Common Obstacles to Supply Chain Digitization and How Sheer Logistics Helps You Overcome Them
Supply chains everywhere are being threatened by higher costs and lower capacity. Employee shortages for carriers, warehouses, and docks combined with increasing customer demands for instantaneous product deliveries have created an almost impossible situation for supply chain managers. The key word here is “almost.”
Modern businesses have one key advantage that gives them the edge—technology. Digitizing your supply chain has become a necessity in today’s logistics climate, but it can be challenging, especially for manufacturing companies and other shippers that are still reliant on manual inputs and spreadsheet models.
Ultimately, though, the benefits of bringing your supply chain into the digital age far outweigh the cost, time, and resources required.
Digital supply chain management has become more important than ever before, and companies must actively reduce costs and increase efficiency in every corner of their business to stay even with global competition. Introducing technology means taking back control of your processes and supply chains. A TMS system not only allows your business to streamline existing processes but also is an opportunity to address functional limitations.
This blog will take a look at the common obstacles businesses face when digitizing their supply chains and how Sheer Logistics unlocks a world of possibility through modern transportation management technology.
Reluctance to Change
In our experience, the biggest obstacle to modernization isn’t financial or systemic. Instead, it’s in the attitude that change is unnecessary. In business, change is inevitable, but many business leaders still take a conservative approach to technology. Even if it “ain’t broke,” that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need fixing. It’s important to embrace new technology. You can be sure that your competition isn’t sitting idly by, waiting for the market to change around them. The range of options provided by a TMS means that any business issue has built-in solutions. Perhaps most importantly, new machine learning technology means new functionality that allows your supply chains to perform above and beyond their current capabilities.
Poor Integration
Even the sharpest members of an in-house IT team may feel they’re not qualified enough to integrate TMS technology into their existing systems. And they’re often right. It’s a daunting task to learn brand new software before integrating existing systems, configuring new features, and supporting existing workflows. That’s where a logistics technology partner like Sheer Logistics has the most value. Our roots are in TMS software like MercuryGate, and we’ve developed our own SheerXchange integration platform that simplifies the process. Modernization is a team effort, and existing IT teams are an important resource that helps bring everything together.
Supply Chain Cyber Threats
Cybersecurity and data breaches are a critical topic for all businesses in any industry, and when internal functions like logistics and supply chain management are brought to the cloud, there is a risk of data loss—at least on the surface. The reality is that any modern technology upgrade includes a security upgrade, making any cloud-based data as safe as it would be if it were housed in an on-premise data center. Automated backups and software updates mean your business is always running the latest versions—and in the case of data loss, it can be restored in a matter of minutes.
Lack of Stakeholder Buy-In
A TMS integration is a risky process, and a lot of reluctance to embrace new technology stems from a concern for reputational damage. Failure means a monumental loss of time and resources, and the larger the company, the more stakeholders that have to be satisfied with the end result. But the goal isn’t to make each department happy. It’s to change the system drastically to benefit the entire organization. It’s not easy to prioritize modernization over office politics, which is why it’s easier for leaders to bring in outside help. A TMS expert like Sheer Logistics is a neutral party that has one goal—modernization. By engaging with an external TMS expert, you increase your chances of success while reducing the risk of backlash from stakeholders. Digital technologies are just the beginning. Any organizational change requires an equal cultural change as well, and for any modernization effort to succeed, buy-in is a critical step.
Sheer Starts You on the Right Path
We are in an age of information. Big data is the new currency of a modern marketplace, and businesses that are reluctant to use data and reporting to create better planning platforms and supply chains are impairing their ability to remain profitable and relevant.
Sheer Logistics is the key to modernized, digitized supply chains. We help guide your decision-making to create lasting, budget-friendly solutions to more effectively manage inventory, use predictive analytics, ship and track the movement of parts, and even manage personnel.
Change is never easy. Sometimes teams aren’t ready to invest in new technology or depart from their comfort zone and learn new ways of doing things. But the reality is that change is the environment of business. The time from the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk to Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon was only 66 years. In order for this astounding kind of progress to take hold, people had to cast aside deeply held assumptions and work towards a common goal.
Sheer Logistics can help your business get there.
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