Gaining real-time visibility of shipments across a supply chain has remained one of the biggest challenges for shippers and third-party logistics service providers (3PLs) alike as real-time visibility technology is relatively new to the transportation industry. Consignees and shippers want to know where their product is if delayed, why, or when it would arrive. Overall, customer experience is no longer just about the product alone but more about the delivery experience. A Gartner report suggests that 57% of CEOs are planning on redeveloping or upgrading their supply chain to better adapt to the demands of the current supply chain industry.
The pandemic's aftereffect on the supply chain industry has made the importance of real-time visibility more evident and why it should no longer be an option but a priority. As real-time visibility technology continues to gain momentum in the transportation industry, there is a consensus that knowing about your shipment translates to greater control. According to Gartner's 2020 Market Guide for Real-Time Transportation Visibility Platforms, by 2023, 50% of global leading enterprises will have invested in real-time transportation visibility solutions. More than ever before, this is the best time to transition to the Digital Supply Chain (DSC) with visibility technology.
The technology market is progressing rapidly, and it can be challenging to keep track of innovations. But companies operating on legacy systems cannot stay competitive or achieve long-term profitability. The stakes are too high to settle for a reactive approach in the transportation and logistics industry. Therefore, for enterprises to be more proactive, it is essential to have visibility over potential disruptions in the supply chain. Real-time transportation visibility equips leaders with insights into what is happening in real-time, thereby giving them greater control of the end-to-end transportation process.
As a leader and pioneer in the SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) landscape over the past decade, ArchLynk has established itself as an expert in Digital Supply Chain transformation. ArchLynk's strategic partnership with top real-time transportation visibility vendors such as p44, ClearMetal, and Fourkites shows the commitment to delivering the best solutions to customers. ArchLynk helps companies to provide seamless process integration that empowers them with the right visibility tools to take control of their supply chain.
With the largest visibility providers on our team and partnership with SAP, ArchLynk visibility implementation provides access to seamless data exchange with an extensive and fast-growing network of carriers and transportation mobility providers.
The SMART Track Fiori App is an Event Management solution that tracks shipments in real-time and integrates within the SAP Transportation Management process. It brings specialized tracking features such as event reporting, proof of delivery mobile signature, image capture, QR Code Reader, etc., to your phones. Smart Track App is an ArchLynk innovation that provides easy shipment tracking on the convenience of your smart devices.
Joerg Rohde, CSO, ArchLynk in an interview with Forbes, said, "Resilience is increased by more flexibility, visibility, and control so that we have tools and choices to react and mitigate when an external disrupting event hits us. We cannot change the external disrupting event itself. However, we can reduce its threat and the severity of its impact by taking possible scenarios into account that could occur according to our risk profile. Then we can make appropriate preparations and adjustments". Therefore, it becomes critical for businesses to invest and develop their mechanism to track impending disruptions and set up alerts and a protocol of what actions need to be taken. Preparing for this situation and creating choices on how to mitigate a crisis is building supply chain resilience.
Lack of visibility creates internal and external inefficiencies across warehousing, fleet, yard, and inbound/outbound transportation, which increases costs through carrier waiting times and detentions or demurrages. As you cannot control what you cannot see, the first step to tackling these inefficiencies is to have access to real-time visibility data of what the roadblocks are. The structure of the visibility solution is designed to support your SCM landscape.
According to Gartner, the potential benefits from real-time transportation visibility are higher customer delivery service, shipper/3PL provider efficiency, and carrier efficiency.
Where to next? Experts believe that real-time visibility in the Supply Chain has come to stay and that it will play a crucial role in redefining the industry's future. The business possibilities are endless when merged with other technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning, Mobile App, etc.
Real-time visibility can be the missing link in your supply chain from planning to execution that can significantly minimize risks and optimize the utilization of your available resources. Since most businesses still lack real-time visibility technology, having end-to-end multimodal visibility provides enterprises with a competitive edge.
Are you looking for a visibility solution? Do you want to digitize your supply chain but have reservations? Are you searching for an innovative partner to help enhance your execution visibility data and tackle your complex business scenarios? ArchLynk can help you build a truly agile supply chain with advanced visibility solutions.
Contact Us today for more information.