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Tag: supply chain

Coles Liquor automates supply chain with Relex

Posted on by David Priestman

Australian retailer Coles Liquor has partnered with Relex Solutions to implement its Living Retail platform across its 931 stores.

The Relex solution will service Coles Liquor’s Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars stores as well as five distribution centres throughout Australia, driving improved availability for Coles Liquor customers through supply chain planning and AI driven replenishment.

Relex’s AI-based supply chain planning provides multi-channel inventory visibility and long-term planning horizons, to support better availability.

“Relex has a proven track record of helping retailers master the intricacies of each retail category’s specific inventory management needs,” says Coles Liquor General Manager Transformation and Supply Chain, Genevieve Hawkins.

“This is an exciting and important investment for Coles Liquor, which will materially improve our ability to have the right stock in the right place for suppliers, shops and customers.

“It will drive greater operational efficiency across our business and is a key element of our strategic drive to be a truly omnichannel business.”

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Coles with this expansion into Coles Liquor – I’m confident that we will provide value to Coles Liquor today and into the future,” says Mikko Kärkkäinen, CEO at Relex Solutions.

“This also marks an important step in our continued Australia expansion, and we are excited to strengthen our presence in Australia even further this year.”

Greater insight drives IoT adoption

Posted on by David Priestman

Greater supply chain insight and improved cost efficiency are the top drivers behind IoT adoption among today’s transport businesses, recent research by Inmarsat, a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has revealed.

A significant proportion (71%) of transport respondents stated that greater supply chain insight is a key driver behind their adoption of IoT technologies, while cost efficiency (59%) and greater automation (53%) followed. Despite these benefits, many transport organisations continue to face several key barriers when deploying IoT – with a lack of in-house skills, a lack of turnkey/off-the-shelf solutions and security implications in the deployment phase (36%, 23% and 23%, respectively) chief among them.

Despite the accelerating speed of IoT adoption over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, improvements are still needed to draw the optimum benefits from the technology. Unreliable connectivity, inadequate data strategies, and a lack of skills are hampering many businesses’ ability to reap the rewards of IoT.

Around half of those seeking cost efficiencies or greater supply chain insight (51% and 48%, respectively) felt their investments met or surpassed their expectations – yet for those with a formal IoT strategy in place, these figures were notably higher, at 81% and 65% respectively.

Equally, a higher proportion of organisations not struggling with connectivity challenges also achieved greater cost efficiencies and greater supply chain insights (both 69%). Yet, 13% of transport organisations suffer from a lack of consistent and reliable connectivity post-deployment, hindering their ability to achieve the same.

The IoT skills barrier is also hampering transport organisations’ efforts to achieve their IoT ambitions. In those without a formal IoT strategy in place, this is particularly acute. A large proportion of this group continues to struggle due to a lack of in-house skills in their IoT projects, particularly post-deployment (55%). In organisations with a formal IoT strategy this reduced to 15%, showing they are better equipped with the skills needed to solve issues uncovered during IoT deployment.

Steven Tompkins, Director of Market Development at Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “It is promising to see that the transport industry sees the clear value in IoT to deliver transparent, real-time oversight of its supply chain as well as increasing operational efficiencies. Adoption of IoT technologies has huge potential to deliver these benefits, however both investing in the right connectivity mix and having fit for purpose data management strategies in place is crucial to be able to acquire data in a timely manner and get it into the hands of the right decision makers for best effect.”

Commenting on the findings, Mike Carter, President of Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “The efficiency gains and cost savings IoT can deliver, in addition to the benefits of greater supply chain insight, paints a clear picture as to why most organisations are pursuing IoT. But to get the optimum benefits from their IoT deployments, organisations must ensure they have all the right skillsets and connectivity requirements in place. The research shows that organisations struggling to implement the right connectivity strategies are lagging behind their peers, and those with a formal IoT strategy are better placed to reap the benefits of optimised and more sustainable operations.

“We can see that too many businesses still struggle to deploy IoT projects due to unreliable, insecure, or poor connectivity. This is where satellite IoT connectivity can play a key role. Some of the most valuable data often hails from the hardest to reach places, so investing in effective collection, storage and analysis of that data is crucial to successful IoT strategies.

