Supply chain visibility is a key element to success for any business. It allows the products, components, and parts of an organization to be tracked and monitored at all times. The overall goal of supply chain visibility is to strengthen the supply chain by using different technology solutions that make data readily available to customers, suppliers, and partners. Here’s why supply chain visibility is so important in today’s world.
Better Customer Service As supply chains expands and becomes more competitive, customers have more options than ever before. With customers now expecting better and faster service, transparency is key. Supply chain visibility allows for a better flow of information and it takes out the middle-man for communicating information back to customers. By having the ability to track every step of the supply chain process with mobile apps and other cloud-based technologies, customers are more involved and can make more informed decisions about their products.
Order Visibility Every process of the supply chain begins with a purchase order (PO). In a cloud-based collaboration portal (like eWorldPlus and Veracore, both used by Logistics Plus), warehousing and fulfillment teams can view and manage the queue of orders and requests. A portal can provide suppliers the information needed to meet customer demand, adjust production schedules, and view their inventory levels. Not only will customers be satisfied, order visibility will increase the speed and efficiency of fulfillment and distribution centers. When a warehouse is efficient, it allows for orders to be placed and distributed as quickly as the customer needs it, even during peak seasons.
Carrier Visibility An effective transportation management system (TMS) is another must-have when improving supply chain visibility. A TMS gives you the ability to create bills of lading and schedule shipments, receive competitive quotes from reputable carriers, track LTL and truckload shipments, and view shipment dashboards. Implementing an effective TMS can help you gain more business and keep existing customers happy.
Problem Solving
Improved communications and problem-solving due to supply chain visibility allows you to locate gaps that are present in your current process. Disruptions such as damaged or late shipments are unavoidable. Having real-time visibility into the supply chain metrics and business intelligence allows a companies to make quick decisions regarding schedules and shipping cycles that reduce these disruptions. Supply chain visibility also allows businesses to proactively contact customers regarding potential service disruptions or delays.
As customers continue to expect higher quality service, supply chain visibility is required. It ensures that all customers, suppliers, and partners are knowledgeable about every aspect of business. From purchase order to final delivery, everything in the supply chain process can be monitored and adjusted. If you are looking to gain control of your supply chain and reduce logistics expenses, request a free analysis today. Logistics Plus has proven supply chain experts that will drive savings and increase supply chain visibility. Contact us today.
Watch this short video for a very quick introduction to the Logistics Plus® eShipPlus™ online freight shipping tools.
There are numerous benefits for shippers to use a transportation management system (TMS) for freight shipping. The use of a TMS, such as eShipPlus, for LTL and truckload transportation helps ensure that your loads are matched to the best carrier, equipment, and lanes so that you can get the best possible rates without sacrificing service. Partnering with a transportation management provider, such as Logistics Plus, to obtain the benefits of a TMS also gives you access to that partner’s entire team of logistics experts. As illustrated below, using a TMS will provide you with significant efficiencies and access to an array of other value-added services, including back office support to handle pick-up scheduling, tracking, appointment confirmations, proof of deliveries, claims processing, bills of lading, audited and consolidated of freight bills, and detailed reporting.
If you already have an account, click here to log in now. If you’re interesting in obtaining complimentary access to our eShipPlus online freight shipping tools, click the button below to get started. Our technology solutions come with no contracts to sign, no commitments, and no hidden fees.
Freight management solutions are a core competency for Logistics Plus. In fact, the company was founded nearly 20 years ago to provide inbound domestic freight management services to GE Transportation, a division of General Electric (GE) – one of the largest companies in the world. The success we demonstrated in those early years opened up doors to a variety of other solutions, such as warehousing, international freight forwarding, and global trade compliance. Despite our global footprint and expanded solutions portfolio, freight management remains a central part of our core service offerings. Today we help thousands of companies manage their freight – and we even provide on-site managed transportation solutions to a number of large clients.
If your company ships less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload, and expedited freight shipments on a regular basis, we invite you to try our four-step approach to better rates and service.
The secrets to our freight management and managed transportation success are as follows:
Talented, experienced and caring logistics professionals
Honesty and transparency with our customers and our carriers
Great rates, super carriers, and outstanding service
Shipment visibility and responsiveness to potential problems
Customized, user-friendly technology and freight management tools
If you’re interested in trying any or all of our 4-steps to freight management success, please visit our online freight headquarters at www.logisticsplus.com/freight-hq or click the image below to get started.
Businesses that ship less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipments would benefit from using a transportation management system (TMS). Most large companies with big freight expenditures are already using a TMS, either with or as a part of their enterprise systems. However, those same benefits are also available to smaller companies with lower freight spending. This is often done by working with a reliable third-party logistics (3PL) partner (such as Logistics Plus). Contrary to what many may believe, most transportation management systems today are web-based and can be inexpensively integrated with a company’s back office or order management system.
There are many benefits to using a TMS. The use of a TMS will help ensure your LTL freight loads are matched to the ideal carrier so that you can get the best rates without sacrificing the service you need. More specifically, here are five key benefits to using a TMS for LTL freight management:
Streamlined visibility to carrier rates and services: With a robust TMS, you can enjoy instant, real-time access to freight rates and transit times for multiple carriers. Not having to call multiple carriers or access multiple websites is a real time-saver. A TMS can also be customized to your specific shipping patterns and lanes, which leads to greater efficiencies for LTL carriers and better rates and service for you.
Simplified data entry and the elimination of manual steps: TMS automation features allow you to save your customer, vendor, and product data in an easy-to-retrieve database. This creates bills of lading and other shipping documents fast and easy with little need for manual entry. It also improves document accuracy, which alleviates many downstream issues.
Improved visibility to your shipments and documentation: Knowing your freight location allows you to be more responsive to your customers or monitor routing compliance with your vendors. Being able to pull bill of lading copies, standardized invoices, and proof of delivery documents not only creates back-office efficiencies but fosters better communication and builds better relationships with your customers and vendors.
Freight invoice consolidation and auditing: LTL freight pricing and auditing can be complex with fuel surcharges, freight classifications, minimum density rules, and more. A good TMS should house all carrier pricing, rules, and shipment information for easy access and to provide reporting and auditing on variances between quotes and actual freight invoices.
Availability of analytics and data: With reports generated from your TMS, you can gain better insight into your LTL freight shipping activity, costs, and service trends. Better information allows you to make future business decisions based on facts and not gut or opinion.
As mentioned earlier, smaller companies that don’t have access to a TMS today should consider partnering with a reputable 3PL with a robust TMS. If you choose to partner with Logistics Plus, you’ll receive free access to our online eShipPlus™ TMS platform. Our eShipPlus platform is a proven TMS which customers have been using for nearly a decade. In addition to all of the LTL benefits described above, eShipPlus also provides shippers with access to truckload shipment quoting, booking, and reporting functionality.
If you’re new to Logistics Plus, become our customer, and we’ll provide you complimentary access to eShipPlus. If you’re interested in integrating eShipPlus with your ERP or order management system, please email nadops@logisticsplus.com for more information. If you have general questions about our LTL freight services or tools, please click the button below.
Supply chain visibility is a key element to success for any business. It allows the products, components, and parts of an organization to be tracked and monitored at all times. The overall goal of supply chain visibility is to strengthen the supply chain by using different technology solutions that make data readily available to customers, suppliers, and partners. Here’s why supply chain visibility is so important in today’s world.
