A major contract logistics specialist has joined forces with one of the nation's largest systems integrators in an effort to provide customers with an integrated supply chain management technology platform. FedEx Supply Chain Services, the third-party arm of FedEx Corp., and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young announced in September that they would offer a platform that provides connectivity to FedEx's fulfillment and transportation management offerings.

"This is about providing outsourced solutions—transportation management and fulfillment in the broadest sense," says Douglas Witt, CEO of FedEx Supply Chain Services. Bill Read, vice president and Americas distribution industry sector leader for CGE&Y, adds, "We're seeing so many clients that are demanding powerful supply chain solutions. They want answers rapidly with little disruption [to their businesses]."

Customers, Witt says, will benefit from ease of use and quick implementation without capital expenditures. Charges to customers are fee- and transaction- related, requiring minimal upfront investment, he explains.