How to Maximize Efficiency with Supply Chain Planning Systems?

how-to-maximize-efficiency-with-supply-chain
Automated supply chain planning maximizes efficiency and helps achieve long-term success by addressing challenges, highlighting the benefits, and offering insights to optimize business performance.

Contents
1 Supply Chain Planning System Efficiency Maximization
2 Key Steps of Supply Chain Planning to Boost Efficiency
3 Overcoming Major Challenges in the Process to Maximize Efficiency 4 Conclusion


1 Supply Chain Planning System Efficiency Maximization

To compete and succeed in an ongoing complex and dynamic global market, companies must maximize the efficiency of their supply chain planning systems, which help manage the flow of goods and services from suppliers to customers, optimize resources and information to meet customer demands and minimize costs and risks. An adequate supply chain planning system can increase customer satisfaction, profitability, agility, and risk management. Moreover, by reducing costs, increasing productivity, and enhancing responsiveness to market demands, maximizing efficiency can help businesses remain competitive. As a result, businesses can gain a substantial competitive edge and position the organization for long-term success by optimizing their supply chain planning systems.


2 Key Steps of Supply Chain Planning to Boost Efficiency

Businesses can significantly boost efficiency in their supply chain planning by implementing advanced analytics tools, streamlining communication and collaboration, automating processes, and ensuring consistency in performance improvement.


2.1 Implement Advanced Analytics Tools

Implementing advanced analytics in supply chain planning is key to improve supply chain efficiency. Advanced analytics tools, including demand forecasting, production planning and inventory management, can help organizations leverage large volumes of data to extract insights that enable better decision-making. The insights can be used to optimize production planning, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. In addition, it also enables businesses to detect and respond to supply chain disruptions on operations.


2.2 Streamline Communication and Collaboration

Managing and streamlining communication becomes essential for supply chain businesses, as it leads to greater agility and enables pipelines to adapt to changes in organizational structures. Leveraging cloud-based communication platforms, video conferencing, and collaboration tools enable real-time information sharing and collaboration across different teams and stakeholders. By enhancing communication and collaboration, businesses can better align their supply chain objectives, reduce communication gaps, and enhance decision-making.


2.3 Automate Processes

The integration of technologies such as order processing, inventory management, and shipment tracking under warehouse automation and logistics automation produces a vast amount of data, making it challenging for businesses to process data manually. To enhance efficiency, automating supply chain planning processes has become essential. Automating the process has eliminated multitasking, including managing goods flow, tracking road progress, and ensuring safe delivery, which was previously required in the manual process. By automating processes, supply chain management can be streamlined, leading to reduced lead times, minimized costs, and improved efficiency.


2.4 Consistency in Performance Improvement

Improving the supply chain is not a one-time fix, but a process that must be reviewed and optimized frequently. By implementing technology, businesses can continuously collect and analyze warehouse inventory management performance to identify areas for further efficiency gains and improved order accuracy. In addition, establishing a framework for continuous optimization involves regular performance reviews, feedback mechanisms, and benchmarking against industry best practices to help identify and address inefficiencies.


3 Overcoming Major Challenges in the Process to Maximize Efficiency


3.1 Resistance to Change

Supply chain planning systems are hindered by change resistance. Employees may resist change who are comfortable with the status quo and adopt new technologies and processes less often. Organizations need a comprehensive change management plan to address stakeholder engagement, communication, and training. Implementing a change management plan starts with identifying the key stakeholders and involving them in planning to gain their buy-in and support for the changes, implementing the process of the changes using different channels to reach all stakeholders and in addition, developing training programs to prepare employees for the changes and enable them to use new technologies and processes effectively.


3.2 Legacy Systems and Silos Data

Data silos and a lack of supply chain visibility are two problems that can arise when legacy systems and data are used. It also adds roadblocks in maximizing efficiency through supply chain planning software. Investing in older systems makes it challenging to gain a comprehensive view of the supply chain and informed decisions making. In addition, the systems are non-compatible with modern technology and data is stored in disconnected systems. With the help of an integrated system, all relevant information can be collected in one place, streamlining monitoring and decision-making. A data governance policy should be implemented to guarantee data quality and uniformity across all platforms. Data management, data storage, data sharing, regular monitoring and reporting on data quality are all essential components of this policy.


