Improved logistics operations upgrade delivery services for customers while reducing costs and complexity for businesses. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers are now calling for supply chains of critical goods, especially medical supplies and high-tech products, to be reshored to the United States. The supply chain management process concludes with support for the product and customer returns. It’s bad enough when a customer needs to return a product, but even worse if that’s due to an error on the company’s part. This return process is often called reverse logistics, and the company must ensure it has the capabilities to receive returned products and correctly assign refunds for them. Whether a company is conducting a product recall or a customer is simply not satisfied with the product, the transaction with the customer must be remedied. Technology that boosts productivity ultimately reduces costs while improving services.
Today, such products include rare-earth metals, artificial intelligence, hypersonic weaponry, 5G technology, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, synthetic biology, and specialized medical equipment. The ongoing pandemic has highlighted structural problems in global supply chains. Chinese manufacturing of essential medical goods and equipment has revealed what some regard as a dangerous over-reliance on products critical to national health and economies. Obviously, the longer the journey between the original supplier and end consumer and the more legs (and/or transportation modes) involved, the more difficult it is to maintain the necessary temperature. For example, in the case of international shipping, freight sometimes goes through multiple storage facilities or distribution centers and has to be reloaded several times. Real-time communication is a crucial solution to many logistics challenges, especially regarding tech support. Of all the different vendors you need to be in touch with during an emergency, an experienced IT team can significantly reduce downtime.
Have a designated space to handle returns
So instilling supply chain employees with empowerment, ownership and accountability can incentivize them to achieve more capabilities than they, or the organization, ever thought possible. Supply chain logistics can be complex; fulfillment, warehousing, and shipping all come with major challenges. When it comes to supply chain logistics, 3PL organizations are experts and can support customers with years of experience and industry connections to quickly streamline processes. Working with a 3PL can also help lower your transportation costs, drive efficiencies, and develop solutions for complex supply chain challenges. And with connectivity to various phases of supply chain operations, third party logistics providers are often able to provide real-time visibility to your inventory as it is in motion. Federal government interventions to cultivate supply chain resilience must work in tandem with a given industry’s clock speed.
Many executives are hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, as the adage goes, “hope is not a strategy.” There are ways to stand out and better navigate the storms of the next inevitable disruption. These include reimaging your supply chain strategies for risk and resilience and finding ways to include operational excellence and standard work to help enable continual supply chain cost reduction. Invest in digital technologies such as cloud-based collaboration platforms, automation, and data analytics and AI at speed. And with scarcity in truly skilled resources, think carefully about where to leverage expertise and where automate the tactical. Read more about specialized global logistics here. In the past, supply chain did not always have a seat at the table to provide input to the overall strategy, now more than ever supply chain is seen as a strategic differentiator, and we don’t see that changing any time soon.
How Logistics Functions ? 6 Major Functions of Logistics.
They will uncover millions in cost savings from insights and avoided risks, increasing speed-to-market, productivity, and job satisfaction. They’ll store your inventory, and pick, pack, and ship orders across most of the United States within two days — freeing up your time so you can spend it on marketing, sales, customer support, and anything else that will help you grow. Include a return form as part of your reverse logistics process for insight into your products.
How to Be the Best Logistics Manager: 10 Secrets for Success
Real-time demand data can be used to determine transshipment decisions of raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished products in order to ensure inventories are kept in balance. Additionally, IATA’s Temperature Control Regulations (TCR) were set apart as a standalone publication to ensure safe air shipping of pharmaceuticals. Besides that, each country has its own regulations.Worth mentioning separately is the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). GCCA unites 1,100 cold chain logistics service providers in 85 countries and its mission is to build a universally strong and safe cold chain.
The courier should be able to communicate effectively and efficiently and be available when the customer needs them. If you can effectively manage your employees, it will go a long way in overcoming logistical challenges. By planning ahead, and preparing your team for the potential challenges of the future, you’ll always be operating from a well-informed position. As an eCommerce business grows it’s crucial to have a system in place to keep all orders on track and make sure that every order is delivered to the right place and on time. Natalie is a content writer and manager who is passionate about using her craft to empower others. Union Pacific’s Council of Native American Heritage (CONAH) employee resource group (ERG) has a calendar of events planned to explore the culture and centuries old history of Native people. In addition to Native American Heritage Month, CONAH also held a cultural fair in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
