as with CPFR, VMI is more than just a software application. VMI is again self-explanatory. simply put, customer, such as high street retailers, outsource their inventory management to their suppliers. in some case, although suppliers are accountable for the VMI system, they may elect to outsource it to a specialist 3PL. such collaborative arrangements are common in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. dedicated VMI software solutions are available to manage the intricacies of such systems.