3.3 Inadequate Funding

Insufficient funding can affect supply chain planning system efficiency; with budget constraints, organizations may struggle to invest in new technologies, hire skilled workers, or improve processes. Thus, the supply chain planning system may become obsolete, increasing costs, lead times, and customer dissatisfaction. To overcome the challenge of inadequate funding in supply chain planning, organizations must prioritize funding and strategically allocate resources by identifying the areas that require the most investment. Exploring alternative funding sources, such as grants and partnerships, can supplement existing funding and enable organizations to invest in vital initiatives that may not have been possible with limited resources. In addition, cost-cutting measures, such as process optimization and automation, can help to stretch existing funds and boost productivity.


4 Conclusion

The supply chain planning system will continue to play a critical role in maximizing efficiency to revolutionize the supply chain professionals leverage emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and blockchain; understanding the process, identifying the challenges and overcoming them using the right strategies helps businesses in effective supply chain planning systems, gain a competitive advantage, improve supply chain performance and position themselves for long-term success. Furthermore, adopting a data-driven approach and a culture of continuous improvement in supply chain management planning can help organizations plan according to the future of supply chain and compete in the ever-changing global market.

Spotlight

Great Bear Distribution Ltd.

Great Bear are a leading private 3rd party Logistics company business formed in 1994 providing Dedicated and Shared user Warehousing and Distribution solutions across many sectors for International FMCG blue chip clients. On 1st March 2016 the formation of the largest Independent UK logistics Group Great Bear was acquired by Culina Logistics, part of Muller Group.

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Article | May 26, 2023

Oracle, a leading provider of computer technology, published a paper analyzing how supply chain managers should use change as a catalyst in "inspiring and engaging employees." In the report, Oracle highlights how organizations across the world are going through radical shifts in the way they operate. Customers need quick, convenient, and customized solutions today. Employees also have higher expectations, looking for companies that are a match for their values, provide flexible working arrangements, and offer cutting-edge tools. Shareholders and investors also want more, which forces businesses to focus on making money in ways that are sustainable and diverse. See Change as an Opportunity The companies that are most successful, according to Oracle, are those who see change as just another opportunity to reinvent, and the company lists four ways supply chain leaders might find such an opportunity: Boost employee engagement Aim for sustainability and responsibility in management Be quick to respond to disruptions in the supply chain Exceed consumer expectations In the paper, Oracle reports that instead of adapting to the change, organizations must be able to stay on top of challenges and prepare well in advance. Align with an Employee-Centred Culture Leaders must be able to attract well-matched talent, with the skills to not just fulfil job roles but also drive innovation. Today, people value a work-life balance where they have time to pursue their non-work interests, spend time with their families, and create a diverse, and inclusive world. According to Oracle, this is a significant consideration, and organizations that meet the demands of this new workforce will have a competitive edge in hiring the top talent. Looking Forward The Great Resignation has been a hot topic in HR, but the truth is it affects all aspects of business, and importantly, the supply chain, and in the end, the ability to provide smooth customer experiences. HR, customer experience, and supply chain leaders must synergize to become an employer destination to reckon with in order to succeed.

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Warehouse Management System – An Integral Part of the Supply Chain

Article | March 23, 2023

Warehouse Management System In Supply Chain, warehouse management acts as the bridge between the supplier and customer. The warehouse facility utilized to consolidate or accumulate products and reduce the transportation cost to achieve economy. Warehouse Management System (WMS) refers to the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse. WMS is part of the Supply Chain Management and concerned with the receipt, shipping and picking of materials. To effectively monitor the flow of products, WMS utilizes technology devices such as Barcode scanners, Bio-Metrics, and RFID to name a few. A seamless link created between the warehouse facility, order processing and logistics management till shipment. Warehouse management just not limited to the warehouse; it can also a component of Supply Chain Management (SCM) and, when done well, provides a competitive advantage to the business or organization.Supply Chain Management is the management of flow of goods and services including raw materials, work-in-process inventory and finished goods. The markets these days are transcending borders and managing the demand-supply quotient is increasingly getting complex. Production centers are setup at locations where the raw materials and labour are cheaper. Raw materials sourcing and finish goods distribution are done globally. Supply Chain Management Thus Supply Chain Management refers to all business processes and activities involved from the procurement of raw materials to the manufacturing and distribution of finished products. SCM in short is the art of providing the right product at the right time, place and cost. As inferred, SCM gets much wider in scope than WMS. However, WMS is perhaps the last mile in the Supply Chain Management system and any hitch in the efficacy of WMS system hampers SCM too. Conclusion The primary aim of Supply Chain Management is to match supply with demand. For this to work, the supply chain should be free from bottlenecks such as errant supplies, difficulty in sourcing etc. There seemed significant confusion about the phrases SCM and WMS until recently, and both frequently used interchangeably. However, it been generally accepted that warehouse management refers to the logistics of warehouse, storing, stocking, and also movement of goods. The term Supply Chain has a much broader focus involving suppliers, manufacturers and retailers.By providing customer centric operations in warehousing, companies gain competitive advantage. SCM tools help manage the supplies effectively keeping inventory at optimum levels. The efficiency of SCM relies to a large extent upon the efficiency of WMS. The SCM’s primary concern is to find out the best storage levels, which the WMS attempts to address. Therefore, it is seen that the SCM & WMS are only complementary in nature and not competing. Warehouse Management system also complements the Sales Management System by shortening the sales cycle through quick data access and delivery of quality service, every time.

