OneRail’s integration with IBM’s Sterling Order and Fulfillment Suite, featuring its OmniPoint® platform, marks a significant evolution in supply chain management by leveraging AI and real-time data to optimise inventory visibility and delivery efficiency, promising faster, more reliable last-mile solutions.
OneRail has taken a significant step forward in transforming supply chain and last-mile delivery management through its integration with IBM’s Sterling Order and Fulfillment Suite. This strategic partnership, announced recently, seeks to elevate inventory management and reduce shipping costs for retailers and wholesalers by leveraging sophisticated AI and machine learning technologies.
Central to this collaboration is OneRail’s OmniPoint® platform, which applies real-time data analytics to dynamically assess inventory availability, carrier options, and shipping methods. By embedding these capabilities earlier in the order management workflow, businesses can make informed sourcing and delivery decisions sooner, reducing the risk of split shipments, stock shortages, and order cancellations. This more proactive approach aims to smooth the flow of goods from warehouse shelves to customers’ doorsteps, a persistent challenge in today’s complex omnichannel retail environment.
According to official statements from both companies, the integration empowers users to tap into inventory across an entire distribution network, including store locations, aligning closely with the increasing retailer demand for unified commerce solutions. IBM Sterling Intelligent Promising, enhanced by OneRail’s orchestrated delivery solutions, enables highly accurate order commitments which, in turn, can lower fulfilment costs and improve customer satisfaction.
Speaking about the impact, Kambiz Pakzad, who leads IBM’s global supply chain initiatives, highlighted that retailers are keen to harness comprehensive inventory visibility to optimise fulfilment. The joint solution supports same-day delivery with an impressive 98% on-time performance rate and provides access to a vast network of over 12 million drivers. Additionally, the integration includes 24/7 support through OneRail’s Exceptions Assist™ team, which handles delivery exceptions and helps avoid disruptions that could affect the customer experience.
OneRail’s platform is designed to complement rather than replace existing IBM workflows, offering modular integration that enables scalability and flexibility. Key features include AI-powered routing optimisation tailored to product types and destination considerations, real-time fleet asset management, and automated adherence to service level agreements (SLAs). These capabilities not only streamline last-mile delivery operations but also enhance full supply chain visibility and control.
In a related development, OneRail recently acquired Orderbot, an enterprise inventory and distributed order management solution. This acquisition aims to deepen OneRail’s offerings, further integrating inventory and order management with last-mile delivery orchestration. The unified technology will provide businesses with more comprehensive tools to handle ecommerce shipments and local store or warehouse deliveries, addressing common inefficiencies such as out-of-stocks and late deliveries, which are critical pain points in fulfilling omnichannel orders.
IBM Sterling Intelligent Promising itself is a robust order management system that uses generative AI and machine learning to ensure delivery promise accuracy and profitability across both B2B and B2C fulfilment models. Its integration with OneRail amplifies these capabilities by adding real-time optimisation of carriers and delivery routes, making the entire end-to-end fulfilment journey more efficient.
This partnership reflects broader industry trends where retailers and wholesalers increasingly demand unified, data-driven supply chain solutions that boost operational agility and improve the customer experience in a competitive market. By combining OneRail’s delivery orchestration and last-mile innovation with IBM’s powerful order management ecosystem, this integration offers a compelling blueprint for businesses seeking to enhance supply chain control and deliver on customer expectations with speed and reliability.
Source: Noah Wire Services
