Master The Art Of Logistics

It doesn’t matter whether you are in the embryonic stages of setting up your startup or whether you’re now a veteran of the entrepreneurship world, you will need a solid logistics strategy to make sure that your business runs as efficiently as possible. Logistics isn’t all haulage lorries and shipping containers. Mastering the art of logistics involves ensuring that your supply chain process is smooth and can mitigate any potential issues. You may be fortunate enough to employ a logistics manager, but the chances are that this is just another role that you have to fulfill to the best of your ability. Take a look at what you can do to ensure you implement a sound logistics strategy.

Prepare

It goes without saying that for any complex supply chain strategy to work, you need to have a watertight plan. You want to anticipate all potential pressure points and mitigate the chances of delays or failures. If you are delivering products across the country, you want to know the timeline from door to door and stick to a shipping merchant that provides the best value for money without forfeiting quality of service. On the other hand, if you’re the entity that is at the end of the supply chain, you need to know how you will receive goods. Sometimes, other businesses like furniture installation companies will have their own logistics management protocols. You could take some guidance from their project management, inventory systems and transportation policies

Train Your Staff

Supply chain management involves everyone. This is the process that sees a product from its initial design stage all the way through to its delivery to an end user. Every staff member in your team is involved albeit some to a greater extent than others. It’s vital that you explore the methodologies involved in logistics, pick the most suitable one for your company and utilize this methodology consistently across the board. You may implement Lean Six Sigma or ITIL. Send some key team members to undertake formal qualifications and encourage them to take responsibility for in-house training. A consistent approach will lead to less confusion and maintain a formalized process throughout your supply chain.

Be Friendly

It’s vital that you forge strong positive relationships across your supply chain. Should relationships break down or become sour, it can be much more difficult to resolve problems if and when they occur. If your supplier is always delivering goods late, talk to them and try to resolve the issue but if they cannot rectify the delay, move to another more reliable source. Their lateness will have a knock-on effect disrupting the logistics chain, which you cannot afford. Once you fall into a smooth routine, delays will become fewer and farther between, and you’ll be able to mitigate them more easily when they do occur.

If you can take control of your supply chain processes from beginning to end and at every integral stage in between you will be well on your way to mastering the art of logistics.

 

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