In our "now" economy, consumers demand real-time visibility, along with the near-immediate delivery of goods. This has created a great deal of supply chain disruption, causing businesses to reevaluate the way they operate. Gary Allen, vice president of supply chain excellence at Ryder, provides tips on how to achieve end-to-end visibility, and ultimately ensure a more efficient supply chain.
1. Start with the experience. Begin by defining what visibility means to your end users/customers, what kind of experience you want them to have, and what you want to gain from increased visibility.
2. Select a platform for connectivity. Your digital platform should connect key players. This means ensuring the platform is technologically agnostic and all intended parties can easily access it.
3. Attract the right talent. New technology enables both new processes and new talent. Recruit people who are analytically inclined and highly skilled at interpreting data.
4. Manage and standardize data. Having a clear data strategy is imperative. Cleansing and defining consistent data models allows you to consistently utilize and translate the data into meaningful information.
5. Trust the information. It’s critical to believe the data. You must trust the information, its security, and the entities you exchange information with. Find ways to confirm confidentiality and ensure security around the financial exchange of information.
6. Interpret and leverage figures. You can’t find ways to improve until you know what problems to solve. Data allows you to proactively manage exceptions before they occur, saving your business time and money while keeping customers happy.
7. Drive efficient decision-making. Once you discover opportunities for improvement, you have to respond to those needs. Now that you know where everything is across your supply chain, you can execute solutions.
8. Focus on real-time transparency. The frequency and size of data exchange is dramatically increasing at an accelerated rate. Being able to leverage this data in real time is imperative. The key enablers consist of understanding what data is most critical to solving key business problems, what it means, and what to do when exceptions occur.
9. Opt for a neutral integration platform. The ability to flex up or down, quickly adjust, and accelerate the development of new capabilities requires an Enterprise Integration Platform. This allows companies to easily integrate, regardless of the execution systems in play.
10. Develop an extended ecosystem. Assuming you can develop and own all these capabilities offers a false sense of security. Today’s new digital environment requires a collaborative approach to managing your supply chain. Developing an extended ecosystem that brings the best of all your partners’ capabilities into a single environment is vital.
Leave a Reply
FAQs
How can inbound logistics be improved? ›
- Understand non-controlled costs. ...
- Analyze inbound freight costs. ...
- Negotiate with suppliers. ...
- Implement processes and technology to track performance. ...
- Prioritize supplier relationships. ...
- Invest in the right talent. ...
- Outsource when it makes sense.
Inbound visibility provides shippers with an increased ability to plan ahead, reducing the risk of product shortages and stock outs. The data provided by inbound visibility allows for better decision making. The result is a better customer experience because products are in stock when they're needed.
How do I increase my shipment visibility? ›- Centralize your logistics data. Aggregated data from fleets or external carriers are hard to track, and having data spread among multiple silos makes it less valuable. ...
- Incorporate proof of delivery. ...
- Monitor driver performance. ...
- Provide automated notifications. ...
- Use the right dashboard.
Supply chain visibility is the ability to track different goods and/or products in transit, giving a clear view of the inventory and activity. It enables shippers to improve customer service and cost controls through management of inventory in motion, proactive status updates, limiting disruptions and risk mitigation.
What is logistics visibility? ›What does Visibility mean in logistics? Visibility is a term used in supply chain management. In this case, visibility refers to the act of being able to see detailed information on different processes within a supply chain. Visibility occurs in real time.
How do you add value to Inbound Logistics? ›- Expand product offerings. ...
- Get products shelf ready. ...
- Enhance customization capabilities. ...
- Manage inventory more efficiently. ...
- Reduce the number of suppliers. ...
- React faster to changing business needs. ...
- Manage transportation costs. ...
- Control labor costs.
Typically, inbound marketing strategies are more cost effective and will generate a higher rate of return in the long term. These strategies include attracting qualified prospects, offering a more targeted approach and using helpful, relevant interactions and content to generate leads.
What are the key components in inbound logistics? ›- Sourcing materials. ...
- Purchasing materials. ...
- Transport to distribution channels. ...
- Receiving. ...
- Storage. ...
- Reverse logistics.
Supply chain visibility tracks a product from its raw materials, to manufacturing, and then up to its customers. This visibility lets organizations keep track of their product through all steps in the supply and distribution chain, reducing errors and improving customer satisfaction.
