Digital age
/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ • • / 0 Comments

Supply Chains In The Digital Age: A Competitive Perspective

A dynamic and fiercely competitive market, along with a not easily tied down and demanding customer, are posing challenges to businesses, including to supply chain vendors and Third Party Logistics Providers (3PLs). A proliferation of channels and customer touch points is another challenge. Many retailers are opting for omni-channel approach.

From their point of view, the customer has become center of all transactions and conversations. Customers are asking for a single view across different channels and touch points, as well a unified and cohesive customer and brand experience. They are asking for single-day delivery, green supply chains, and integrated supply chains.

There are opportunities, created by advancement in information technology in the area of Internet of Things IOT and the amount of data and intelligence that can be are available from information systems, for optimization, better decision making and increased returns and better profitability.

It’s not as if supply chain companies have been slow to join the digital movement. Some have automated certain sections of the supply chain. Robots have begun to be used to perform labor intensive and routine tasks. While this has mostly happened to warehouse and distribution tasks, like order picking and selecting, it has also happened in customer facing tasks such as purchasing, invoicing, accounts payable, and customer service.

Digita Age

So, what exactly does the new digital wave hold out to supply chains as advantages or benefits?

Firstly, digital places certain constraints before it offers benefits. The operations of the entire business, including the supply chain, needs to be connected and integrated.  Next, all the processes or work flows need to be optimized for the supply chain to leverage the advantage of digital, through speed of execution and responsiveness to customer requirements.

Supply chains have traditionally relied on information to be efficient as well as for customer satisfaction – information about expected delivery, information about status, etc. Most of this information traditionally was related to order execution and customer service. However, digital allows supply chains the unprecedented information that helps them to anticipate orders and demands, to purchase and inventorize based on these predicted and anticipated demands. Artificial intelligence allows supply chains to model the order cycles, frequencies of cycles, fulfilment of cycles, seasonal factors, and so on, and to predict and to anticipate emerging demand. This helps them plan, schedule, purchase, store better and thus provide better customer satisfaction. Digital enables supply chains to become proactive and more engaging with customer, rather than the traditional reactive mode of operation.

With the rise of omni-channels, companies usually handle many channel providers. The result is that the supply chain operational space for the company has become fragmented and very unwieldy to manage. Digital offers remarkable capability here, by integrating all the channels and providing the customer and the client with one single view of the supply chain, across channels and touch points. For a supply chain provider, offering this could mean significant competitive advantage over other players, who are still in the traditional mode.

Also, even though retailers have opted for omni-channel retail experience for their customers, the experience for the customer is not a unified one.

Digital offers a truly unified experience that includes:

•      Automation and integration of sales, marketing, business operations and the different locations and people
•      Personalized customer service
•      Real time customer analytics and metrics for decision making
•      Mobile integration
•      Easy intuitive interfaces across web and mobile devices
•      Simplified checkout process and payment

Finally, digital makes the customer truly the center of all operations and decisions.  It could well be the strategic differentiator and competitive advantage that supply chain companies are looking for.

Business of 3pl
/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ • • • • / 0 Comments

Aligning your Business with 3PL

In today’s competitive, tight, and cut-throat business environment, many companies depend on third party logistics (3PL) for their supply chain management in order to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and ensure smooth operations of their distribution and fulfilment service requirements.

To deliver value and thrive within a difficult market, 3PL providers need to align closely with their parent businesses in terms of mission, vision, and goals.  As the relationship is so significant, most big businesses have well-defined 3PL processes, systems, quality standards, performance, criteria, and best practices already in place and regularly keep a close eye on operations.

In fact, most business are keen to look to partner with vendors who will align and integrate with their own processes and practices. Thus, in a totally aligned relationship, the supply chain “shadows” the processes of the parent company and replicates the parent company’s processes, adheres to their standards, mimics their operating models and becomes an “extension” of the parent company. It is even true to say that they may become fully embedded into the parent company and a “well-coordinated arm” of the parent company.

As this relationship requires careful selection many parent companies have strict and stringent supply chain selection criteria, which they use to screen their supply chain partners. In some cases companies may also train supply chain providers in their best practices and operating procedures to ensure that the vendors understand their business priorities and their own way of operating.

Some companies also craft a strategic plan for the alignment and for the relationship, describing the capabilities that they wish their partner supply chain to develop at different stages of the relationship. These capabilities could be operational, technological, or behavioural.

