A seamless supply chain system incorporates shorter lead-time technologies to improve overall efficiency and customer satisfaction. Lead time in the supply chain is the time that elapses between when a customer places an order and when the order is delivered. When it takes too long to fulfill orders, your customers might start finding alternative suppliers, even if you've built long-term relationships over the years.
There are many ways you can reduce lead times, but your best options will depend on the nature of your business. Here are a few leading technologies you must incorporate into your supply chain system to shorten lead times and improve efficiency.
Container Tracking Software
A container tracking system or software is a tech-based solution that monitors the condition and location of a shipping container. These battery-powered container tracking systems can track containers and bins of all sizes within a certain range of battery-powered GPS-tracking devices. They can track the location of your containers on the road, rail, ship, or air while providing real-time updates throughout the move.
The effective use of this tracking technology ensures your cargo arrives on time and in perfect condition while improving inventory and service delivery. This helps to improve customer satisfaction and increase their return rate.
Warehouse Management System (WMS)
Your warehouse is the center of operations in your entire supply chain system. It's where goods are received and dispatched to various destinations, ensuring clients receive the correct orders at the right time. You can improve efficiency in the warehouse by incorporating a warehouse management system, an application built to support the daily operations of a warehouse. A WMS ensures the successful, centralized management of all the operations in a warehouse.
Through a WMS, you can control the movement and storage of materials and process the necessary transactions such as receiving, picking, and shipping. You can use it as a standalone system, especially if you have multiple large warehouses or are part of a larger control system. The latest WMS versions can handle high data volumes at high speeds, significantly reducing long lead times.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) System
A PLM system effectively manages processes and data at every production stage, ensuring that only high-quality products get to the customers at the right time. The system analyzes the sales, servicing, and production stages of each product across the supply chain, ensuring defective products are removed and replaced on time.
Since these systems offer high levels of transparency, they allow for partner, organizational, and customer feedback throughout the process so that the final products are devoid of defects. When this happens, companies can enjoy shorter lead times as final products are less defective, increasing the chances of customers accepting them at the first delivery.
Material Handling Robots
These mobile robots can autonomously navigate through a distribution center, moving raw materials and finished products from point A to point B much faster and more effectively than humans. Their advanced sensor system allows them to move effortlessly without collision, minimizing breakages of materials in transit. The main advantage of these systems is their ability to work 24 hours a day and their capability to communicate wirelessly with the WMS, helping to reduce lead times significantly.
These technologies are a seamless way to manage your product movement from production to the final customer and reduce lead times. You can always have all or some of these incorporated into your supply chain system, depending on the nature of your business and budget.