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Article | November 11, 2022

The complex, hyper-connected nature of global supply chains makes them extremely vulnerable to a range of risk factors. In 2019, corporations experienced new levels of volatility in commodity and energy pricing, interest and exchange rates, and general international trading conditions. In 2020, things are likely to remain rocky. Research shows that many businesses, despite being forewarned about these risks, are still tending to be reactive rather than proactive in their approach.

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Predicting the Future of the Logistics Industry

Article | July 8, 2022

Introduction From warehouse robots to delivery drones, the supply chain is experiencing a tremendous upheaval. AI promises a totally autonomous and self-organized future supply chain. A fleet of vehicles utilizing a swarm algorithm can enhance cargo yard throughput; a trusted peer-to-peer ledger on blockchain architecture could change compliance in the sector; and wearables, mobile robotics, and machine learning technologies could speed up order fulfilment. IOT e-brokerage solutions can link shops to couriers and transporters with a click. Tomorrow's supply chain will be leaner, quicker, and self-organized. A few innovative technologies will fuel this unparalleled rate of change over the next 15 years. Here are the major technologies that are shaping the future of the logistics industry. Logistics Technologies for the Future Shipment Tracking Systems Previously, customers ordered shipments, had an anticipated arrival date, and then were kept in the dark until they chose to call. Customers can now access shipping and tracking systems around-the-clock due to developments in the internet and software. This not only enhances the customer experience (cx), but it also saves the business time and money. Internet of Things (IoT) The IoT reduces costs and delays by minimizing hazards in the supply chain. Cabs, cargo ships, trains, etc., have sensors that link to an alarm system or dispatcher. These sensors analyze and communicate information to the crew, who learns about hidden threats. IoT isn't a new technology, but it continues to influence logistics by improving in-transit visibility and delivery. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) RFID technology has been used for a few years to monitor inventories labor-efficiently. A product tag or sensor produces radio waves. The company processes the data. RFID tags are similar to barcodes, but their faster information transport and data processing appeal to companies and the direction of technology. Many organizations use RFID tags to track containers in warehouses. Enhanced GPS Accuracy Almost everyone utilizes GPS on their vehicles or smartphones. These devices' accuracy has improved over time, assisting lost drivers and enhancing the supply chain. By monitoring truck locations and boosting hauls with current traffic data, GPS increases efficiency and customer satisfaction. Closing Lines Unprecedented times have produced unprecedented transformations that will last for generations. Changing demographics, technology improvements, and COVID-19 impacts are altering global supply networks. We must understand the driving factors and act on what we learn to adapt and rise to the situation. For the sake of our current workforce and future generations.

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Great Bear Distribution Ltd.

Great Bear are a leading private 3rd party Logistics company business formed in 1994 providing Dedicated and Shared user Warehousing and Distribution solutions across many sectors for International FMCG blue chip clients. On 1st March 2016 the formation of the largest Independent UK logistics Group Great Bear was acquired by Culina Logistics, part of Muller Group.

