Many Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller clients have worked with Logistics to execute their business strategies. The service can be a project, with a specific beginning and ending timeframe or task. Other times, the service involves replicating a defined portion of an existing supply chain for a product or segment. Still other clients request Logistics to help them re-engineer their entire supply chain. Regardless of the scope of work, Logistics has the modeling technology and expert supply chain practitioners to offer an optimal solution for your business.
The process begins with an analysis of the customer's existing methodology, volumes, locations, costs, and business practices. This becomes the baseline for alternative solutions. Depending on the customer's objectives, our experts compare the current scenario with a complete replication of the process using the best resources.
Service levels and costs are compared to the baseline to quantify improvement and opportunity. Collaboration with the customer identifies new approaches, which may include new inventory deployment strategies, alternative transportation options, application of new technology, or implementation of outsourced services. The service levels and costs are again compared to the baseline to quantify improvement and opportunity. After the customer has agreed to their customized solution, Logistics provides the project management and implementation resources to deploy the solution.
Logistics is able to manage a project with a specific duration or as extensive as establishing a distribution network for an entirely new customer product.
Return to Supply Chain Management Services
Logistics has developed a process flow that connects customer purchase order information with Logistics technology to provide the best-in-class supply chain visibility. Learn more about the process.
By integrating transportation management, warehouse storage with local delivery, and installation, the customers remove the risks associated with the hand-offs between suppliers, carriers, and service providers.
- The customer's computer system downloads its purchase orders (PO) or sales orders (SO) to Logistics purchasing and order processing system on a daily basis (or more often). The transmission is done via the Internet in industry standard formats or proprietary formats (FTP, flat files, etc.). Alternatively, Logistics can import a spreadsheet provided by the customer.
- Logistics duplicates the customer purchase orders or sales orders and tracks the supplier or manufacturer's scheduled ship dates.
- If a supplier or manufacturer has not called to arrange transport within three business days of scheduled shipment, Logistics contacts the shipper to verify the shipment is ready and will move on time.
- Based on the shipment parameters provided by the shipper, i.e. pieces, weight, commodity, quantity, PO number, SO number, etc., Logistics selects the lowest cost carrier that can meet the service requirements, as well as attempts to combine any LTL shipments with other close shipments in the same geography to build a truckload or more economical LTL shipments.
- When multiple shipments are consolidated, that action is recorded and reported to the customer so it can communicate the value of its logistics management service.
- Logistics initiates the bills of lading and arranges the pickup.
- Logistics also tracks the shipment via the carrier's web page or other method to assure the shipment arrives at the warehouse or the destination on the scheduled date.
- The purchase order or sales order information, item information, and transportation information is tracked in Logistics system so the consignee, the customer's purchasing group, the installer, or any other authorized person can view the status of a PO, SO, item, or shipment using Logistics secure Web technology.
- If Logistics is providing warehousing and/or installation services, Logistics creates an inventory record of what is in the warehouse or on site. The inventory of each item in the warehouse or on the site is viewable on the Web site.
- If a warehouse is being used, Logistics installation crew orders the goods to the destination property or site, which triggers a pick list at the warehouse.
- The warehouse fills the order and delivers it on the day at the time it is required.
- The installers or delivery crew unloads the trucks, prepares the site for installation, unpacks and installs the goods, and disposes of the packaging.
- Daily transmissions are sent back to the customer's system from Logistics system via the Internet or communicated as agreed.