In order to maintain a sound relationship it can help to carefully define the work flows at the parent-supply chain interface as well as specific goals, outcomes, and expectations. It may also be beneficial to define the responsibilities of the parent company and that of the vendor that may include responsibilities for effort, for job, for the entire system, and for business outcomes.

Wroking in business of 3pl

Sharing performance benchmarks and baselines with the supply chain vendor and of clear unambiguous expectations can also help both parties understand what is expected in terms of performance.

Aligning may also entail integration with a company’s web servers, applications and electronic data interchange standards. This allows for seamless information flow and exchange and utilisation of information between the parent’s business and the supply chain.

Such an integration would allow a 3PL partner to use this information to track and trace shipments and direct this information to the parent company’s website; thus, providing customers with the vital information they need as well as helping to improve customer satisfaction.

Of course, there is the obvious check on physical integration, which ensures that the 3PL has the capabilities to manage the business in questions. Here, some internal questions to be answered could include: “What modes of transportation and what services will you [the business or parent company] need?” “What volumes do you plan to ship and where?” “Do you have specific security or visibility requirements?” and “Are your shipments time-sensitive?” Though these are basic questions given the nature of the business they will be able to filter many potential 3PL providers, which may not be suitable.

Also, the 3PL should be capable of matching the specific needs of the business. Many providers have a variety of strengths and weakness and it is imperative that those most closely aligned to the business’s requirements are at the forefront of its strengths. If the business relies on door-to-door deliveries, intra-warehouse, or last-mile, it is important to understand that the 3PL is on par with this and its strength lie in a particular area.

Additionally, it may be necessary to check on the number of modes the 3PL provider actually has and utilises. The four common modes – rail, road, sea, and air – may be a given on paper by a 3PL but it is wise to ensure that the inter modal services being offered have the right size or fleet as well as hands-on experience to be properly handled.

Further, businesses must undertake thorough research about possible 3PLs prior to confirmation. Reputation, reliability, and responsiveness are key, especially in the logistics and supply chain arena. Also, businesses may opt to review use cases or examples within various scenarios to confirm the handling of specific situations by 3PLs. There must also be a cultural fit and the agreed recognition and understanding of the appropriate protocol, procedures, and hierarchy cannot be understated.

Finally, though clearly a given many businesses fail to check a 3PL’s customer service record. Given the scope for disruptions across the supply chain, the crisis management capabilities or the reputation of the company needs to be maintained and carefully managed. To this end it is paramount that the 3PL knows the plan of action, can ensure regular flow of goods or services, and does not lose control during a crisis.

As businesses rely more heavily on 3PLs getting the right fit to align with both business needs and present-day demands is not an easy feat. Many partnerships have failed, especially when a business has recently moved from one party to another. In this regard and given the high demands on the relationship, both parties need to be on the “same page” prior to any business commitments.

With reduced costs and improved customer service being key in the high-contested logistics marketplace, both businesses and 3PLs require a synergy that can be secure, reliable, and potentially long term. There must be clear and concise dialogue prior to and during all negotiations in order to determine the most apt working relationship once a final agreement has been determined as any hurdles or obstacles cannot be easily overcome “on the field”.

It is evident that today’s customers are fickle, brand agnostic, and ruthless, especially with a mobile in hand and social media apps awaiting comments, tweets or posts. Businesses and 3PLs must work together to create a harmonious working environment for each other as well as for their collective customers.

/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ • • • • • / 1 Comment

Why should you use a Freight Forwarder?

Most business today have customers spread across vast geographical area even within the country, if not internationally. Hence for success of any business, it is important that the product reaches its customers unharmed, in timely manner and at a reasonable cost. If this does not happen, the business will fail, even if it has a great product.

Now imagine that a company has to ship a large package across the Atlantic Ocean (Say from the USA to some land lock country in Europe). For it, the business has to first send it to the port via truck then choose between air or sea route to cross the Atlantic. Further, it must get the product onto the ship or aircraft, (after clearing all the customs and regulatory requirements), get the delivery at the landing port across the Atlantic, clear the customs of the landing country and then again move the package by road (or another means) to the customer. For a small business, this is very daunting. This is where freight forwarders come in.

 

What is a freight forwarding business.