“Inmarsat ELERA, our industry-leading narrowband network, is ideally suited to the rapidly evolving world of IoT. The billions of devices being connected every year are benefitting from global reach, extraordinary resilience, and the fastest speeds, along with the smallest, lowest-cost terminals in their class. ELERA is inspiring new possibilities and enabling organisations from all sectors to access IoT anywhere. It will be a catalyst for the next wave of world-changing technologies, so organisations looking to accelerate their IoT deployments need look no further than Inmarsat and our global partner ecosystem – the widest of any satellite provider – to solve their IoT connectivity needs.”

As part of the research, Inmarsat is also offering businesses the opportunity to measure their IoT readiness versus the respondents in the survey, using a free IoT maturity tool.

CLICK HERE to use the IoT Maturity tool and download the full report – Industrial IoT in the Time of Covid-19.

Transportation costs drive regional divide

Posted on by David Priestman

New research shows that business is feeling the effects of inflation, geopolitical tension, port congestion and transportation costs in dramatically different and regionally specific ways, with those in South America and Africa facing a more negative business outlook.

The study, conducted by Economist Impact, surveyed executive-level participants representing businesses in 26 major countries across the globe. The research was commissioned by DP World, global logistics company and a key participant in the World Logistics Passport.

In South America and Africa, executives have a more negative outlook on the impact of transportation costs on business outlook – even when compared to other developing countries.

For example, 42.5% and 49.5% of executives surveyed in South America and Africa respectively identified higher transport costs as the top limitation for increasing exports. This compared to 19.9% for those in China, 27.5% in India and 25% in the UAE.

Mahmood Al Bastaki, General Manager of the World Logistics Passport, said: “This new data tells us that different countries and regions are having remarkably different experiences of the same supply chain pressures. With export prospects for businesses in South America and Africa more likely to be impacted by rising transport costs, the private sector is in need of solutions that will help increase efficiencies and lower these costs to help ease inflationary pressures.”

Improvements in port and logistics infrastructure are cited as a key route to trade growth – for imports in particular. Nearly one in three (31.7%) business leaders across the identified markets indicated that improved port and logistics infrastructure are drivers of import growth.

Both hard and soft port and logistics infrastructure are part of this important driver of growth – with trade routes, technologies and streamlined partnerships being examples of soft infrastructure. For example, over half (55.7%) of executives said that their company had either implemented digital solutions to enable seamless movement through customs and border control in 2021 or planned to do so in 2022.

Improved customs processes have been shown to be important in helping speed the flow of goods and keep trade moving and reducing time-to-trade – therefore boosting cost efficiency.

And while the end of globalisation has been heralded as an expected consequence of geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, the research revealed that companies are instead further diversifying their global trade networks rather than retrenching or regionalising – presenting opportunities for markets able to capitalise on diversifying procurement strategies.

Nearly one in two (47.9%) executives around the world are seeking more diversity of supplier base regardless of location, with approximately three in five executives (59.2%) saying that choosing suppliers and markets based on the lowest possibility of being caught in a geopolitical dispute is ‘absolutely critical’.

This has been a boon for economies such as WLP members Vietnam and Mexico, which even pre-pandemic had benefitted from increased diversification of manufacturing bases due to geopolitical tensions.

Al Bastaki continued: “Despite the headwinds out there for all to see, there are opportunities for countries to boost trade. In particular, these can be found through investment in trade solutions that help facilitate faster movement of goods, such as improved soft infrastructure and digital solutions.

“Additionally, countries that are part of growing trade networks and already have the soft infrastructure to service new markets will be in a better position to capitalise on the diversification of suppliers.”

Bosch and AWS collaborate to digitalise logistics

Posted on by David Priestman

Bosch and US-based cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) are collaborating with the aim to improve efficiency and sustainability in the transportation and logistics industry.

Their plan is to offer logistics companies and freight forwarders across the globe quick and easy access to digital services through a platform powered by AWS. Going forward, they will offer support for topics ranging from capacity utilisation of commercial vehicle fleets to monitoring goods flows to order processing – all from a single source.

