Preparing for the Next Supply Chain Disruption
Planning for the next supply chain disruption while the industry is going through a period of soft freight volumes might seem counter-intuitive, but now is the perfect time to re-evaluate your supply chain and plan for the future. Don’t wait for the next disruption to take control of your supply chain. Read on to learn more.
Wait a Second—Aren’t We In a “Freight Recession?”
If you follow industry news, no doubt you have seen headlines bemoaning the state of the freight market. Some pundits and industry leaders have even gone so far as to proclaim that the industry is in the midst of a “freight recession.” It seems like only yesterday that the market was beset by a lack of capacity and skyrocketing rates. While these market conditions present challenges to carriers and 3PLs alike, shippers are welcoming a return to some semblance of normalcy in their freight operations. Now that the frenzy of the last supply chain disruption has subsided, now is the perfect time to plan for the next one. As every logistics veteran knows, the pendulum will swing back again- it’s just a matter of time. Even when setting aside “black swan” events such as a global pandemic, the freight market is cyclical, and a number of factors, from natural disasters, geopolitical events and domestic economic trends shape the supply and demand curve.
Building Visibility, Efficiency & Resilience
In the wake of the pandemic-driven crisis, shippers have placed a renewed focus on building visibility, efficiency and resilience in their supply chains. When asked in a recent study by Ernst & Young (EY US) to list their top priorities for the next 12 months, 65% of supply chain leaders said they are seeking increased efficiency, 61% are seeking to increase visibility and 38% want to increase responsiveness and resiliency. The question is, how best to accomplish these goals?
Managed Transportation Services partnerships present shippers with an opportunity to address these three key supply chain goals- and more.
The Role of a Managed Transportation Services Partner
A Managed Transportation Services partner like Sheer Logistics can be your ally in a disruption, supplying you with creative ways to manage the transport of your goods and materials and ensure success even in the face of supply chain adversity. Our expert team provides crucial strategies and Managed Transportation solutions that help you avoid excess costs and reputational damage and enable you to get your goods where they need to go on time and on budget. Even better, a Managed Transportation partnership doesn’t just pay dividends when your supply chain is facing adversity; a winning partnership is based on a continuous improvement model that drives consistent value.
Whether you are looking for a partner to provide a fully managed transportation program, a partially managed program, or simply technology and support, Sheer Logistics has you covered.
A robust Managed Transportation partnership can include:
Implementing Powerful Technology
Transportation management systems (TMS) are powerful pieces of technology that enable shippers to manage their entire supply chain operations, and they’re essential for navigating disruption. Outdated methods of supply chain management like spreadsheets or (shudder) pen and paper simply don’t have the flexibility and resilience needed to manage the day-to-day complexity of the supply chain, not to mention the agility required to navigate a full-blown supply chain crisis. Because of this, it’s essential that you implement the right TMS solution before the next crisis hits.
Unlocking the Power of Data Within Your Supply Chain
With the right partner, you can speed the implementation of your TMS, expand your TMS capabilities and gain even more insight into your supply chain operations. Sheer integrates your TMS with a host of point solutions, such as ERP product suites, warehouse management systems, visibility applications and more. SheerExchange, our Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), allows you to connect data from disparate systems while centralizing it within your TMS. This centralization creates opportunities for customized reporting, empowering shippers to make informed real-time business decisions.
Data is the key to avoiding being caught up in supply chain disruption. It enables you to track shipments in real time, monitor carrier performance, and even predict disruption before it occurs. With Sheer, you can do just that.
Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization
Network design is an important concept in supply chain management, especially when it comes to overcoming disruption. It helps identify the most efficient and cost-effective way to link elements of your supply chain, from origin to destination, while considering the complexities of different modes of transportation, regulations, and customer requirements.
Sheer’s team of supply chain experts helps you strategically design and optimize your supply chain network by assessing your processes and identifying inefficiencies within your current network. By alerting you to these issues and helping you resolve them, we ensure you maintain a stable, robust, and agile supply chain that can respond effectively to volatility.
Carrier Management
One of the critical elements of successfully navigating disruption is having access to reliable transportation for your goods and materials. By leveraging a vast network of strategic relationships, Sheer enables you to procure cost-effective carriers that meet your shipping requirements even during a capacity crisis.
We provide detailed insights into how each carrier operates and how they compare against others in terms of performance, cost, load acceptance, compliance, and more to strengthen your supply chain and lower shipping costs. Whether you’re shipping FTL, LTL, reefer, intermodal, or other mode, we ensure you can partner with the right carrier.
Don’t Face a Supply Chain Disruption Alone—Partner With Sheer Today
At Sheer, we’re committed to providing you with the truth and transparency you need to improve your supply chain management and stay ahead of the curve. Using data-driven insights, we help shippers anticipate supply chain issues before they occur, ensuring you’re always capable of reacting to dynamic market forces.
So don’t wait until it’s too late—partner with Sheer Logistics to avoid supply chain disruption and position yourself for long-term success. To learn more, get in touch with us at 866.200.5884 or info@sheerlogistics.com.
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