 

A freight forwarder is simply a business that arranges the movement of the goods for a customer from the manufacturer to the end distribution point, or to the end customer. They are the intermediary between the business and the point of delivery (end customer or distribution point). They do not move the cargo themselves; they arrange for the shipment to be picked up, transported through various modes and by different transportation providers, customs and clearing houses till it reaches the endpoint. They specialize in coordinating between various such agencies for minimum cost and speediest movement of cargo. In a way, they orchestrate between multiple service providers. They have established relationships with transporters, ocean liners and the likes, which they use to negotiate the best possible price for their clients. They use their relationship network to identify the shipping options, find the standard shipping routes and cost associated with each and select the best possible combination of available options for the shipment. All these tasks may look as formidable or complex for a simple business who just wants to get his product across, to the customer.

 

 

Services Offered by freight Forwarders

The freight forwarders generally offer a few more associated services required for the freight, which require specialized skill which may not be available with the business.

Packaging. If the cargo is going to be loaded and unloaded at several points, it needs robust packaging that can take rough handling. If the cargo is taking sea route, then the packaging must protect the cargo from sea corrosion. When shipping through air, the low air pressure and low temperatures may be a cause of concern for some of the products, and they will need sealed packaging for same. Many such specialized packaging requirements come with the transportation and other logistical options. Since freight forwarder understands the requirements and risks associated with the chosen mode of transport, they also provide (usually), the packaging that is most suitable for that mode of transport. The shipper does not have to manage additional packaging needs. This is most helpful, when there are several types of products destined for several locations with multiple modes of transportation.

 

Labeling. Cargo passing through various checkpoints usually has strict regulatory labeling requirement. Typically a cargo label would indicate following:

  •  Type and quantity of product.
  •   Handling instructions
  •   Hazardous material information
  •   Country of origin
  •   Destination
  •   Hazard and handling instructions in local language (at source and destination)

 

The freight forwarder would generally know the labeling requirements and can fulfill them more easily and precisely.

 

Documentation. Domestic and international cargo requires lot of documentation that may be daunting for a regular business. Freight forwarders have developed their expertise in knowing exactly what kind of documentation is needed for which kind of product and destination and from where and how to procure it. Some of the typical documents required for international shipping are:

  •   Bill of Landing. The contract between the shipper and the owner of the goods.
  •   Invoice. The regular commercial invoice for the product
  •   Inspection certificate. (clearance from required agency to ensure that product meets the quality as required)
  •   Insurance.
  •   Export License.
  •   Customs documents. To ensure that product can be legally sent out from the origin country and received at the destination country and is not prohibited by either of the countries.
  •   Tax papers. To ensure all the required taxes have been paid

Freight forwarders typically don’t have any capital equipment of their own. But the service they bring in can be quite valuable even for established players. They run the supply chain show, holding all the thread of various sections of the chain. The business can leave all the transportation and its related handling, packaging, documentation and other requirements to be handled by the freight forwarder and focus on what they do the best, That is making a quality product.

best 3PL
/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ / 0 Comments

Here is How Saving Money can help Logistics Companies

Logistics is the inseparable link between supply and demand. While warehousing is equally important when it comes to assessing the customer requirements, the logistical considerations actually play a pivotal role when it comes to amplifying the credibility of an enterprise. Needless to say, most organizations are on the constant lookout for lowering down the logistic costs which in turn saves a lot of money for them.

The latest marketing trend for companies is to outsource the logistics via select 3PL service providers. However, there are times when outsourcing adds to the hassles and sabotages the growth of an organization. Therefore, it is evident that most logistics companies try to minimize the headaches associated with deference and outsourcing. Although, technology can always extend a helping hand, it’s all about assessing the requirements beforehand and modifying strategies, accordingly.

Reducing Logistics Costs and Headaches: Best Possible Solutions

  1. Utilizing Open Spaces

The first approach involves identifying and eliminating vacant spaces associated with a container. However, this needs to be done in a diligent and highly organized manner. Increasing storage density is one way of looking at lower logistics costs. This involves full truck utilization where a company can pack in a few more options, thereby lowering the overall costs. Strategies like these lower freight costs and even encourage organized operations. The perks of utilizing spaces include asset utilization, inventory accuracy and even labor efficiency.

  1. Understanding Your Competition

Companies offering services related to warehousing, distribution and packing must be cognizant of the market competition. Having the best price for services can automatically attract a greater customer base, thereby improving revenue generation. Cutting logistics costs isn’t only associated with the freight storage and movement. Even if a company quotes lower prices as compared to some of its contemporaries, profits can still be generated if the underlining costs are lower than the expenses. This can be easily achieved by implementing streamline processes— including efficient management of accounting and transportation teams. Proper accounting is yet another technique for lowering logistics costs despite the concerned company quoting reasonable rates for its services.

