Maintaining accurate and effective supply chain channels is a challenge for manufacturing and logistics firms. You need to ensure you process both incoming and outgoing information accurately and promptly for improved revenue and growth. As the world keeps evolving, firms need to leverage the latest technologies to remain competitive. Today’s customers also expect firms to be agile and capable of adjusting to changes in the market quickly and efficiently. For firms still relying on legacy systems and outdated digital infrastructure, it is almost impossible to keep up with modern customer’s expectations.
To continue providing reliable and fast services while speeding up the supply chain’s lifecycle requires a strategic intervention that streamlines the entire organization’s processes. Order fulfillment in the modern economy no longer distinguishes between B2B and B2C distribution channels. To maintain growth and speed up your company’s efficiency, outsourcing your supply chain technology requirements can deliver previously unmatched velocities.
Advances from cloud storage to the Internet of Things (IoT) have changed the modern landscape of the supply chain. Real-time order processing and end-to-end tracking of products throughout the distribution channels now help firms deliver on time, accurately, and at a reduced cost to the customer. For firms lagging in technology, catching up with the rest of the world is not impossible. You will need to find the right technology partner that can establish, maintain, and optimize your processes.
The first step in revolutionizing your warehouse or distribution center is to ensure your staff has access to reliable hardware. If the systems the company regularly uses malfunctions and requires frequent repairs, the process will remain inefficient as employees struggle to complete tasks while dealing with these issues. Printers, computers, scanners, and application servers require dedicated support expertise for reliable operations.
With Managed IT solutions, your company can upgrade legacy equipment and hardware without needing to spend large amounts of money on new devices. Managed IT provides a comprehensive service that includes hardware and software solutions at a single monthly cost. The entire operational lifecycle of the facility will determine what solutions a Managed IT service provider includes in the package. Additional opportunities for greater efficiency will also be realized once the Managed IT firm assesses your company’s operations. Technology experts can help you establish a modern digital technology stack to streamline your daily workflows.
The total cost associated with generating and duplicating documents throughout the facility can quickly escalate if not adequately controlled. As logistics relies on accurate information in the warehouse and during transport, the number of printers and copiers required to maintain an efficient operation remains a significant overhead. If devices are old, they use more ink and electricity, further worsening the cost of printing operations.
To reduce the overheads of your printing operations, moving to Managed Print Services (MPS) model can reestablish control over the entire fleet, help track costs, and provide upgrades to modern, efficient Multifunction Devices (MFDs). The service provider will also ensure paper and ink arrives on time, reducing the risk of running out of supplies during a critical period in the distribution lifecycle. As the service once again comes at a single monthly cost, you will have better transparency over your printing operations, which lets you set a consistent budget for all printing related costs.
Automated workflows provide a way to maintain complete visibility and eliminate bottlenecks by connecting the back-office operations with the order fulfillment and outbound logistics. Although you will not be able to entirely remove the need for physical paper processing in a distribution center, using Document Management Systems (DMS) to digitize manual tasks and processes can drastically reduce the overall footprint.
Workflow solutions keep track of every document during the information processing cycles and can provide detailed insights into where deficiencies exist. It will also help you quickly investigate issues if anything goes wrong and allows you to establish the necessary corrective actions in the process by modifying the workflows accordingly.
For every distribution center and warehouse that still relies on outdated processes and business models, the time to upgrade their supply chain IT is now. Blue Technologies provides companies with a range of packaged solutions to reduce operational overhead, ensure reliable operations, and establish a consistent budget for the underlying digital infrastructure. To leverage the latest supply chain technology stacks and streamline your company’s workflows, Blue Technologies has a team of experts at your disposal.
To modernize your supply chain management processes and the supporting infrastructure, request an assessment from Blue Technologies today.