Author: Vijendra Kargudri
Background
In our previously dated blog entitled – Improving Logistics Performance across Supply Chains using SAP LBN and Meet customers’ demands through Freight Collaboration, you got to learn about a scalable solution like SAP Logistic Business Network (SAP LBN) and its various options that help in improving the supply chain resilience and more about Freight Collaboration option. In this blog post, we shall explore how Global Track and Trace Solution facilitates the visibility & agility of a supply chain.
Global Customer Demand Fulfilment Challenge
For manufacturers & retailers, “Customer Demand Fulfilment” is the new battlefield. They strive to extend flawless service to the customer while competing with their competitors. To provide such a service amidst the complexity of multiple channels to market, is possible only through shipment tracking & tracing, adding greater visibility and agility to the service.
Today’s customers’ shopping has evolved using mobile phones, and most of them shop on e-commerce stores using mobile apps. As such, they have multiple touchpoints at their disposal from where to order/buy goods and are driven by social media reviews. The delivery system caters to their demand for just-in-time delivery at a place of their choice – home, work, or elsewhere.
The competition to cater to such customers’ demand, manufacturers, retailers, and distribution centers ought to have real-time visibility of the stock across all channels and its locations for all the stakeholders – staff and the customers. As per an IDG survey, around 87%* of retailers agree to have a single view of inventory to drive competitive advantage, and 71%* felt it supports the customer’s satisfaction.
Also, manufacturers, to optimize processes and retain a competitive edge, ought to have real-time track & trace tools to track goods through the multi-modal transport system – land, sea, and air, and when stored in warehouses. By tracking goods in real-time, manufacturers can know precisely where their item is located, address any potential issues immediately, create a better service for customers, and increase their satisfaction and retention.
What is tracking & tracing and its benefits?
Global Track & Trace (GT&T) Solution is used to capture process & store tracking information about business processes viz., sales order delivery, and shipment tracking to achieve the milestones. It can be considered as the cloud-based successor of Event Management. The benefits of Global Tracking & Tracing are –
- Help business users to gain real-time transparency of business processes
- Query any process and display its retrieved data from end-to-end
- Provide rule-based triggering for certain predefined conditions that occur, such as delay/damage to the shipment. The rules can also trigger follow-up activities such as intimating the stakeholders or updating the backend systems.
Depending on the stakeholder, a tracking & tracing solution lets the stakeholder view the shipment/vehicle in real-time, from anywhere. GPS trackers offer an all-in-one solution for vehicle tracking and security. Using any device, real-time tracking is available via SMS or any web browser (mobile or desktop).
The tracking & tracing solution is beneficial for both personal and business purposes. The solution ensures tracking of every in-bound/out-bound shipment/vehicle and offers cost-saving routes using available fleet data.
Other benefits of Tracking & Tracing Solutions are:
Saves Cost & Fuel:
Volatile fuel cost and diminishing mileage of aging vehicles require the usage of the least traffic routes. Track & Trace Solution helps to cut delivery costs, fuel use, and carbon footprint by identifying optimal routes.
Reduces Insurance Cost:
Using a track & trace solution companies can identify delays/damages and accordingly save on insured shipments/vehicles in transit through discounts offered on insurance policies.
Real-time Alerts:
As the shipment/vehicle gets tracked & traced, their status information is delivered through rule-based SMS/emails alerts.
Increase trust:
Providing visibility at every step from booking to delivery helps build a customer’s trust in the organization’s services.
How can Krypt help you?
Krypt is a ‘one-stop shop’ for supply chain & global trade solutions with a global footprint. Our in-house solutions and pre-packed solutions for SAP TM, SAP IBP, SAP EWM, and SAP GTS, are an outcome of our long-term innovation, technology know-how, and sustained customer engagement across 35 countries.
Our team of SAP TM experts can help you with a rapid & cost-effective set-up of SAP LBN and if you wish to know more about SAP LBN, please request a free demo or contact us.
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