  1. Carrying a Safety Stock

Logistical considerations can get tricky at times. Companies offering services aren’t always in direct contact with the retailers and miscommunications can hamper the credibility quotient. Therefore, it is advisable to carry a safety stock, especially for premium and loyal customers. The safety stock offers a backup plan in case the expedited shipments aren’t in the desired condition upon delivery. Although some companies consider safety stock as an additional expenditure, it helps create great relationships with buyers. Not just costs, utilizing this approach also minimizes the headaches associated with logistics.

  1. Having Customized Containers for Liquids

Liquids, when transported in bulk, are prone to spillage. From an economic standpoint, it is always advisable to use Intermediate Bulk Containers or IBCs for the same. While the standard drums are good for basic orders, the cost to spillage ratio is something which needs to be assessed. With IBCs in place, companies can move a substantial amount of liquid using fewer containers. This minimizes overall costs and also offers a sense of assurance to the customers and service providers.

  1. Opting for Automation

Believe it or not, automation actually simplifies the way companies undertake logistical activities. In the truest possible sense, an automated approach comes with myriad regulatory measures which are difficult to initiate manually. Moreover, manual labor requires constant validation and therefore incurs higher costs. Automation seems more like a one-time investment which seamlessly handles logistics, transportation and a host of other activities sans human intervention. It needs to be understood that automation holds true for every aspect of logistics and the quicker companies opt for it, the better it is for them.

  1. Tracking the Inventory

Companies that regularly track their inventory are better off at saving money. Updated inventory levels prevent overstocking, which in turn minimizes overall costs. Having a spreadsheet to fall back upon is yet another option for the enterprises. In addition to that, it is essential to keep a note of the available merchandise and the quantities asked for. If an organization is good at replacing the merchandize, it need not worry about the deadlines and additional costs. Moreover, an adequately stocked inventory minimizes the logistics headaches and hassles; thereby adding a sense of credibility to the affairs.

Bottom Line

Logistics companies usually have a lot on their plate when it comes to user requirements. Be it working overtime during a busy season or handling multiple customers at the same time— there are a host of elementary issues to deal with. However, at the end, it all comes down to the costs and efforts associated with the same. While the mentioned strategies can surely help an organization minimize the overhead costs and lingering discrepancies, it is all about innovation that assists a logistics company when it comes to surviving and growing in this keenly contested market.

/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ • / 1 Comment

Retaining Top Talent in the Trucking Industry

When it comes to recruiting the top talent in the field of transportation, enterprises need to be intuitive and smart. The concerned department involving transportation and logistics is actually facing trucker shortage and unless quality talent gets tapped— the situation is only expected to worsen. While the American contingent is already smarting under a massive trucker shortfall, the predicament is fast spreading across the globe with a host of qualified workforce retiring, prematurely.

 

It is therefore important for the Gen Z enterprises to be more vigilant regarding the future of the trucking industry. As we have been able to foresee and presume the concerning trucking issues, it is only appropriate to fix them in the long run. Moreover, there are a host of problems leading to this global trucker shortfall:

 

  1. Most drivers keep facing constant pressure when it comes to meeting deadlines and working beyond the predefined hours.
  2. Fighting off fatigue and dealing with customer requirements are some of the lingering challenges— concerning trucker deployment.
  3. This is one extremely taxing area of work and therefore frequent burnouts after days on the road aren’t uncommon.
  4. Young drivers, below the age group of 21, find it hard to acquire a CDL license— which then hinders their willingness to continue in the same industry.

 

While we have already enlisted the issues related to the trucking industry, it is actually important to nip the problems in the bud by putting measures in place. Lately, there has been an inclination towards last-mile transportation as customers prefer home deliveries, more than anything else. Although this puts a bit more pressure on the concerned employees, the last-mile approach actually helps with employee engagement. Clearly, it’s all about proper work distribution when it comes to keeping the employees motivated and retaining the top talent.

 

Working with Millennials

 

As the trucking industry needs a timely revival, the focus is now on the millennials for saving the day. Most of the mentioned challenges can be dealt with if enterprises can target the millennials. As per reports, millennials are the largest working generation and getting them on-board is probably a miracle every transportation firm needs.

 

Employers can readily tap this fresh pool of talent for shaping up the trucking industry as millennials can be best enticed by the new skill sets, newest set of technologies and abundant chances of growth— traits which only the trucking industry can offer.

