Expand Your Supply Chain in 5 Easy Steps

Growth and expansion are two things every Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) eventually comes across. It can mean a lot of things depending on what stage your business is at—including hiring cycles, additional investments, improvements of internal processes and even additional freight coverage and demand. Successful growth ultimately boils down to proper evaluation, planning and execution in various aspects of the business which can be supplemented by proper systems and software. Outlined below are some of the steps SMEs can take to properly evaluate and streamline their supply chain management.

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1. Increase Your Performance Efficiency 

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Before you take the next step in your business development journey, it is important to have systems in place that will reflect the performance of your current supply chain. Some KPIs to stay on top off are your on time delivery targets (i.e. DIFOT & SIFOT) and what your freight costs look like.

Having dashboards or freight management solutions that monitor and reflect these aspects of your supply chain will enable you to properly plan ahead and figure out what can be further improved. 

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2. Streamline Your Processes

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With technology changing the way many industries work, it is important to introduce software and systems that will help you increase supply chain efficiency and in turn save direct and indirect costs. Why do something in five steps when it is achievable in just three? 

The introduction of booking portals and other digitisation efforts in the logistics industry has streamlined many processes. With the help of technology, businesses can now find themselves in a place where it takes less people and time to book and track shipments, and ensure that they arrive at their destination safely and on time.  

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3. Introduce Agility to Your Processes 

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With the topic of a recession making its way into recent news headlines, it is more important now than ever to ensure that your business has various options and contingency plans when it comes to its freight providers.

One of the perks of an agile supply chain is that it saves you from being tied down to one cost, and it also provides you with the bargaining power to ensure you are getting the best rates.

Part of being agile involves having a contingency plan. This can help your company pivot if an unexpected global event occurs, disrupting supply chains around the world. Ensuring that you have other modes and companies that can move your freight—even during times of global interruptions—heightens your capability to consistently deliver to your customers on time. 

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4. Broaden Your Logistics Coverage

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As you go after new customers, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to quickly get your product to an area of the country you’ve never serviced before.

In these situations, aligning yourself with a freight provider that can flexibly provide additional freight support when you need it most can be a huge boon.

Time is money in logistics. So ensuring that you have a system in place that can effectively cover these demands in a timely manner is also a key factor to success. 

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5. Efficiently Manage Your Resources 

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As you go through your “growing pains”, what will really take your business and supply chain to the next level is reflecting on whether or not you are using your current resources in a maximised capacity. This means looking at monetary and non-monetary trade offs your business makes in your day to day, and whether or not they are meeting your ideal outcome.

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An example could be having all your data in multiple spreadsheets. Having this information saved across different sources hinders you from harnessing the insights they could reflect if consolidated onto one platform and dashboard.

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By becoming an Ofload shipper, we can connect you with our nationwide carrier network to help facilitate the growth of your business. Our end-to-end freight solution software provides you with a single solution when it comes to managing your shipments, giving you access to valuable data and insights and providing you with one point of communication. Whether you’re a growing business or are just starting out in the industry, the Ofload freight solution can help manage your business as it grows and expands. Find out more about how Ofload can help your business today.

Expand your supply chain with Ofload | Speak to one of Ofload’s Supply Chain Specialist 

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