To this end, Bosch and AWS have now entered a strategic collaboration. Bosch will be responsible for developing and operating the logistics platform, the core of which is a marketplace for digital services, while AWS will contribute its comprehensive cloud offering and expertise. The platform will facilitate smooth interaction between a variety of services and data, enabling transportation and logistics companies to benefit much more from the opportunities of digitalisation without having to set up their own resource- and cost-intensive IT projects.

The marketplace will also be open to all digital logistics services providers. Industry and consumers will benefit from the initiative because of greater reliability and transparency in goods and parcel delivery, for example. The companies plan to present a preliminary version of the logistics platform at the forthcoming Hannover Messe, with the launch for Europe, India, and the US set for late 2022.

“The transportation and logistics industry is the backbone of the global economy,” says Sandeep Nelamangala, Executive Director, Bosch Limited, and Executive Sponsor of logistics platform business at Bosch. “In the years ahead, it will have to shoulder continuously increasing transport volumes for goods and commodities while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint. In collaboration with AWS, we want to help the logistics industry with this. We aim to ring in the future of the industry and drive forward its digitalisation.”

Greater efficiency through increased digitalisation

Kathrin Renz, Vice President, Business Development and Industries, AWS, added: “Developing hyperconnected transportation functions is one of the most complex technical challenges of our time. That’s why we are working with a market pioneer such as Bosch to master these unique challenges.

“the digital marketplace will enable logistics customers to quickly transform their business into a fully digital end-to-end value chain. Customers will benefit from the tools, frameworks, and modules we offer for digitalisation, in addition to improving the sustainability of their transportation processes.”

Years-long boom – and no end in sight

The transportation and logistics industry has been booming for years. During the Covid 19 pandemic, online orders and parcel deliveries saw another sharp increase, giving the industry a further boost. By 2030, global goods transport will grow more than 40%, and by 2050 this figure is even expected to exceed 145%. This growth is hitting a market that is highly fragmented globally – as well as struggling with various areas of inefficiency.

A few facts will illustrate this: More than 95% of the companies operating in this industry worldwide are SMEs. Approximately nine out of 10 companies operate with fewer than five vehicles. The majority of freight forwarders still organise their daily business manually or with an assortment of unrelated computer programs.

Moreover, according to the goods transport statistics of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, more than 150 million trips are empty runs, which adds up to more than 6.5 billion empty kilometres annually, or more than 160,000 unnecessary journeys around the earth. This weighs heavily not only on efforts to protect the climate, but also on the already problematic shortage of drivers. The Federal Association for Goods Traffic, Logistics, and Disposal estimates that there is a shortage of between 60,000 and 80,000 drivers in Germany alone – and the situation is becoming more and more acute across the globe.

Many challenges – one solution

With its logistics platform, Bosch aims to provide a key solution for many of the challenges facing the transportation and logistics industry. The advantage of this platform is that it will create an entire ecosystem and a software environment in which freight carriers and forwarders can select, book, and execute different providers’ services to meet their specific needs. The platform also allows for easy integration of applications that are already relevant to the market, for instance, in transportation management systems.

Thanks to shared usage of data that is available through the telematics systems in commercial vehicles, for example from fleet management, it is also possible to link and allow interplay between different services from different areas. This makes it easier to leverage synergies.

 

Semtech platform extended to support worldwide tracking

Posted on by David Priestman

Semtech Corporation, a leading global supplier of high performance analogue and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, has added multi-band capabilities to its LoRa Edge device-to-Cloud geolocation platform. The new LoRa Edge LR1120 allows for direct satellite-connected Internet of Things (IoT) applications in supply chain management and logistics with seamless low power geolocation on a global scale.

“Semtech’s LoRa is targeting track and trace challenges faced by the logistics industry today with a geolocation IoT platform adapted to global transportation and mass-scale asset management,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president of IoT product marketing for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “With the launch of multi-band LoRa support, coupled with LoRa Cloud services, it has never been easier to expand ubiquitous IoT connectivity and geolocation globally.”

