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It is no doubt that the supply chain is always growing to be more complex and expanding in organizational costs. Supply chain visibility is a requirement for keeping that complexity and cost under control. In terms of risk management, visibility is essential to enable both the business and supply chain to become more agile, competitive, and robust. Through end-to-end supply chain visibility, businesses can:
Lessen risks
Detect and comprehend the effect of unsettling events
Respond swiftly with immediate actions
A significant feature of a reliable supply chain visibility is the capability to track products at every stage in the process until it gets to the consumer and detects any probable risk anywhere on the selected route. From sources to manufacturers to clients, supply chain visibility aids brands to respond effectively to critical events and other complications. Supply chain visibility can also assist in flagging impending demand and supply issues, letting brands either take action to avert adversities or make use of a backup plan.
Achieving full visibility – Is it possible?
Following the GEODIS 2017 Supply Chain Global Survey, supply chain visibility is now the third chief strategic priority for 623 industry experts in 17 nations. In spite of these significances, only six percent of respondents could claim full visibility.
If there is a particular catchword that continuously describes supply chain management, it is visibility. Everybody wants it, but only a handful seem ever to appreciate its pure bliss. In this never-ending search for complete control and insight, businesses must have an understanding of what visibility really means, especially in the world of evolving, fluctuating business demands and global trends.
Visibility is not merely knowing where your inventory is at any point in time. Visibility could also imply actionable information that can aid in supporting clients and also be useful to several touchpoints along the supply chain. Full visibility means improved procedures and the total removal of redundancies. As the first steps in gaining full visibility, you need the following:
1. Open communication among involved parties
Visibility can have diverse meanings to different organizations. Therefore, every business has to define what level of visibility is the most effective. A process of thorough information exchange must be established, and all involved parties in the supply chain must function within this establishment.
2. Trust your partners
Having established an open line of communication, you also need to trust your partners. Full visibility is found on data and information sharing. It is important to recognize the role of a 3PL, carrier, or forwarder and believe in them. Having undefined goals, or an inability to trust partners with crucial data and executive plans will eventually leave all sides dissatisfied.
3. Understand your clients
Understanding every party involved in the supply chain, including clients, improves the process and result altogether. Go out there, get information, understand clients’ needs, behaviors, business practices, all these can be useful for improving visibility in the long run.
4. Invest in technology
To truly enable full supply chain visibility, you absolutely need excellent technology infrastructure. This is the era of information technology, but many organizations do not have the inner IT structure to back dynamic supply chains. Supply chain visibility involves transparency and a significant understanding of Big Data. Collection and identification of data are vital, and the authentication and integration of that data in a system are how businesses can pave the way for supply chain visibility.
How Abivin vRoute 4.0 enables full visibility in Last-mile Supply Chain
Visibility starts from your inventory. This is where the Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Order Management System (OMS) work together to ensure accurate inventory control. How the products are listed depends on different business characteristics. When orders are created for delivery, holding inventory is affected. Supervisors know exactly which products are in inventory, which are put in order waiting to be delivered, and which are being delivered to customers.
A real-time Map
Visibility is most important when on the road. That has been our focus since the first days of developing Abivin vRoute. We want every logistics manager out there to be at ease, knowing that if anything is or will happen to the shipment, they will be the first to be notified. Everything you need for managing the vehicle fleet is shown on the real-time map: the route; the location of vendors, stores, drivers; the delivery status; the traffic map; the KPIs; and more.
Analytical Dashboard
Every day, your fleet must make deliveries to hundreds, thousands of delivery points. Keeping track of delivery progress (complete, incomplete, partly complete and other KPIs) can be overwhelming. That’s why we included in Abivin vRoute 4.0 multiple Proof of Delivery (POD), making the job much more reliable and significantly increasing visibility. POD methods in Abivin vRoute 4.0 are photo check-in, geo-track task completion, OTP.
Geo-fencing is a function working to guarantee delivery men follow planned route/task properly. To enable it, the supervisor/manager creates a geofencing zone. In the event that a driver goes out of that geofencing zone, both the driver and the manager will automatically be notified.
Conclusion
In the Industry 4.0 era, computing power is changing the way we do business. It is now easier to incorporate technology into our supply chain, and attain more benefits than ever. Abivin vRoute 4.0 is developed for that purpose. It is not only a tool but also an assistant for every logistics manager who is eager for a new revolution.