Why visibility is important in the SCM? ›Having insights into the location and status of raw materials, finished products, delivered orders and returned items is crucial for the efficiency and lasting financial success of a business.
What is the most visible element of logistics? ›
Transportation is the most visible element of logistics operation.
How can shipper maintain high levels of visibility and transparency? ›You need to provide live updates on shipment progress, live tracking, online chats, timely push notifications, delays, or returns and keep them 'in the loop' at all times.
What is lack of supply chain visibility? ›Interruptions: Lack of visibility into your supply chain can cause companies to lose track of their supply network. If you don't have the technology that permits you to forecast demand, you could be left with not enough or too much inventory at different points in your supply chain.
What are the three major benefits of inventory visibility? ›Inventory visibility along the supply chain provides numerous benefits: More accurate forecasting. Smarter resource allocation. Increased efficiency.
What increases visibility? ›Demonstrate Your Expertise
When you're seen as an expert in your organization, you'll develop a reputation as someone who others can come to for help. This type of expert power can lead to interesting work projects and opportunities coming your way, which can increase your visibility.
This means using multiple methods to reach your customers, rather than just one or two – including both online and offline communications. This gives you the maximum number of opportunities to connect with potential customers.
How do you measure supply chain visibility? ›Supply chain visibility will be measured in terms of both the quantity and the quality (e.g. accuracy and speed) of the information flowing between the supply chain leader and the suppliers at different tiers. Different types of information flows will be considered.
What is visibility and why it is important? ›Having visibility is one indicator that the processes put into place by the management team are followed by the rest of the team. Companies are optimized for better performance if management has high and full visibility in the organization. High visibility generally means they are confident in their projections.
Why is visibility important in warehousing? ›Increased visibility helps operators manage the workforce within the warehouse. At times, the workforce can increase by up to 30 percent based on picking needs.
How do you increase inbound leads? ›- Website Design and Layout. ...
- Content is king. ...
- Solving problems and sharing ideas over blogs. ...
- Search engine optimization (SEO) ...
- Organizing Webinars. ...
- Marketing through social media. ...
- Monitoring media activities. ...
- Creating a product video.
What are inbound logistics in a value chain? ›
Inbound Logistics - involve relationships with suppliers and include all the activities required to receive, store, and disseminate inputs. Operations - are all the activities required to transform inputs into outputs (products and services).
What are the three steps of inbound strategy? ›The new stages have been divided into three key phases: attract (strangers), engage (prospects), and delight (customers). The flywheel will help you find the right people, effectively address their pain points, and provide them with the support they need to succeed once they have made a purchase from your company.
What is the most important aspect of an inbound lead? ›Two of the most powerful aspects of inbound marketing are content and context. Using lead nurturing, you can offer your prospects the right content at the right time to help guide them through their purchase.
What are the 3 C's of logistics? ›We call them the 3 C's: Coaching, Compensation and Culture. Training in the logistics industry is very important.
What are the 3 P's of logistics? ›Supply Chain and Risk Management: “3Ps” – Predictive, Proactive, Prescriptive.
How do you achieve end to end supply chain visibility? ›Key Takeaways:
Modern supply chains need modern technology — you can't get visibility with emails, phone calls, and spreadsheets. A digital supply chain management platform gives you the data you need along with the analysis required for informed decision-making and complete visibility.
- Identifying and prioritizing risks.
- Visualizing risks.
- Using transparency levers to close information gaps.
- Managing and monitoring.
Logistics are a critical piece of supply chains because it manages and tracks the people and resources needed to store and transfer goods and services. Logistics ensure that materials and products reliably move at the right time and on budget.
How does logistics add value to the supply chain? ›Logistics adds value by taking better advantage of various locations, implying access to expanded markets (more customers), and lower distribution costs.
What is supply chain transparency or visibility and how can it help with logistics decisions? ›Supply chain transparency, in essence, means that a business knows exactly what is happening at every stage of its supply chain, and communicates clearly stated, factually backed information about its supply chain operations internally and externally.
How can logistics improve cold chains? ›
- Know your requirements. ...
- Understand exactly what you're shipping. ...
- Clearly define your goals. ...
- Identify your pain points. ...
- Select the right cooling systems. ...
- Consider the total cost of ownership. ...
- Pick easy-to-use monitoring solutions. ...
- Play by the rules.