One of the best ways to enhance the performance of your supply chain operation is to improve end-to-end visibility in your shipping network. Visibility means knowing the precise location of your products, freight, and inventory no matter where they are along the supply chain.
What Are the Advantages of Enhancing End to End Visibility?
There are numerous advantages to enhancing the end to end visibility of your shipping network:
- You have more control of your shipments and orders in an increasingly complex global environment.
- You gain opportunities to reduce inventory and mitigate risks that could arise if you are unaware of the status of your freight.
- Your shipments will be delivered faster and with more accuracy.
- You and your supply chain managers will be able to quickly intercede when problems arise that may slow progress or increase costs.
- Customer satisfaction will increase as they’ll be able to get an immediate status update on a shipment by simply checking their smartphones or tablets. This, in turn, can also help reduce call center volume.
How Can I Improve the End to End Visibility of My Supply Chain?
There are plenty of platforms and software options on the market to help you establish supply chain tracking systems. They can be effective, but also very expensive. Before making a significant investment, consider the direct strategic actions you can take (at little to no cost) to improve end-to-end visibility within your shipping network.
- Reduce Complexity: Look for ways to streamline operations and eliminate as many “moving parts” in your supply chain as possible. The more ways you can boost efficiencies and the more practical your processes become, the more visible them.
- Eliminate the Silos: Improve cross-departmental communication by sharing information and increasing internal transparency. Discuss challenges and opportunities at staff meetings and ask for help and cooperation. Supply chain visibility improves when everyone in the company has access to the same information.
- Improve Internal Metrics Collection and Distribution: A systematic collection and sharing of information across the supply chain will reduce chaos, reduce the risk of mistakes, and help prevent last-minute disasters. This will all help establish a close-knit team and ultimately increase supply chain visibility.
- Increase Transparency with Suppliers: Remember, you’re a customer too. As a customer, you are owed complete and timely access to information about your orders and deliveries and all supplier operations that impact your productivity, service levels, and profitability. Look for suppliers who share your philosophy and can enhance the visibility along your supply chain by giving you real-time information about product orders and deliveries.
How Do I Get Started?
End to end visibility may be the latest industry buzzword, but it’s not a fad, and it’s not going away. The need to get a clearer view of where shipments, inventory, and products are in the shipping network will only increase as technology advances, the velocity of business increases, the proliferation of personal electronic devices continues, and customers’ expectations of shippers grow.
If you’re ready to enhance the end-to-end visibility of your organization’s shipping network, but aren’t sure how to get started, then speak to the experts at Taylored Fulfillment Services. We’re a fully integrated third-party logistics provider specializing in distribution, fulfillment, and warehousing. Let us create a customized solution that helps take your business to the next level. Contact us today.
Headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, Taylored Services operates 1.5 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space strategically located near the nation’s busiest ports, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York. Since its humble beginnings in 1992, Taylored Fulfillment Services has become a national leader in third-party logistics services.