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| Logistics Outsourcing Solutions | ||
| Facing The Challenges Of The Future | ||
| Fewer and fewer companies can keep up with the depth of skills required for excellence in the rapidly changing logistics and supply chain management environment. It is not surprising, therefore, that the gap between the average performers and the leading performers is expanding. To close this gap, companies will need to develop more "virtual" supply-chain capabilities. How does your company stand in this area? |
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This
may include more outsourcing of selected functions and/or outsourcing broad portions of
the supply chain. There may be a clear choice to utilize a Logistics Outsourcing Solution.
The use of external logistics providers is increasing at better than 20% annually. Some
driving forces are the cost of internal operations, the need for accelerated time to
market of enhanced customer services, and the reassignment of valuable internal resources
to "core" business functions.
(See The Outsourcing of a Critical "Non Core" Function for more insight.) |
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| The Case For Utilizing Connected Concepts LLC. | ||
| This outsourcing trend creates four important roles provided by Connected Concepts consulting services. The first role is to assist in the identification of core problems that are limiting the ability of your company to gain more throughput, and to help you in determining the best set of solutions to eliminate those problems. Then to determine if outsourcing is an appropriate enabler for you to employ in achieving those solutions. (See Are You Thinking Of Outsourcing? to learn more.) The second role is to provide expertise needed to evaluate your existing processes and to help you implement improved processes and systems required to insure the success of your logistics outsourcing solution. The third role is that of providing you with assistance in selecting the best external logistics or outsourcing providers. The fourth role is to act as implementation advisors to help insure you a successful outsourcing. | ||
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To integrate your business with the best external logistics providers, you must first understand you own business processes, and in most cases improve or redesign those processes. Implementing new systems to support poor processes still results in poor performance. Bringing in a external logistics provider to integrate into poor business processes will have the same results and will ultimately fail. (See Reengineering Product Distribution to learn more.) The expertise of an experienced consulting group, like Connected Concepts, is invaluable in assisting with the evaluation of existing processes and in recommending the appropriate steps to insure that the existing processes are ready for outsourcing. If the existing processes need to be reengineered, then your redesign may be able to utilize the external logistics outsourcing as a component step in implementing the changes. | |
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Once
the underlying processes are ready for outsourcing, a Connected Concepts
consultant’s skill can again be employed to assist in the evaluation of potential
external logistics providers to insure the best fit for this partnership. Much like
performing "gap" analysis on a software package with a set of systems
specifications, the Connected Concepts consultant can provide the link
to determine the suitability of the external logistics provider and their processes and systems in meeting the expectations of your
business requirements.
Finally, an external logistics provider must have the flexibility to meet the wide range of you business requirements. You and the external logistics provider have several major challenges in establishing a successful outsourcing relationship. First, each of you must integrate your systems and data to form a seamless operation. In many cases both parties will be required to implement new processes to support your business needs. The time required to perform these adjustments is critical to the logistics outsourcing solution's success. Again, the Connected Concepts consultants play a critical coordination and implementation role in acting as the bridge between your company and your chosen logistics partner to facilitate and monitor the projects success. If outsourcing is an appropriate enabler for you to
employ in achieving solutions that will enhance your company's throughput, then Connected Concepts can
help you to make that solution a reality. Want to learn more?
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| © Connected Concepts LLC.| 5579 B Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. Suite 131| Atlanta GA. 30338 | 770-481-9992 | ||