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PR Newswire | February 02, 2024

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced its membership in the RailPulse Coalition. RailPulse, founded by a dynamic consortium of forward-thinking railcar owners, is working to develop, broaden and accelerate the use of GPS and other telematics technologies on railcars that increase safety, efficiency, and visibility across North America's freight rail industry. CPKC becomes the third Class I railroad and 10th member of the coalition, joining Bunge North America, GATX, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation, Railroad Development Corporation, The Greenbrier Companies, TrinityRail, Union Pacific Railroad, and Watco Companies LLC. "We are pleased to be a part of RailPulse and to contribute to accelerating adoption of railcar telemetry in North America," said John Brooks, CPKC Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. 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"CPKC brings a breadth of railroading knowledge to the table, and the insights that CPKC will be able to contribute from operating in 3 countries will be invaluable as we drive RailPulse to serve all of North America." Forward looking information This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws in both the U.S. and Canada. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives, assumptions and statements about possible future events, conditions, and results of operations or performance. Forward-looking information may contain statements with words or headings such as "financial expectations", "key assumptions", "will", "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "should", "commit", "outlook", "guidance" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. 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Reference should be made to "Item 1A - Risk Factors" and "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Forward-Looking Statements" in CPKC's annual and interim reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, CPKC undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information, or the foregoing assumptions and risks affecting such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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AIT Worldwide Logistics Acquires Global Transport Solutions Group

Business Wire | February 05, 2024

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Operations, Supply Chain, Transportation

CPKC Joins RailPulse Coalition Driving Innovation in Railcar Telematics

PR Newswire | February 02, 2024

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) today announced its membership in the RailPulse Coalition. RailPulse, founded by a dynamic consortium of forward-thinking railcar owners, is working to develop, broaden and accelerate the use of GPS and other telematics technologies on railcars that increase safety, efficiency, and visibility across North America's freight rail industry. CPKC becomes the third Class I railroad and 10th member of the coalition, joining Bunge North America, GATX, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation, Railroad Development Corporation, The Greenbrier Companies, TrinityRail, Union Pacific Railroad, and Watco Companies LLC. "We are pleased to be a part of RailPulse and to contribute to accelerating adoption of railcar telemetry in North America," said John Brooks, CPKC Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "This collaboration aligns with our commitment to innovation and will play an important role in modernizing our customer experience and provide benefits to the entire supply chain by advancing safety and improving operations." The key objectives of RailPulse include: Industry Wide Telematics Infrastructure: The initiative facilitates collaboration among industry players by creating a secure, trusted, standardized, and vendor neutral railcar telematics infrastructure that spans the entire North American freight rail industry. Data-Driven Transformation: By building an information infrastructure that harnesses data from GPS and railcar-mounted sensors and prioritizing data standardization and storage in the cloud, RailPulse focuses on delivering actionable insights enabling enhance service levels, visibility, safety, sustainability, and productivity. Enhanced Service through Visibility: Through RailPulse, the integration of telematic sensors on railcars enables the generation of valuable data, empowering shippers with real-time visibility of railcar and goods movements to make informed decisions and optimize their operations. "We welcome CPKC to the RailPulse Coalition. Together, we will drive transformative change in the rail sector by combining our strengths and fostering a culture of innovation," said David Shannon, General Manager of RailPulse. "This partnership underscores our commitment to shaping the future of rail transportation." Response from RailPulse Members: "The Board of RailPulse is very excited to welcome CPKC," said Mike McClellan, RailPulse Board Chair and Sr. VP &Chief Strategy Officer at Norfolk Southern. "CPKC brings a breadth of railroading knowledge to the table, and the insights that CPKC will be able to contribute from operating in 3 countries will be invaluable as we drive RailPulse to serve all of North America." Forward looking information This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws in both the U.S. and Canada. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives, assumptions and statements about possible future events, conditions, and results of operations or performance. Forward-looking information may contain statements with words or headings such as "financial expectations", "key assumptions", "will", "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "should", "commit", "outlook", "guidance" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. This news release contains forward-looking information relating, but not limited, to statements about future technology and the potential for telematics technologies to increase safety, efficiency, and visibility across North America's freight rail industry and CPKC's expected benefits from such future technology. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on current expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions, having regard to CPKC's experience and its perception of historical trends. Forward-looking information involves many inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information, including but not limited to the factors that are detailed from time to time in reports filed by CPKC with securities regulators in Canada and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States. Reference should be made to "Item 1A - Risk Factors" and "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Forward-Looking Statements" in CPKC's annual and interim reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, CPKC undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information, or the foregoing assumptions and risks affecting such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Read More

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PR Newswire | January 31, 2024