 

Every organization has to attract the prospective employees in order to keep the working hierarchy intact. That said, offering new skills to learn is something that goes a long way when employee satisfaction is concerned. Based on surveys, it can be inferred that most individuals commit to new professions mainly for the attractive skill sets and opportunities to adopt newer technical prowess. Then again, monotony is considered to be the most popular reason for individuals letting go of their existing jobs.

 

Understanding the HCM Technology

 

There is a specific way of dealing with stuffs when distribution and trucking are considered. While it is important to take a note of the engagement quotient, hiring principles and employee retention— the concept of human capital management is something that can help enterprises sort each one of the following.

 

The HCM technology isn’t a new kid on the block and has been around for quite a while now. For starters, human capital management helps companies with employee engagement and overall retention. In addition to that, the advanced concepts of HCM technology actually assist truckers by offering them with predefined schedules, shift preferences and a host of other benefits.

 

Apart from that, HCM technology is also useful when it comes to attracting the millennials as prospective employees. Some of the immediate advantages include:

 

  1. Creating decent job titles and targeting the concerned demographic
  2. Highlighting technical opportunities alongside better training and skill-building programs
  3. Promoting newer technologies with transferrable skills on-board
  4. Describing key benefits of the employee value system while addressing techniques that minimize overall stress and daily pressures.

 

Bottom-Line

 

The main aim of the transportation industry is to be the most functional part of supply chain management. In the following quest, it is desirable for the concerned enterprises to tighten the talent gap by addressing newer strategies. Moreover, it is important for the trucking industry to attract newer talents which would help them with sustainability, automation and better results.

/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ • • / 1 Comment

6 ways to Reduce Food Wastage in Supply Chain

Each year more than 80 million tons of food is discarded in Europe alone. The overall cost of this wastage is more than 140 billion Euros.  Globally it is estimated that a third of all the food produced, is wasted. Most of this wastage happens before the food item even reaches the market. These figures assume higher significance when more than 750 million people around the world face food insecurity. In countries with abundance of food, people tend to throw away what they do not require or consume. This wastage not only has the environmental impact but it impacts the environment (In terms of energy and resources consumed in producing and packing the food that is thrown away). The Food supply chain along with its three stages i.e. Production, wholesaling and retailing has a significant contribution in this wastage. The cost of disposal of unutilized food adds to the cost of food wasted due reasons such as wrong or bad storage, no demand, wrong transportation, expiry before sale etc . Let us look at some of the ways that the food wastage can be reduced in the supply chain.

  1. Intelligent Packaging. Lot of food is sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature. A smart packing such as Time temperature indicator that tells how long an item has remained at a particular (generally high) temperature can indicate how soon the item will go bad and thus prioritize its sale/consumptions. Many fresh foods (many fruits) respire even after harvest. When packed, they can change the environment inside the packaging due to respiration and thus can go stale. Gas indicators built into packaging can indicate the level of gas harmful to the product. Similarly biosensors can be used to indicate the level of pathogens in the food and transmit the data to control centre. All such indicators and information about the level of freshness of food can be used to prioritize its sale and consumption before it’s spoilt and thus reduce the wastage.
  2. Packaging Considerations. Packaging of the food product has very high impact on it’s shelf life. A vacuum packed meat product stayed fresh without any significant pathogens for long time. Similarly a cling film wrapped cucumber stays fresh for over two weeks, while an unwrapped one loses moisture and becomes dull in 3 to 4 days. Apart from freshness, Fruits and vegetables packed in trays and bags reduce their wastage due to handling anywhere between 5 to 20 percent depending on the food item. Well designed packaging also speeds up the movement of the product, due to easy handling. There is a lot of innovation in packaging that food supply chain companies should look into.
  3. Transportation. Cold transportation is not new. There are active cooling trucks (with actual refrigeration and passive cooling trucks that are basically thermally sealed. Wha’ts interesting however is the temperature gradient inside the trucks, once they are loaded. Most transporters simply ‘stuff’ the truck with products without much thought to placement of product to maximize its shelf life. Even in regular trucks the temperature of food right in the centre of the truck is different than the temperature at periphery. This can have large impact on the life of the product. Even in cold trucks if they are stuffed and the center is not cool enough, the food loaded in the centre has higher chance of being spoiled. Not only the temperature, but the way fruits and vegetables are loaded can have large impact on their life. Can you imagine berries at the bottom and potatoes at the top, going over a bumpy ride?
  4. Increasing decision points in Supply Chain. Most products don’t go from point of production direct to retail shelf. There are multiple hubs and distribution points between the point of production and point of final sale. However with technology, more and more decisions are being centrally. The decision points need to be decentralized and local intelligence specific to the distribution point needs to be utilized for maximum utilization of product. Products with shorter shelf life should be sent to high turnover outlets so that they can be sold before they expire. The principle of ‘First Expiry First out’ should be followed rigorously. Smarter decisions about product movement can be taken locally depending on local conditions such as weather. If the weather is nice and sunny, the demand for barbeque related products will increase. If its cold, the juicy fruits (e.g. watermelon) would be expected to move slowly and can be shipped to other warmer areas.
  5. Cost factors. Food industry often operates on low profit margins. Subsequently all the processes are designed for cost optimization. However lower cost may not always be the best solution. For example, organic food needs to be delivered quickly. The demand for organic food is increasing and it also has higher margin. So supply chain invests a little more in quick delivery of organic food, it can capture both, the volume and the higher margin, thus offsetting the cost and making more money.  A retailer in USA capitalized on this model by making quick deliveries of Organic, less processed oils. The retailed made express deliveries right from the production point and thus maximized the shelf life of oil available to the consumer (about 3-4 months). it’s competitor’s distribution processes itself took 3 to 4 months and thus could not compete.
  6. Production Location. Point of production is also a key factor in supply chain. The closer it is to the consumer, the smaller the chain and lesser the chance of waste. Many organization prefer to have production plants closer to the source of raw material. It reduces the transportation cost of raw material, but increases the waste in subsequent supply chain. With modern technology and transportation options, it is easier to transport bulk raw material to the more distant plant. It also provides for the maximum shelf and storage life once the product is leaves the production plant.

