Cut costs and boost ops with integrated visibility

Real-time Visibility (RTV) is so much more than a standalone capability. When integrated within your wider logistics processes it can help boost your service quality and bring down your costs. Bernhard Schmaldienst, Director of Transporeon’s Visibility Hub, explains.

Most supply chain and logistics professionals are familiar with the concept of Real-time Visibility (RTV), where ‘track and trace’ technology is deployed to monitor the actual physical location of a shipment on its journey, from a shipper to their customer, in real-time. It’s valuable to all because it provides reliable and updated Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) information, which oils the communication channels between stakeholders. If a shipment is delayed, warehouse receiving docks and other parties can know in advance, simply by glancing at a screen, and then re-arrange arrival slots conveniently. RTV represents a significant breakthrough, facilitating communications in transport, yard and customer management across the globe. Supply chain management, site operations and customer service all enjoy significant benefits. 

But here’s the thing: in all honesty, on its own and in isolation, RTV is limited in its capabilities to help your business reduce costs and boost efficiencies. Imagine if you could go a whole lot further, to a place where RTV does much more than simply give you a piece of useful information. Imagine if it was able to advise and recommend business actions based on that information, all in real-time. Well, that possibility has become a reality. 

The power to act fast 

These actions encompass a wide range of possibilities and can be customised to align with your unique business requirements. Among others, they might include recommending rebooking slots or routes, or arranging alternative containers or emergency air freight. But these various options all share common objectives and benefits: smoother logistics, better efficiency, reduced costs and happier customers. By integrating RTV technology across your logistics processes, you are giving yourself the opportunity to act fast to influence outcomes in a way standalone RTV cannot provide.

Our Visbility Hub will do much more than report to those players what is going on – it will recommend what to do with that information. Let’s say there has been an earlier traffic incident which will disrupt a container that is scheduled to use that route later in the day. Recommendations might include an alternative route, another container, rebooking the time slot, or changing the warehouse shift plan at short notice, to enable the best process possible for the cargo in transit. The recommendations made will be based on the criteria you have specified: this could be speed or cost efficiency or customer satisfaction – or more likely a combination of all those things. 

Our visibility solutions are there to proactively support your commercial bottom line. By making smarter decisions and preventing or shortening waiting times at terminals it helps cut otherwise inevitable detention and demurrage fees, which are the bane of ocean freight. Real-time visibility is now common to road, ocean and air transport modes, with rail also fast adapting to its possibilities. 

A core strength of Transporeon’s platform is its configurability. You pick the options appropriate to your business needs and you select the most appropriate for each case. At the minimum level, we provide notifications to flag any issues. After that, we clarify boundaries with you, to establish what is desirable or achievable with your suite of options, given your parameters and chosen interactions with your supply chain partners. This can lead to achieving semi-automated processes, up to full automation. Our leading business intelligence and reporting options will help you to further improve along the way. 

Using visibility information across your logistics processes in a platform approach exemplifies how increased transparency and collaboration can lead to cost reductions and improved efficiencies in your business. 

The success of our network, which is the largest in Europe, relies on ensuring that it is perceived and acknowledged by all network members as a neutral platform.  

At the core of our values lies a strong belief in the transformative potential of transparency and collaboration, enabled by cutting edge technology, to enhance business outcomes for our network participants. Security matters, too. Data is completely secure because we recognise the vital importance of privacy. The companies and organisations that harvest the most benefits from our network are those that use its capabilities to share and collaborate for the greater good of partners. 

As for the reliability of the data and the strength of the offering, the best way for us to prove the capability, is by running a proof of concept or proof of value programme with your organisation. Please do get in touch with us today to find out more about how integrating Visibility into your transportation management platform and logistics processes can reap unmatched rewards.