One topic I’ve addressed over the years is how companies can reduce their supply chain costs. While there are lots of people who would like to achieve this, I’ve found far fewer committed to action. How do I know this?
Let me give you an example of a conversation I’ve had time and again. Recently a CEO told me about their need to reduce their costs because his company is facing rising tariffs, slowing demand and reduced profitability.
Before issuing any recommendations, I asked if his company was really committed to making changes. After he assured me that his company was on board, I asked a few follow up questions such as, “Do you have a written transportation or supply chain management plan that defines where you’re at and where you’d like to go?” While they said they were interested in changing, it became clear that there were missing pieces that needed to be put into place.
A key area where companies need to have the right things in place is their tools and technology. Another company I spoke to recently shared how much they appreciate a tool we offer called Constellation TMS. One team member told me his team loved this tool and had found it helpful in controlling their costs. But he asked me jokingly why we hadn’t told him about it years ago.
I certainly don’t want to get admonished about that again, so this week I’m putting it in the spotlight so everyone knows.
What can Constellation TMS do for your company?
One thing it does a great job of is automating the carrier selection process. There’s no need to guess or sort through the options - it can create an entire selection protocol.
A second feature is that it not only selects the best carrier but it can automate the tendering process. There is no need to keep calling carriers on the phone or sending them emails, and once a shipment is tendered, it automates the tracking and tracing process. Where’s that freight? With the TMS you can get the answer easily.
More importantly, at the end of the day when the transactions are complete, it gives you a wealth of data. For instance, if you have a company that is charging an OTIF or MABD fine because they said it didn’t get there when they needed it, we’ve got you covered. When one of our customers called us after a retailer wanted to charge them a late delivery big fine, we found out that the trailer was there on time, but it waited for over two hours to be serviced. Armed with this information they were able to get the fee waived.
There’s far more to highlight, so I encourage you to sign up for a demo of Constellation TMS. Or to learn more just give us a call or send us an email –we’re here to help.