With LoRa Edge LR1120, intercontinental logistics companies can leverage highly integrated, ultra-low power trackers with enhanced interoperability, more versatile connectivity for a simpler operation and global mobility across multiple regulatory regions. Additionally, the possibility to offer a low-power and low-cost sensor with satellite connectivity unlocks a multitude of use cases in infrastructure monitoring, agriculture and environmental monitoring that require deployment in remote areas, which tend to be very capital intensive.

According to Christopher Taylor, Director, RF & Wireless with Strategy Analytics, “Combining LoRa with small, relatively low-cost LEO satellites will change the game for LoRa and IoT. Adding satellite communication capabilities in the S-band to LoRa can help replace aging SCADA monitoring and opens up new applications and markets, especially in remote regions. So far, LoRa has attracted the interest of several satellite companies including EchoStar and Lacuna.”

Key Features:

  • Multi-band LoRa capability (sub-GHz, 2.4GHz and licensed S-band for satellite) and multi-technology geolocation using GNSS for outdoor and Wi-Fi for indoor, as well as areas where satellite coverage is poor
  • LoRa Cloud geolocation solver, which transfers the location processing workload from the device to the Cloud, making ‘deploy once’ battery life possible
  • Supported by GPS and BeiDou constellations
  • Hardware crypto engine for increased security

Bonus content

Sree Durbha (pictured), Director of LoRa Edge Product Management, spoke exclusively with Logistics Business:

Logistics Business (LB): What is the typical customer this product is aimed at?

Sree Durbha (SD): The new LR1120 is the next product in the LoRa Edge portfolio that adds the ability to operate LoRa in the universal 2.4GHz and the SATCOM S-band (licensed portion of the S-band between 1.9GHz and 2.2GHz) for terrestrial and satellite communications utilizing the onboard GNSS (GPS/BeiDou) and Wi-Fi passive scanners for indoor and outdoor geolocation. Customers in a variety of industry verticals are interested in developing trackers and end nodes based on LR1120 targeting applications such as transoceanic shipping cargo transportation, logistics companies trucking goods between different EU countries. Our key customers and partners commercialising this solution are industry leaders in the space industry and intercontinental logistics companies. We also work with network operators, systems integrators and solution providers who are developing satellite LoRa and 2.4GHz LoRa based IoT solutions.

LB: Where does it have an advantage over competitive alternatives?

SD: LR1120 is a highly integrated multi-technology, multi-band indoor/outdoor geolocation solution with the location engine based in the cloud (LoRa Cloud by Semtech). This unique architecture delivers ground breaking flexibility in choosing networks as well as power consumption that’s 10x lower than comparable discrete GNSS solutions out there. We’ve seen several customers take advantage of this value proposition with their LR1110 based products over the past year.

LB: What is the timescale for integration/implementation?

SD: One of the goals for our LoRa Edge device-to-cloud platform is to empower our customers and partners to shorten their design cycles by absorbing critical components like modem development, end-to-end development using our tracker reference design and integration cloud based geolocation and modem management services. Having all of the hardware, software and cloud services components available from a single source like Semtech affords customers the ability to speed things up. So we’ve seen some of our LoRa Edge customers go from concept to commercial launch of their trackers or remote monitoring devices in about 12 months. We expect a similar or better timescale for customers adopting the new LR1120.

LB: What are the operational and fiscal benefits customers are likely to enjoy?

SD: Along with the hardware, software and cloud services integration benefits outlined above, customers will also benefit from a unified satellite based LoRa network service offered by our operator partners such as Echostar, Lacuna Space and others. This not only provides a single network to roam across all of continental Europe for example, but also cuts the operational costs of having to pay for multiple regional public and or private networks for use cases such as transporting goods across geographical boundaries in Europe.

Wenko achieves supply chain transparency with Setlog

Posted on by David Priestman

The household goods specialist Wenko Wenselaar is accelerating the digitisation of its supply chain. From the third quarter of 2022 on, the family-owned company from Germany will manage its supply chain centrally using Setlog‘s cloud-based software tool OSCA.

“The experience gained from the supply chain disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic made us realise that production and goods transport must be controlled with a digital operation platform in the future,” emphasises Niklas Koellner, Managing Director at Wenko Wenselaar.

