What is Siemens Digital Logistics (SDL)?

Imagine you're organizing a big party and you need to make sure every detail is in the right place at the right time. Now scale that up to a global level, involving factories, warehouses, carriers and customers around the world. That's the challenge of modern supply chains. Siemens Digital Logistics (SDL) offers advanced solutions to simplify and optimize these logistics operations, helping companies digitalize their supply chains and stay ahead.

SDL was designed for any kind of industry, built in a modular and scalable way. That means you can start in steps and evolve as the process gains maturity. Let's explore each of its modules, functionalities and benefits here.

Starting with AX4

A logistics control tower that acts as a super organizer and plays the role not only of a TMS (Transportation Management System), but also of a Multi-enterprise Collaboration Network (MCN). (To understand more about logistics and its systems, click here). This solution connects all parties involved — suppliers, carriers, warehouses, customers — in a single platform accessible from anywhere, including via mobile app for carriers. That means everyone involved can see what's happening and what must be done. If something goes off the rails or needs adjustments, information is shared immediately, enabling fast corrective actions.

Who wouldn't want real-time visibility? With SDL, it's possible. Digitalize your supply chain to create end-to-end transparency, providing a solid foundation for decision making. Track every step — from materials shipped by suppliers to delivery to the end customer — helping to achieve operational excellence.

Furthermore, all that information can be integrated easily. AX4 integrates easily with existing systems such as ERPs, WMS, APS, carriers and other logistics management systems. It eases communication between companies and acts as a link between systems and supply chain participants. Reliably plan subsequent steps in the warehouse, in production, in manufacturing or at the customer site.

It would be ideal if carriers and suppliers updated dates and quantities to support crucial decisions, right? With AX4, all supply chain partners have access to the same information, easing communication and coordination. With over 500,000 users, the AX4 collaboration platform unites the virtual and physical worlds, improving cooperation between companies and increasing supply chain visibility.

It's worth noting AX4 has several native modules:

Purchase Order Management: Manage supply networks with suppliers and carriers, automating from release orders to pickup planning and invoice creation. Use centralized purchase order management for supplier order confirmation, adding shipping instructions, creating delivery notes and providing a transportation management platform for pickup orders.

Inbound Transportation Management: Ensure supply to your facilities with end-to-end visibility. Monitor and control multimodal transportation with milestone plans and real-time tracking information.

Outbound Transportation Management: Improve delivery reliability and customer satisfaction. Integrate data from all parties involved, automate recurring tasks and provide cross-status updates.

Scheduling and Dock Management: Reduce unnecessary waiting times when managing inbound and outbound vehicles. Efficiently book and release slots, controlling traffic flows.

Freight Cost Settlement: Create transparency in freight costs with personalized and automatic calculations, generating invoices and credits based on accurate data.

XCargo

Beyond these, if your company needs to perform several analyses for decision making and evaluate different scenarios — particularly involving routes and costs — there's also the XCargo module, which supports these processes and works integrated with AX4.

It offers advanced features for logistics analysis, allowing fast and efficient calculation of transportation costs, route planning and warehouse location optimization. With map visualization you can identify where customers and suppliers are, making logistics planning easier. We know freight tables and cost calculations can be complex, but XCargo enables building rate comparison scenarios, budget planning and route optimization, whether pickup or delivery.

Supply Chain Suite (SCS)

SDL is designed to view logistics end-to-end — including long-term — with planning and optimization. In this case, we have the Supply Chain Suite (SCS) portfolio.

Once a solid base of data and history is established, the journey can continue with SCS, an advanced set of tools to plan and optimize every aspect of your supply chain. Here we can build a “digital twin” of the logistics operation, enabling simulation of different scenarios, anticipating problems and finding the best solutions to increase efficiency and sustainability.  

It's not easy to know where to position your suppliers, warehouses or define your logistics network for the best service. With features for tracking all inbound and outbound movements, we use that information to develop more efficient routes and transportation plans, optimizing the costs associated with transportation regardless of the modal used. We also highlight the environmental-impact assessment feature, helping find ways to reduce carbon footprint.

Where to start?

Now that we know SDL a bit better, the question arises: where to start? If you're seeking digitalization, better data reliability and centralized information, AX4 is the perfect starting point. This solution offers real-time visibility and collaboration, integrating easily with existing systems. As your operation grows and becomes more complex, XCargo and Supply Chain Suite (SCS) can be added to plan, optimize and manage every aspect of the supply chain, ensuring efficient, sustainable and economical operations. SDL is modular and adapts perfectly as your industry grows.

NEO has a team of specialists ready to transform your logistics management and take your company to another level with the most modern offerings on the market. Don't waste time and talk to our team to find out how we can help.