Delta Cargo is excited to announce the launch of its newest product, DeliverDirect, developed in collaboration with SmartKargo. DeliverDirect is a door-to-door delivery service for the U.S. market, offering a competitive and customizable solution for e-commerce retailers seeking to optimize their direct-to-consumer shipping solutions. With DeliverDirect, Delta Cargo pioneers an innovative domestic carrier approach, providing swift service with transparent pricing for e-commerce and small parcel delivery. From initial warehouse pickup to delivery at the end consumer's doorstep, DeliverDirect is a fast, seamless, end-to-end service that upgrades traditional ground or air shipping services utilized by most current e-tailers. Small package shippers will benefit from increased shipping speeds, an uncomplicated pricing structure, proactive alert management, transparent tracking and reporting, and access to Delta's vast domestic network. "We are thrilled to introduce DeliverDirect, our new offer for the small parcel delivery market," shared Alison Ricker, Managing Director, Delta Cargo Global Sales. "Through our strategic collaboration with SmartKargo, DeliverDirect gives e-tailers an alternative transportation solution that fits their customers' requirements, and we envision that this service will prove to be a fast, reliable and cost-effective solution." The DeliverDirect offering can be tailored to shippers' needs with a variety of service innovations that empower customers to customize according to their unique preferences. These service innovations include: personalized pick-up times, geo-fenced notifications for consumers, multiple delivery attempts, signature-required deliveries, proof of delivery with photos, and access to advanced reporting features for a complete comprehensive service that aligns seamlessly with a variety of needs. "E-commerce shippers are looking for simple, faster and more reliable alternatives to deliver their products to consumers. Delta Cargo has a vision for small package delivery that will transform the U.S. market and continue to diversify their already robust offering in the air cargo market. Their innovative approach makes them a fantastic partner for SmartKargo, and we look forward to growing this service together," stated Milind Tavshikar, CEO and Founder of SmartKargo.

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AIT Worldwide Logistics Acquires Global Transport Solutions Group

Business Wire | February 05, 2024

AIT Worldwide Logistics, one of the world’s leaders in global supply chain solutions, has acquired Global Transport Solutions Group (GTS), a prominent international freight forwarder specializing in time-critical marine spare parts logistics. Headquartered in the Netherlands, GTS and its more than 600 teammates across 16 locations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, serve over 2,000 ports around the world. The GTS network also includes nine consolidation hubs totaling more than 45,000 square meters of warehouse space. AIT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vaughn Moore, said, “I’d like to welcome our new GTS teammates to the global AIT network. This is the largest acquisition in our company’s history and GTS’ marine spare parts business is an excellent complement to AIT’s time-critical supply chain solutions.” The company’s business is divided into two sub-brands: Marinetrans (founded in 1991), excelling in “door-to-deck” spare parts logistics for ship owners and managers, and Best Global Logistics (founded in 2007), providing time-critical solutions and general forwarding for other industries, including life sciences shippers. According to AIT’s Chief Business Officer, Greg Weigel, the acquisition provides the company with new geographic presence in Greece, Japan and the Nordic region while adding significant capacity and subject matter expertise to existing AIT networks in China, the Netherlands and Singapore. The deal also provides a strong foundation to expand GTS’ world-class marine spare parts solutions via AIT’s expansive global freight network. “The acquisition of GTS creates an incredible portfolio of solutions serving the maritime industry with delivery of time-critical spare parts across all geographies. This is a perfect complement to AIT’s vertical strategies focused on expedited mission-critical services like our Critical Solutions Group, government and AOG team, and Life Sciences Division,” Weigel said. “We plan to rapidly invest and expand GTS’ North American operations by capitalizing on AIT’s robust salesforce in the United States and offering maritime customers a world-class spare parts logistics solution in every port.” AIT President and Chief Operating Officer, Keith Tholan, noted that the GTS core values – customer first, operational excellence, and partnership and collaboration – closely mirror AIT’s core values. “We are delighted to welcome GTS teammates to AIT,” Tholan said. “Their deep marine logistics expertise and three decades of proven on-time performance in a very demanding segment will complement the diverse solutions we offer across our vertical sector strategy. We also expect our best-in-class global air freight procurement will instantly benefit their time-critical operations.” According to GTS co-CEO John Burgstra, the acquisition is an opportunity for GTS to further expand their worldwide operations. “We aim to provide our clients an unrivaled experience when it comes to global visibility, transparency and on-time performance, fully unburdening them of the required logistical handling of their vessels’ spare parts,” he said. “We are excited about becoming part of a larger group and the global development opportunities this acquisition will provide for our teammates.” “Because of the highly fragmented and international nature of our clients’ requirements, they need a trusted partner with a vetted and effective global network,” added GTS co-CEO Vegard Prytz. “GTS will gain enormous benefits from leveraging the global AIT infrastructure, creating an even more integrated and seamless solution for clients around the world.”

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