, putaway, re-picking and return.
Which parts of my stack do you need to start?
A connection to whatever holds the orders, and a connection to whatever holds the stock. For most brands that is the store and the WMS. ERP, EDI and data-warehouse export are part of the Enterprise offer.
Does this replace my ERP, WMS or OMS?
No. Next Horizon reads and synchronises with them.