Supply Chain Digitization: How a Digital Supply Chain Network Improves Your Business

The Physical (and Virtual) Movement of Goods Is an Art Form

A supply chain seems like such a simple thing. A business buys a product, and that product gets transported to a destination. But logistics is one of the most complex activities a business can do. When you have multiple products with different delivery times, different carriers, outside factors such as weather and international customs that cause delays and additional costs, and consumers who demand fast delivery after the purchase, a flexible supply chain is difficult to build and even harder to maintain.

Complexity is something logistics experts have wrestled with for decades, even with the use of computers, when the goal is a seamless flow of products and data between vendors and buyers.

The transportation industry always seems scary and volitile, and any business owners looking to enter new markets and expand may think twice once they see the risks and costs. But at Sheer, we have the answer: technology. When a business implements supply chain digitization, the game changes. Difficult issues of timing and cost become mere bumps in the road. What used to take days to complete is now done accurately and in minutes. Data that could not be accurately collected is now gathered automatically and stored securely until it can be analyzed.

These are powerful benefits, and this blog will talk about what a digital supply chain is, what makes it effective, and how Sheer Logistics leverages this technology to benefit every one of our clients.

What Is the Digital Supply Chain?

Data has always existed. What hasn’t always existed is the ability to measure, compile, store, clean, and analyze data accurately. Supply chains span the operations of any company. Almost every aspect of a business is geared toward delivering a product to a consumer.

A digital supply chain takes analog processes and uses technology to automate, streamline, and improve how these work.

The Aspects of an Effective Digital Supply Chain Network

Real-Time Information – Through the Internet of things (IoT), it is simple to know where a shipment is, its exact condition, and any issues it has encountered in real time.

End-to-End Electronic Connectivity – From raw materials to a finished product, a digital supply chain enhances the accuracy and transparency of every link in the supply chain.

Predictive Forecasting – Through algorithms, past and present data, and information about trends, a digital supply chain is able to help business owners make proactive decisions and reduce costs.

Speed – Supply chain data analytics and other logistics technologies improve end-to-end collaboration between processes, thus leading to speedier execution.

Sheer Logistics Will Lead Your Supply Chain Digital Transformation

No two supply chains are exactly the same. They may produce similar products, be under similar market pressures, belong to the same industry, and even exist within the same company, but each one is a distinctly different organism from another.

But the patterns between different supply chains are the same—that’s how a logistics consultant like Sheer Logistics can fully optimize every supply chain that exists in a business.

  • We analyze how supply chains work for your business.
  • We connect your transportation management software to different parts of your business. This means the automatic collection of data is as accurate as it can possibly be, and real-time shipment information is exactly the same for all stakeholders in the supply chain process.
  • Through the latest transportation management technology and decades of logistics experience, we optimize your supply chains.

Optimizing your digital supply chain requires the cooperation of your vendors. The major problem with this is that with different types of systems, TMS programs, and legacy software, it is difficult to have complete parity between them. How do you translate from one to another?
The answer lies in partnering with a logistics provider that makes technology integration a primary focus of supply chain digitization.

The best digital supply chain networks start with established, enterprise-wide programs. These primary systems include:

  • Purchase ordering systems
  • Warehouse management systems
  • Sales order systems
  • Transportation management systems
  • Accounting systems
  • CRMs

The amount of data these programs generate is astronomical, and we collect it all into a central hub. Then this data is processed and connected. This creates a big picture, and businesses can build processes that orchestrate how these systems talk to gain insight into their business and streamline future innovations and process improvements.

At Sheer, we help our customers meet their logistics challenges, and one very important way we do this is through our SheerExchange platform. We make certain that the data you work with is accurate and up to date, and through SheerExchange, we make the physical transportation of your products congruent with the digital representation of it.

We are a 3PL that combines years of logistics and technology experience with a powerful transportation brokerage that handles domestic and international shipments with ease. We combine everything you would expect out of a solid 3PL but to increase our value, we leverage our own integration program to help customers transform digitally and build flexible, advanced supply chains.

All of our systems combine to help customers move freight, manage data, and improve how they get their products from Point A to Point B. We offer:

  • Managed transportation services that include carrier management and logistics optimization.
  • Freight brokerage services that take a multi-modal approach to shipping.
  • Transportation management software that puts you on the cutting edge of logistics technology.
  • Consulting services that give you the insight you need to navigate complex markets, so you make informed expansion decisions.
  • International shipping consulting so you can approach cross-border logistics with confidence.

Are you ready to ship intelligently? Reach out to Sheer Logistics today, and let’s start your digital supply chain transformation.

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