Infor unveils NexTrace for EU supply chain compliance

Infor Nexus has unveiled NexTrace, a supply chain traceability solution designed to assist companies in meeting upcoming regulatory requirements related to the European Union's Digital Product Passport (DPP) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

NexTrace is engineered to offer end-to-end supply chain transparency by tracking materials from raw form through to finished products, incorporating supplier ESG data for a comprehensive view of sustainability and compliance. The system leverages artificial intelligence to collect data across multiple supplier tiers, facilitating the systematic association of transactions from one tier to the next.

Brian Carelli, Infor Vice President, Sustainability and Partnerships, remarked, "Last June, we launched Map and Trace, which empowers our customers to map their supply chains and collect documentation from multiple supplier tiers. Map and Trace provides evidence of chain of custody compliance with regulations such as the US UFLPA and the French AGEC law. With NexTrace, we're taking this to the next level by proactively gathering full-scale item-level traceability from each tier of the supply chain. This will help our customers to not only meet upcoming regulations like the EU Digital Product Passport but also gain a competitive edge by providing comprehensive data on their products' journey, composition, and sustainability."

Meeting both regulatory and consumer demands necessitates improved collaboration across supply chain tiers. Connecting to Infor Nexus allows companies to use an established ecosystem of over 94,000 brands, retailers, and suppliers, integrating traceability into existing supply chain processes. This consolidation onto a single platform aims to enhance efficiency while managing chain-of-custody data.

NexTrace is highlighted by its ability to trace lots and items seamlessly, utilizing AI for data collection efficiency and accuracy, and reducing manual input burdens through digitized systems. The solution also supports data uploading from existing reports and RFID scanning to maintain the continuity of information throughout the supply chain. It provides visibility into ESG data and certificates, thereby enhancing transparency across the supply chain lifecycle.

The system automatically updates the network graph, thus creating detailed links between products and materials—a process which enables higher fidelity mapping of the supply chain network. Furthermore, this digital platform allows for the sharing of product information with consumers directly, potentially increasing transparency and trust.

In view of the launch, Brian Carelli said, "Vendors will be eager to tout their Digital Product Passport solutions at NRF, but their focus is often on flashy features, rather than the minutiae of how to feed such data-hungry systems. At NRF, we look forward to demonstrating how trace data is built and how to scale a system of this magnitude."