Tag Archives: LeanLogistics

SaaS-Based TMS Empowers Global Freight Management

Jon Kuerschner oversees sales, marketing and partner channels at LeanLogistics and provides valuable insights for companies interested in implementing differentiated logistics solutions.

 

Jon Kuerschner, SVP Sales & Marketing, featured in the July 2012 Inbound Logistics Thought Leaders section.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing shippers in today’s economic environment?

A: In today’s volatile market, managing transportation domestically and globally is a key factor for a more efficient and cohesive supply chain. Many businesses still use manual methods to manage freight, with no way to measure service or performance. Other companies are bound to installed/hosted legacy transportation management systems (TMS), which limit the flexibility and visibility necessary for end-to-end supply chain management. With limited metrics and no best practices, companies struggle to improve services and reduce transportation costs.

Additionally, as more companies expand overseas and offshore, multi-country compliance is quickly becoming a challenging factor of transportation management.

Q: How can today’s shippers effectively manage domestic and global freight?

A: To support global initiatives, shippers should consider leveraging a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) TMS with domestic and global functionality. True global logistics technology enables companies to successfully manage all modes of transportation—domestic and global—under a common umbrella while providing complete visibility and direct collaboration between shippers and carriers.

By leveraging a global TMS, shippers are empowered with a comprehensive solution for managing domestic and cross-border freight that directly impacts the bottom line. Automated communications, processes, and workflow between supply chain partners allow companies to improve efficiencies while gaining visibility into freight payment and discrepancies before they impact the company’s finances.

Global transportation technology bridges the gap for multi-divisional enterprises, enabling domestic and global logistics management in a centralized system that delivers significant value for shippers and carriers.

Q: How can companies looking to expand internationally leverage a TMS?

A: A TMS with both domestic and global functionality provides scalability for those companies that are currently handling domestic freight while looking to expand into international territories, or even those companies that are currently managing international freight outside of their domestic processes but need one flexible platform for domestic and global transportation.

Furthermore, with a true SaaS TMS solution, companies have visibility to true total landed costs and lead-times to make better sourcing decisions while monitoring and managing supplier performance all over the globe.

A true SaaS solution for stransportation management enables companies to reduce overall transportation spend; gain visibility into domestic and global transportation processes; improve collaboration between all global partners of the supply chain; and scale and quickly adapt technology based on domestic and global needs.

[WEBINAR] Managing Transportation | Register Now

Thursday, August 23rd | 2:00-3:00 PM EDT | REGISTER NOW

AEP Industries, a leader in flexible packaging products, doubles in size every four years through acquisitions and new market opportunities. From meat packaging to shrink wrap to garbage bags, AEP produces over 15,000 types of multi-purpose packaging films and ships out roughly 1.4 billion lbs. of freight annually. As the company continues to grow, AEP centralizes transportation management with LeanLogistics’ SaaS-based technologies.

With a scalable transportation solution, AEP is able to:

  • Gain complete visibility into new and existing business units
  • Improve carrier relationships and secure capacity
  • Mitigate costs & acquire new business without adding resources

Space is limited. Reserve your webinar seat today.

Reduce Transportation Costs with SaaS Scheduling Solution

Truck dock

Scheduling and managing shipments has never been more complex or costly than today. Fuel cost increases, limited access to funds for reinvestment in equipment, and a shortage of drivers, have limited carrier options. When combined with increased demands for quicker
response, faster delivery, flexibility with order changes, and smaller shipment sizes, the situation becomes even more diffi cult to manage.

Many companies are still scheduling these complex shipments through a manual process supported by spreadsheets, increasing the chance of errors. Even those with programs or standard processes still fi nd it diffi cult to communicate the transportation schedule with everyone that needs to be involved. From simply opening the loading dock or shipping location at the right times in order to ensure coverage, to making sure there’s enough manpower available to manage the workload, a lack of visibility into a company’s shipping schedule can cause frustration, idle time for workers, and customer service issues due to missed delivery deadlines.

Some companies attempt to solve these issues by adding more personnel to the transportation department. Unfortunately this typically just increases costs and creates even more opportunity for errors through decentralization of this important piece of transportation and logistics management. What if companies could easily share their schedule of shipping needs, have access to carrier availability and see real-time performance metrics that help fully optimize their transportation department?

Web-based scheduling solutions, such as LeanLogistics’ LeanAppoint, are a carrier-friendly, easy way of organizing a company’s transportation schedules on a SaaS platform. With SaaS scheduling solutions, companies no longer have to rely on spreadsheets or written calendars to manage the transportation schedule. Everything is visible and manageable through an intuitive, online program created to provide greater insight into both carrier and company performance.

Learn how LeanAppoint transportation scheduling solution helps companies save 2-5% from accounts reductions and process savings >>

Work the Network

What if you could access a transportation community to manage your business? What if you could connect and collaborate with other transportation professionals? What if you had visibility into the broader transportation network? The opportunities are virtually endless when you work the LeanLogistics Transportation Network.

Bridging the Global Logistics Gap with Transportation Technology

Global shippers today face the challenge of orchestrating end-to-end logistics processes while managing the interplay with other third parties, such as customers, suppliers, ocean carriers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and government agencies. Doing so effectively is difficult, regardless of whether the shipper is importing or exporting freight. Part of the challenge is dealing with international laws, global regulations and multiple languages, currencies, and units of measure; supply chain security and compliance programs, such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Operation Safe Commerce, place even more burdens on the proper execution of global logistics.

Currently, management of international freight is still largely dominated by manual processes and point/siloed technology solutions. Additionally, since many global supply chain organizations are decentralized with separate groups and often separate systems, the issues become multiplied. That is changing quickly, however, with the emergence of global transportation management systems (TMS) that have the functionality and built-in connectivity needed to manage all the moving parts of global logistics in one system.

With SaaS global logistics management technology, companies can:

  •     Manage the complexities of multi-leg, multi-modal movements by synchronizing international and domestic legs.
  •     Connect instantly with ocean carriers, forwarders and NVOCCs.
  •     Automate import and export processes to enable goods to flow unimpeded across international borders in the most efficient and compliant way possible.
  •     Extend “track and trace” capabilities by configuring a multi-partner workflow with explicit milestones to tightly manage end-to-end supply chain process and provide real-time visibility with event notification to all stakeholders.
  •     Eliminate third-party freight payment services by automating the freight audit process and authorizing payment to supply chain partners.
  •     Manage supply chain partner performance and streamline operations by evaluating transportation spend management through the use of analytical and reporting tools.

By leveraging a global TMS, shippers can become empowered with a comprehensive solution for managing domestic and cross-border freight, which directly impacts the bottom line.

This entry was originally posted on Logistics Viewpoints, read the full article here >>