 

Some Food wastage is inevitable. Food will rot, get spoilt and will face some logistical issues. However the amount of food that is wasted currently is unsustainable. The higher environmental cost of this waste will be borne by the next generation; all while there still 700 million hungry people around the globe. If nothing else, the economic cost of the food wastage in itself makes a great business case to stop the wastage as soon as possible.

5 ways to save your logistics cost
/ By Karan Mudliar / Blog • Uncategorized/ • • / 8 Comments

5 intelligent ways to cut down your logistics cost

Logistics and supply chain are the essential links of any business. Regardless of being a manufacturer, distributor, importer, retailer, or an e-commerce business, logistical issues are imminent. They may include order fulfillment, warehousing, material handling, e-commerce fulfillment or any other logistical aspect. It would be smart to find an optimized 3PL solution to cut down your distribution costs. For businesses small and large, any savings in revenues means being more competitive in the market.

There are various ways to cut down your logistics costs. Here are five intelligent ways to cut down your logistics costs and envelope a wholesome approach to cater for all kinds of businesses (small or big).

  • JIT- Just in time management

With the introduction of better global communications, logistical grouping and faster means of delivery, the alternative concept “just in time” follows the minimalist approach. Leave it to your 3PL company to provide you with the resources you need just in time to fulfill your orders successfully.  The concept calls for generating required logistics just in time to cancel out logistical costs incurred on procurement, maintenance, and inventory of such requirements.

  • Collaborate

All businesses have seasonal inventory fluctuations (especially e- commerce related businesses) for which the inventory levels drop to minimal for quite some time each year. Logistical costs like manpower and space hired outweigh the benefits acquired from  such arrangements. Companies might have to pay for un-utilized storage spaces under such circumstances. A smart way to handle such situations is to collaborate with third party logistics providers who carry the requisite structures to handle your needs.

  • Don’t outsource, insource

Let the experts handle it. After finding your collaborative partner, it’s time to let go. Let the experts join your team to review logistics, gather market feedback, and do the heavy lifting (no pun intended). Such partnerships will help you a great deal in reducing your logistical footprints and costs.

  • Regionalized Partnerships can be most beneficial

Logistics are more about ground presence in most cases and it has more regional implications than global ones (for most operations). Benefiting from logistical resources of other regional players while offering from yours is a win-win situation for all. While you compete in some fields, you can cooperate with others to derive logistical benefits and reduce your costs.

  • Power of analytics

This stands true for every business in the world. Investing a little in logistical analysis software will help in making successful business decisions using detailed data points.

https://sungistix.com/ is a smart 3PL fulfillment solution provider which can help you virtually in any logistical quagmire.