“This way, we bring transparency into the supply chain and can inform suppliers and forwarders of changes via a central tool – Excel spreadsheets and hectic email correspondence become unnecessary.” The company chose Setlog’s software suite because the best-practice version is easy to use, Koellner said.

“The software can be implemented quickly and enables optimal control of all logistics processes,” explains Ralf Duester, a member of Setlog’s board of directors. The first meeting with the logistics department took place at the end of February, and the launch is already planned for the beginning of the third quarter this year.

Whether shower rails, ironing boards or kitchen scales: Wenko offers more than 5,000 articles in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry, and living sectors. The goods are manufactured in the Far East, Eastern Europe, Spain, France, and Germany.

In future, Wenko will transmit orders to its suppliers from the ERP system via OSCA – the majority of the approximately 100 partners as well as the three main freight forwarders will be connected to the software within a very short time. The SCM software serves as a central communication and processing tool for all partners along the supply chain – from order confirmation and delivery planning to the booking of transports and shipments.

In addition to costs, volumes, lead- and transport times, drayage control and carton packing lists (including label generation), delivery dates can also be controlled. Wenko’s freight forwarding partners will transmit transport notifications, updates and tracking data directly into the system.

A KPI dashboard visualises the most important key figures for the 40 or so Wenko employees who will be working directly with the solution. As soon as delivery data changes or delays occur, all partners in the supply chain are informed simultaneously. From go-live onwards, all of the around 4,000 shipments per year will run via OSCA.

Most of the goods are delivered to two buffer warehouses in Germany. From there, they are transported to Wenko’s central warehouse in Hueckelhoven, where around 34,000 pallet spaces are available. The company delivers to a total of 81 countries, with a focus on Europe. Although the launch of OSCA SCM is still pending, the Wenko management is already considering further digitisation stages and has already analysed the OSCA modules for quality management and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

For the 2023 implementation of the German supply chain due diligence law, the family-owned company with its 570 employees wants to be in the best possible position.

 

Tive raises $54m of funding

Posted on by David Priestman

Tive, a technology leader in the new era of supply chain and logistics visibility, has closed $54m of Series B funding led by AXA Venture Partners, with participation from Sorenson Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, Fifth Wall, SJF Ventures and Floating Point Ventures as well as the existing investors RRE Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, NextView Ventures, Hyperplane Ventures, Broom Ventures, and Supply Chain Ventures.

In 2021, Tive grew its revenue over 300%, acquired more than 200 new customers, and expanded its global footprint. This latest investment will fuel Tive’s rapidly growing international presence, with expansion of global sales and marketing initiatives. In addition, it will accelerate the development and introduction of next-generation solutions, services and bring actionable supply chain intelligence and 24/7 monitoring to the market.

Tive says it continues to outpace and out-innovate the competition with the most advanced multi-sensor trackers, a truly intuitive SaaS application, and live 24/7 shipment monitoring service. As one of the leading providers of supply chain tracking technology, Tive has delivered real-time shipment visibility in more than 200 countries, and helped save thousands of shipments from being delayed, damaged, spoiled, or rejected.

Addressing immediate logistics needs

“Tive helps supply chain and logistics professionals bring their customer to the forefront and improve the experience of their deliveries,” said Krenar Komoni (pictured), Founder & CEO of Tive. ​“We empower every shipper and logistics service provider with the best visibility and monitoring tools in the market. We are committed to developing products that create a seamless experience and don’t get in the way of our customer’s daily operations.

“With ongoing dedication from our investors, we continue to innovate and serve our customers while strengthening our position as a global provider of shipment insights that power the next generation of sustainable and efficient supply chains.”

In 2019, Tive founded the Open Visibility Network (OVN) to ensure its vision of a world where everything and everyone is connected becomes a reality. The OVN makes shipment-level data and insights available to mutual customers and its open to all leading technology enabled stakeholders to join. Current OVN members and partners include project44, FourKites, TransVoyant, FarEye, Marine Traffic, Everstream Analytics, and many more.

