Every successful business owner knows that he or she wouldn’t have such a booming company without being an effective manager that gets things done. The fact is: there is always something in the process that requires improvement. However, improving logistic challenges is easier said than done and requires a lot of brain power and elbow grease.
- Communication
Improving supply chain communication is the most important thing you can do for your supply and warehouse departments. This is because doing so keeps everyone on the same page, which undoubtedly streamlines the entire process. In some instances, order-picking modules wait week upon week for products they order. This long wait times results in a loss of trust within the company, and the customer goes elsewhere to buy.
- Flow Mapping
Look at your process flow mapping. Doing so will give you a tremendous knowledge of the ins and outs of your operation and business. Why? Because it then lets you conduct a process audit. This audit is a detailed analysis that will show you what steps are actually taken on the ground floor, how problems are solved, and whether or not the current process you have in order should be altered. For example: during the flow mapping process, you may discover that you can actually reduce the time it takes for your employees to walk from one side of the warehouse to the other, to the truck. This time investment requires a lot in the beginning but pays itself off in spades down the road.
- Rethink Routes
To know where the expenses for your fleet is going, look at small parcel carriers and their cost savings. Compare these numbers against the cost savings of LTL carriers. Then compare these two sets of numbers against the cost savings of truckloads – and analyse your results. You will then see where the “drainpipe” is taking your expenses, and help you redesign transportation modes and routes when you see any possibilities of improvement. Rethinking routes directly puts you in the driver’s seat for choosing which routes save you the most money, cut transportation time in half, and get products and goods to clients faster.
- Meetings
It may seem ineffective to hold short, segmented meetings with your shipping and warehouse employees. This gives you an opportunity to outline specific goals that must be met and surpassed every given day. This shows your employees what they must do to ensure the further success of your company. When everyone knows what their role is within a business, they become more efficient at performing their roles and fulfilling their duties. This is one of the most time-efficient methods you can use to increase logistics management.
- Inventory Strategies
Does your company ship from one or more locations? 25 locations? 100 locations? It is undeniably important keep inventory costs down by putting the most mover where labor costs is lowest. Not only will this reduce labor costs but will also reduce inbound shipping costs at the same time.
- Warehouse
Developing a system for designating warehouse inventory—preventing wasted goods—is key for ensuring that managing everything is as seamless as possible. Thankfully, inventory (for a lot of sectors) has become a lot easier during recent years than it was several years ago. It should also go without saying that the warehouse staff should be annually trained (and re-trained) for warehouse operations.
- Automation
Anybody who’s anybody knows that we live in the age of automation. Luckily, the logistics process has several software options that prove themselves valuable over time. Depending on which particular software you decide to use, both the client and operator will have real-time information about the procurement of goods, goods that are dispatched from suppliers, and when those goods arrive at their destination.
Conclusion
Above all, managing logistics couldn’t be easier than transferring as much as you can to the cloud. This technology, which relies on the internet, offers nearly real-time awareness of inbound and outbound details. Plus, you will be able to efficiently track the systematic process of each order – all the way from processing, packaging and shipping.
