Take a look through The Progress Group’s “glasses” at the logistics of the manufacturing link in your supply chain. You may see opportunities to reduce costs and increase profitability that aren’t readily apparent (this will be particularly true if your manufacturing processes have evolved over time).

For instance: what’s not under your wing? Do your suppliers manage inbound transportation, and does that limit your opportunities for optimizing your inbound/outbound transportation costs?

On the other hand, if you’re managing transportation as a cost center, are you sure that’s still the best solution? While it may promote full truckload shipments, does it constrict your flexibility to choose smaller shipments when appropriate? Further, if your transportation costs are buried in COGS, you may be missing opportunities to improve the interfaces with downstream distribution.

The Progress Group can help you take a broader, more integrated view of the links between manufacturing functions and supply and distribution functions from the perspective of improving supply chain performance. This integrated logistics planning will collectively consider manufacturing scheduling, inventory management and inbound and outbound transportation, all in the context of customer service.

For more information, contact: Bruce Strahan, 770-804-9920, bstrahan@theprogressgroup.com