4 Tips to effective logistics

A smooth, responsive, transparent and – above all – reliable supply chain is critical to business success in today's rapid-fire, on-demand environment. But how do companies ensure that their logistics infrastructure supports all those qualities? Tim Garcia, founder and CEO of Apptricity, offers four tips on how to adopt logistics solutions that deliver ROI and hold up under pressure:

1. Connect. "With corporations, suppliers and manufacturers situated in different parts of the world, companies need technology that can link everyone together in a way that provides consistency, streamlines processes and enhances visibility to meet challenges in real time," Garcia says. That means using solutions that deliver to everyone in the supply chain, regardless of their geography, accurate, real-time intelligence according to their specific needs.
   
   
2. Implement a Configurable Solution. Success or failure of an enterprise can ride on finding a supply chain management solution that is truly configurable to its needs versus one that is a forced fit. Many a high-dollar ERP implementation has failed because configuration to a company's business logic, business rules or established practices proved too difficult. The best approach is to find a solution that can be fully configured to the needs of your supply chain and that doesn't expect you to adapt to it.
   
   
3. Rely on Facts, Not Company Customs. "Many organisations still rely on tribal knowledge to complete their processes, but even the best memories fail," says Garcia. "Manual processes tend toward error, but a system that centralises information and helps automate the supply chain will provide a much higher level of support. It also offers real-time access to information that can help a business reach its maximum potential with minimum investment of time, planning and solution implementation."
   
   
4. Use Accurate Data to Plan ahead. "Using innovation to plan for the future is key. Whether it's using fleet management software to make your mobile enterprise more efficient, keeping closer tabs on inventory management or or maximizing every square foot of space with improved warehouse management, what you're really doing is making your business decisions better-informed," Garcia says. "And better-informed decisions, through better, more-relevant data, is the first step to planning for future success."

Today's mobile-enabled, hyper-connected logistics solutions can empower the modern enterprise to be at the same time more efficient and more responsive to changing market demands. With the right technology in place, leading companies are finding true ROI in the business intelligence they already possess.