If you work in the discrete manufacturing sector, you’re in a tricky situation. Your supply chain needs to become leaner, more flexible and everything needs to be faster. On the other hand, production is getting more and more complex, parts are being shipped from across the globe and you’re dealing with increasing numbers of carriers and suppliers.
So how do you strike a balance between high quality products, a well-oiled supply chain and customer satisfaction? Two words: technology and collaboration. The only way to achieve your business’ goals is to leverage the former in order to drive the latter. Only then can you optimize the end-to-end process.
Full visibility and data driven processes
Production environments are dynamic and their output can be difficult to predict. In this context, successful businesses often need to rely on a lean and flexible transportation process. From sourcing specialized carriers at short notice, to ensuring real-time visibility over the location and ETA of goods, shippers need to be able to react and plan as quickly as possible. Not to mention the ability to optimize reusable packaging processes.
A digitalized transportation process built on a customizable TMS, represents an optimal solution. By collating, analyzing and drawing insights from numerous data points, a dedicated platform can bring about a step change in the discrete manufacturing process. Additional benefits include reduced operating costs, automated invoicing and freight cost management and live tracking of carriers.
The key is customization
An end-to-end TMS plays a crucial role in helping businesses reduce stock levels and consequently keep invested capital as low as possible. It acts as the connection between an ERP system, focused purely on static order process, and the dynamics that affect supply and demand. The latter require market-leading Warehouse Management solutions, alongside a pool of pre-vetted carriers, able to respond when needed.
Alpega TMS delivers all of the above and more. It’s this combination of operational excellence with strategic planning and optimization, that saw Alpega’s solutions included in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Transport Management Systems for the past nine years in a row.
