A persistent question encountered by customers in presales, solution servicing, and during the build phase of an SAP Transportation Management project is related to Track and Trace. "What is the exact difference between SAP BNL Freight Collaboration Order Tracking and SAP BNL Global Track and Trace-based tracking? Which one should we use?
In this blog, we've tried to precisely answer the above question through an experience-based point of view on BNL-related track and trace options. But before we delve into the topic, let's understand what SAP Business Network for Logistics is and how it aids businesses.
SAP BNL is an open, secure multi-capability, and multi-modal network connecting business partners for inter-company logistics collaboration. It allows companies to jointly manage logistics transactions and gain insights across the supply chain.
As supply chains deal with disruptions, only robust logistics networks can help businesses mitigate risks and prepare for unprecedented challenges. The current supply chain challenges need relevant strategies that ensure supply chain visibility, agility, risk mitigation & management, and supply chain resilience. Businesses must shift from a company-centric to a network-centric approach to gain a competitive edge in the industry. 'McKinsey Digital: How do companies create value from digital ecosystems? ' states that by 2025 the integrated network economy could represent $60 Trillion in Global Revenue.
Therefore, SAP BNL is the cloud solution your business needs to manage current logistics challenges & future-proof operations. SAP BNL helps connect instantly with business partners across the supply chain and aids informed & swift decision-making, achieves high supply chain visibility, and minimizes integration costs through seamless collaboration.
SAP BNL has four core capabilities. Each capability is sold and licensed separately.
We will not discuss 3. Material Traceability and 4. Intelligent Insights capabilities in this blog as our primary focus will be understanding SAP BNL FC and SAP BNL GTT functionalities.
1. Freight Collaboration (FC) has further functionalities that include:
- Freight Collaboration: Tendering, Confirmation, Settlement etc.
- Dock Appointment Scheduling
- Freight Order Tracking
Learn more about SAP BNL Freight Collaboration in our detailed Buyer’s Guide. Download now!
2. As the name suggests, Global Track and Trace (GTT) provides tracking functionalities. Now, we address the question: 'Is this tracking different from the one provided under FC-Freight Order Tracking?' Do these different BNL capabilities have overlapping functionalities? Should we select FC-based tracking or GTT-based tracking?
The selection of an appropriate solution depends on multiple factors
We’ve written an extensive Buyer’s Guide on SAP BNL Global Track and Trace. To learn more, download a complimentary copy now!
Now addressing the question of the main differences between SAP BNL Freight Collaboration Order Tracking and Global Track and Trace-based tracking, here’s a comparison of both: Download the differences between SAP BNL Freight Collaboration Order Tracking & GTT-based tracking here.
BNL-FC: Order Tracking |
BNL-Global Track & Trace |
SAP TM Freight Orders (also Bookings from Q1 2022) are tracked based on a fixed set of standard milestones, e.g., Departure and arrival, along with current geolocation and ETA information. Milestones are reported:
Milestone tracking only for SAP TM execution documents. Adding project-specific milestones is on the SAP BNL FC roadmap. |
Generic tool available for SAP TM Freight Order/Booking or Freight unit-level tracking. Standard and template apps are provided with a pre-configured, extensible set of milestones. Pre-configured App Name: Track Shipments Apart from SAP TM, GTT also supports other SAP/non-SAP application systems, e.g., SAP ECC, S/4HANA, LE-TRA, and EWM. This means that GTT is a generic Track and Trace tool that can be used for transportation milestone tracking as well as process tracking. (Similar capability as SAP Event Management) e.g., for Purchase Order tracking, SAP provides a preconfigured model/app that can track the entire procurement process starting from PO creation to payment along with inbound transportation tracking. SAP GTT-provided apps/templates include:
These templates can be further enhanced to add custom process and transportation milestones, making GTT a more generic and comprehensive track and trace tool. |
Supports only basic and advanced SAP TM (FO and FB) |
Generic Track & Trace Solution Supports
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Public Cloud Service
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Owner Managed space in Cloud
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Multimodal with standard transportation milestones |
Multimodal with extensive and extendable internal and external milestones Note for external: Visibility provider milestones may differ from provider to provider. Refer buyer's guide to know more about which typical milestones are supported from visibility provider to GTT. Eg. project44 to GTT Ocean Freight Updates with a set frequency. |
Milestone Reporting
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Milestone Reporting
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Stakeholder notification set up with a configuration |
Stakeholder notification set up with a configuration |
Process Automation & Workflow
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Process Automation & Workflow
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Set-up Complexity – Simple |
Set-up Complexity – Medium |
Carrier Coverage & Onboarding on Network Administered by SAP |
Carrier Coverage & Onboarding on Network Administered by SAP |
Statuses & Map View with Current Location
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Statuses & Map View with Current Location
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Status Updates in Source System
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Status Updates in Source System
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Intelligent Insights App
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Intelligent Insights App
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Other Non-Tracking Functionalities
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Other Non-Tracking Functionalities
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e.g., GTT Sales Order Fulfilment
Note: Shipment can be SAP TM FO/FB or LE-TRA Shipment
Refer to Buyer’s Guide on SAP BNL Global Track and Trace for more details.
As seen from the above-detailed comparison, both SAP BNL Freight Collaboration Order Tracking and SAP BNL GTT have their uses and significance depending on different scenarios and business needs. To understand what suits you best here’s our conclusive understanding of both.
SAP BNL FC-based tracking is best suited:
SAP BNL Global Track and Trace-based tracking are best suited:
It is also a valid business case to use both capabilities
ArchLynk (formerly Novigo ) has worked closely with SAP to empower some of the world’s leading enterprises in their digital transformation journey. We are the first SAP partner to implement SAP Global Track and Trace and complete an industry-leading number of SAP Supply Chain Execution/TM Implementation Projects. We leverage best practices and our comprehensive domain expertise to identify opportunities that give a digital facelift to your business, backing your strategy for an intelligent, sustainable, and resilient supply chain. With our systematic approach of conducting discovery workshops, we help you build a business case, and provide an in-depth ROI analysis and solution demo. Furthermore, our demo system landscapes allow you to visualize basic and advanced scenarios to make an informed decision. Please feel free to speak to us and explore further if SAP Business Network for Logistics Freight Collaboration or Global Track & Trace would fit your business needs.
