Home » Blog » How Can Supply & Logistics Companies Leverage Process Consulting
Supply and logistics companies are a vital and critical part of the economic landscape. Many companies are affected by supply and logistics. If a company sells a product, it has a supply chain to manage. If a business physically handles a product, it deals in logistics. The number of businesses that meet either one of these criteria is enormous. Apart from this, there are many companies dedicated solely to transport, supply, and logistics services. If any of these companies are going to optimize and streamline their supply chain and logistics, process consulting can be incredibly valuable and beneficial.
In this article we will cover challenges for supply and logistics companies, what a supply and logistics process consultant does, supply and logistics benefits of process consulting, supply and logistics process consulting services, and supply and logistics process consulting outsourcing.
Challenges for Supply and Logistics Companies
Supply chain, transportation and logistics companies face many challenges that other businesses face, but with a special twist for the space they operate in. Supplier and partner relationship management can be critical in this sector as there are typically several steps in the process of providing services. Like many industries supply and logistic companies face staffing and labor shortages whether it is truck drivers, warehouse workers or back office staff. Also, like many industries cost containment can be a challenge with labor and fuel prices rising or being unpredictable. This sector, more than others, needs to pay close attention to capacity management. A lack of it can snarl the supply chain, and too much of it can be a tremendous drag on a business. Keeping up with ever-changing and demanding customer requirements, plus providing digital omnichannel customer support also can vex a supply and logistics company.
Technology Challenges for Supply and Logistics Companies
Transportation, supply, and logistics companies can have unique issues keeping up with technology changes. Digital transformation is changing this industry rapidly. One needs to look no further than Amazon to start to visualize changes and challenges. Robotics in warehouses and workerless supply depots are a real thing. Automation in back offices and using software bots to perform tasks, plus AI to anticipate supply and business issues also is transforming the space. Managing massive amounts of data and making sense of business intelligence is an additional demand. When a competitor leverages these tools, other companies must keep up. Addressing the myriad of challenges supply and logistics companies face comes down to continuous process Improvement. A skilled supply and logistics process consultant can help with all of this. This is why so many companies in the supply and logistics space are increasingly taking advantage of supply and logistics process consulting services.
What a Logistics Process Consultant Does
Supply and logistics process consulting services provide a fresh set of eyes to any business. It is this fresh perspective that is the most important supply and logistics benefits of process consulting. A supply and logistics process consultant will always start by documenting existing “as is” processes. They will then work with a client to define “to be” processes and map out the best plan to get from point A to point B. After documentation of existing processes, a supply and logistics process consultant will analyze them and look for process improvement. They will redesign processes, as needed, and test them with a client. If changes need to be made, they will be documented and communicated. Once everyone is onboard, and aware of changes, an implementation will take place. All implementations are closely monitored to make sure they are first successful, and second can be optimized to make them even better. After all of these steps are completed, the cycle will start again, … and this is where continuous improvement really kicks in.
Supply and Logistics Benefits of Process Consulting
As one would suspect, successful companies in the supply and logistics space leverage process consulting to implement continuous improvement initiatives. Organizations can streamline their workflows and adopt new methodologies successfully through supply and logistics process consulting services. Accelerating digital roadmaps is one area where having outside guidance can pay big dividends. Implementing robotics in operations, and automation in the back office, are two specific technology areas we have seen benefit from process consulting. Supply and logistics benefits of process consulting can also be more fundamental. Improving staffing and employee retention can be examined. Zero waste initiatives can be undertaken, as well as effective cost reduction programs. Achieving real-time and end-to-end visibility of an entire supply chain can be accomplished leveraging process consulting. Business continuity can also be studied. The bottom line is that supply and logistics benefits of process consulting can permeate an entire organization. Because of this, it is easy to see why supply and logistics process consulting services are increasing year over year.
Supply and Logistics Process Consulting Services
Supply and logistics process consulting outsourcing is typically the easiest way for organizations to reap the benefits of process optimization. Large companies in this space either hire their own inhouse process experts or contract with the expensive big time consulting firms. At Valenta we service midsized and small businesses, … yet we bring the same skill sets as the big guys. Our supply and logistics process consulting services are flexible in nature and are designed to deliver immediate ROI. Our goal is to make every project self-funding and define cost savings upfront. Our supply and logistics process consulting outsourcing teams are made up of local Managing Partners in close proximity to our clients, in country or in region Partners and Consultants with supply and logistics experience, plus offshore Process Consulting staff coming formerly from the large mega consulting firms.
Contact Us to Learn More
Valenta supply chain consulting can help a business overcome supply chain and logistics issues. We can define best practices implementation plus process optimization. If it makes sense after that, we can define and implement intelligent automation, virtual staffing, and various other managed services. To determine if supply and logistics process consulting services can help your business please reach out to our local Managing Partners at any time.