“Tive has been scaling at an impressive rate, executing decisively on its vision where everything and everyone is connected. Supply chain visibility has become critical in solving large-scale problems in the world today, and Tive has emerged as the global market leader,” said Alex Scherbakovsky, General Partner at AXA Ventures Partners. ​

“The breadth of data Tive offers and ease of access for shippers, logistics providers and carriers are best in class. We believe that Tive’s next-gen solution and highly valuable network will continue to drive massive growth.”

Visitor registration opens for IMHX

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Visitor registration is now open for IMHX 2022, which returns 6 – 8 September to the NEC, Birmingham as the UK’s flagship event for those involved in managing, maintaining, and optimising the operations that keep supply chains moving.

The free-to-attend event, which last took place in 2019 ahead of the global Covid-19 pandemic, will bring together world-class suppliers to showcase intralogistics and supply chain solutions across three days of interactive demonstrations, exciting new product announcements and immersive experiences – each designed to help companies stay ahead of the shifting landscape of logistics and supply chain processes.

As technology continues to play a crucial role in shaping the future of supply chains, IMHX 2022 will not only provide a fascinating opportunity to discover artificial intelligence, robotics, and automated handling systems throughout the event, but it will also use cutting-edge technology solutions to create a more exciting event experience for visitors.

The Sustainability Zone, which is a brand-new addition for 2022 and is delivered by SEC Group and sponsored by Cranfield University, Crown Lift Trucks and Intelligent Energy, will harmonise a physical and virtual experience through the power of augmented reality. This ground-breaking feature will enable visitors to fully immerse themselves in the existing solutions that can be adopted as sustainability continues to be a key focus across supply chain operations.

IMHX 2022 group director, Rob Fisher, commented: “While the power of technology has enabled us to stay connected over the last three years, we are really delighted to be able to safely welcome our community back to IMHX this year for a face-to-face event.

“Once again, we look forward to working with UK Materials Handling Association to provide an essential opportunity for professionals to source supply chain solutions, discover the very latest in technological advancements and gain actionable insights that will enable them to create stronger, more sustainable operations today that will stand the test of tomorrow’s challenges.”

In addition to the full exhibition floor which includes names such as Whittan Group, Knapp, Combilift, Geek+, Cesab, Zebra Technologies and Swisslog, IMHX 2022 will host a multi-track series of educational seminars, talks and workshops, with each covering key industry themes and trends. The full agenda, which is supported by Cranfield University as the official Academic Partner, is set to be released soon and will feature some of the industry’s most influential, innovative and pioneering minds as conference speakers.

Fisher further commented: “The main conference at IMHX 2022 will focus specifically on sustainability, while the Logistics Solutions agenda will dive into how advancements in technology and product design are driving key efficiency gains.

“As new supply chain challenges continue to emerge amidst the demands of an ever-growing population, both the conference and exhibition at IMHX will provide the ultimate opportunity for this important industry to prepare and protect their operations.”

Navigating the supply chain crisis

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Factors out of our control have sent the supply chain into crisis. Yoav Kutner, CEO of Oro Inc., discusses why supply chain issues occur and how businesses can use technology to overcome the hurdle.

The Covid-19 pandemic plunged our supply chains into unprecedented chaos, they were severely interrupted and businesses are still suffering from the instability – who could forget about the Ever Given ship that blocked the Suez Canal in 2021?

Supply chain problems dominate the news these days. Just recently, the shortage of truck drivers in the UK has been a hot topic of conversation with a Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey estimating that there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK. This lack of drivers means supplies and products can’t be delivered and subsequently has a knock on effect to other businesses.

A notable supply chain issue includes the launch of the twin-engined Boeing 787 in 2007 which vowed to set a production time record – it’s safe to say this did not happen. The first phase of construction was held up by the smallest of issues – some were minuscule like running out of fasteners and Boeing even resorted to buying more at Home Depot. The plane was launched years later than planned with a plethora of hiccups to blame. Although this example explores supply chain issues within a grand scale company, this drawback had a detrimental effect on smaller businesses too.

