While manufacturers and retailers alike continue to invest in digital transformation, they have slowed efforts to strengthen supply chain operations. In fact, operations leaders consider next-gen logistics, including automated warehouses and TMS solutions, the top focus of their supply chain strategy. However, many shippers still lack this capability across their networks. Experts note that visibility gaps exist not just between warehouse and stores but across the entire ecosystem.
Against this backdrop, organizations are trying to catch up to a landscape that waits for no one. Specifically, transportation and logistics leaders must constantly juggle the ever-growing and changing ecosystem of suppliers, carriers, and service providers. It requires perfect harmony to drive operational and cost efficiency, as well as service-level. However, most of them are met with limitations due to fragmented visibility and siloed data that stem from TMS.
Legacy TMS was designed for an enterprise-centric world, where a single business managed its transportation planning and execution, with light digital connections to only high-volume carriers, and likely no digital approach to supplier orders. But the reality, and what TMS needs to lean into, is that modern supply chains are inherently multiparty and global, with each party bringing its own processes and systems.
However, recent innovations and a continued different way of thinking of multi-enterprise interactions have reshaped TMS, offering businesses better control and efficiency across their supply chains. In this blog post, you’ll explore how a digital supply chain network creates the foundation for resilience in complex distribution solutions. Read on to learn how you can start scaling your transportation operations.
Scale carrier connections and management
Carrier management is one of the most complex aspects when scaling transportation operations. Coordinating hundreds or thousands of siloed entities and the technology they use can create bottlenecks and product inconsistent data.
A network-first TMS simplifies this process by providing standardized onboarding and workflows with the flexibility for the carrier to choose how they want to interact. Carriers connect to the platform once and can collaborate with multiple operators, speeding up timelines, and enhancing data accuracy.
Here is how a digital supply chain network transforms carrier connections and management from a series of siloed activities into a connected ecosystem:
- Centralized data hub: Consolidate carrier activities in one place, creating a single version of the truth across all shipments
- Proactive alerts: Provide early notifications for shipments to prevent delivery disruptions
- Enhanced flexibility: Enable quick responses to dynamic changes in the supply chain