So what exactly is causing today’s global supply chain issues? For one thing, the pandemic was a huge factor in slowing the supply chain right down. At the height of Coronavirus, many manufacturers shut down or reduced operations significantly. However, returning operations to ‘normality’ has been more difficult than expected.

Rising and falling infection rates impact various parts of the world differently. For example, China requires a rapid shutdown of factories and shipping centres at the first sign of infections. China’s actions create a domino effect on manufacturers and shippers in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. These countries serve as an essential source of apparel, consumer goods, and computer chips for cars and electronics.

Increased demand is also to blame for the supply chain crisis. Consumers have gone out less and thus spent less during lockdowns. Combined with government checks, this has led to pent-up demand. Since restrictions have eased, there has been an influx of demand at once, that has amounted to trillions of dollars in spending in a relatively short amount of time, straining producers. As well as resulting in more orders, this demand has led to more frequent out-of-stocks, delays and rising prices.

Manufacturers have also been cutting costs in the face of the pandemic, trimming inventories to match demand. Now, faced with shortages, they are ordering extra supplies, increasing the strain on our distribution systems.

These are just a few examples of how a domino effect can greatly alter the supply chain. However, hope is not all lost as technology is on hand to help businesses of all sizes cope with potential supply chain issues and make a stronger, more resilient business. B2B businesses must continually monitor supply chains, spot upcoming disruptions on the horizon, and keep customers informed every step of the way.

Supply chain monitoring tools are a must for manufacturers, warehouses, and logistics companies. For example, companies should integrate data between business systems such as a B2B eCommerce platform, CRM, BI, and ERP. Integrated systems provide customers with insights into your supply chain before they place their orders. And with increased information flows, businesses can make informed decisions and apprise customers of their order status.

Visibility and agility are great, but businesses need the ability to act according to changing circumstances. Whether it’s quickly growing suppliers, boosting communications, making contingency plans, or expanding operations – it all requires a stable foundation.

A strong B2B eCommerce presence gives businesses greater manoeuvrability in the face of delays and disruptions than would be possible with brick-and-mortar infrastructure. Brands can adequately respond to demands, grow their stores, launch new ones, or roll out to additional regions. It also helps them grow when things do get back on track.

As our lives get busier, we often forget the importance of a simple personal follow-up. Reaching back to clients after a long period of time might also serve to remind them that your product or service is still available and that your customer service is outstanding. In some cases, following up with an old customer may prompt them to make another purchase or provide a word-of-mouth recommendation to someone else.

Just don’t forget about the back office. As supply chain situations develop, it’s important to distribute crucial information across all segments of operations. This way, your company will be better prepared in case a sudden supply chain crisis develops in the future.

Shypple launches freight forwarding platform for perishables

Posted on by David Priestman

Shypple has launched the first digital forwarder platform for perishables. With this platform, Shypple addresses the specific needs of shippers of perishables. It offers a fast, reliable and efficient solution for products where flexible and fast shipping is a necessity. The platform will be live in Q2 2022 and available to Shypple users.

In the perishables market, freight forwarding relies heavily on Excel spreadsheets, emails, phone calls and other error-prone methods of managing the supply chain. Because of the overcrowded container market, where increasing delays cause a lot of uncertainty, fast and efficient transport can be challenging. This is especially true in the perishables industry, where items with a short shelf life need to be transported as quickly as possible to stay fresh.

Shypple has added extra features to meet the needs of perishable shippers. While many solutions rely on the GPS data from container ships, Shypple implements “near real-time” terminal data on its platform, including the most up-to-date schedule. As a result, shippers know exactly when their cargo will be unloaded. They can use this information to organise the rest of the supply chain, for example, by scheduling trucks immediately after unloading.

The Shypple platform gives users all their transport activities in one clear overview. As a result, all teams, from the department store to the sales department, are provided with the most up-to-date freight information, allowing organisations to respond immediately.

“The traditional logistics for perishables is undergoing a true transformation. These innovations are needed to get perishables from one side of the world to the other as quickly as possible,” said Jarell Habets, CEO and founder of Shypple. “We are proud to launch the world’s first ‘perishable’ platform. The platform provides great insight and convenience, making it an essential asset for getting cooled products from A to B quickly.”

 

 

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