Visibility and collaboration: keys to an efficient supply chain

Visibility and collaboration are essential factors for the supply chain to function as a perfect cog.

Due to the multiple disruptions that the global supply chain has undergone in recent years, companies linked to this activity are looking for solutions that allow them to have exhaustive, real-time control of everything that happens to their goods at each stage.

This is where Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) solutions emerge as an essential tool, as they offer full traceability and drive collaboration between all stakeholders.

With all this, in this post we tell you in detail how these solutions revolutionize supply chain management, making it more efficient and resilient.

What is a Supply Chain Visibility platform?

A Supply Chain Visibility platform is a software solution designed to provide a comprehensive, real-time view of the flow of products, materials and information throughout the supply chain, from the initial supplier to the end customer.

In this sense, its main advantage is that it eliminates the blind spots associated with the most complex supply chains, offering transparency and control.

An SCV provides:

• End-to-end vision: It offers a complete perspective of the goods’ path, allowing to track their location, status and condition at each stage of the process.
• Real-time data: Collects and processes information from various sources (ERP systems, TMS, WMS, GPS, IoT, etc.) to provide constant updates on the status of the supply chain. This real-time information enables agile and effective decision making.
• Systems integration: It can be integrated with other business management systems used in the supply chain, such as ERP, TMS and WMS, among others, to consolidate information on a single platform.
• Predictive capabilities: Some advanced SCV platforms use predictive analytics to anticipate potential supply chain disruptions or delays, enabling companies to take proactive measures to mitigate their impact.
• Management by exception: Facilitates the identification and management of incidents or deviations from the original plan, such as transportation delays, quality problems or inventory shortages. Allows a quick and coordinated response to minimize negative consequences.
• Collaboration and communication: Promotes collaboration and information exchange between all players in the supply chain, improving communication and coordination.

In short, an SCV platform provides the information needed to optimize efficiency, reduce costs, improve customer service, mitigate risk and increase supply chain resilience.

It also enables companies to move from reactive to proactive management, based on data and complete visibility of their operations.

Real-time visibility with SCV solutions

SCV solutions have multiple benefits, but along with improved collaboration and communication, real-time visibility is the benefit that should be considered the most.

Thus, by relying on this technology, we acquire the ability to track goods in real time along the entire value chain, at every stage. This provides unprecedented visibility, enabling companies:

Monitor shipment progress

Real-time visibility allows companies to know the exact location of their products every step of the way. This goes beyond a simple “in transit” and provides details such as precise geographic location; transport status; checkpoints; or times, among others.

This level of detail allows companies to anticipate potential problems and provide accurate information to their customers on the status of their orders.

Identify bottlenecks and delays

By having a complete view of the product flow, companies can quickly detect any anomalies or disruptions in the supply chain. This includes:

• Transportation delays. Identify traffic jams, road closures or weather problems that may affect delivery times.
• Delays in warehouses or distribution centers. Detect inefficiencies in loading, unloading or inventory management processes.
• Problems with carriers or suppliers. Identify delays in the collection or delivery of goods by third parties.

By proactively identifying these bottlenecks, companies can take immediate corrective action, minimizing the impact on delivery times and customer satisfaction.

React quickly to incidents

Real-time visibility not only makes it possible to identify existing problems, but also to react quickly to unexpected situations, such as route deviations, loss or theft, adverse weather conditions…

This agile response capability is crucial to minimize losses, protect the company’s reputation and maintain customer confidence.

In short, the complete traceability and real-time visibility provided by a Supply Chain Visibility solution are key elements for efficient supply chain management.

Having this platform allows companies to have full control over the flow of their products, optimize their operations, improve customer satisfaction and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Not to mention the environmental benefits of optimizing resources.

Boosting collaboration in the supply chain

As we have pointed out, collaboration and communication is another of the benefits of SCV platforms, as they act as a catalyst for collaboration and communication between the various actors that make up the supply chain.

By facilitating the seamless exchange of information, these solutions create a connected ecosystem that drives efficiency and agility. This translates into:

Increased efficiency in the coordination of activities

Transparent communication and shared access to information allows for smoother coordination between the different stages of the supply chain.

In addition, this increased synchronization and coordination translates into reduced operating costs and greater efficiency in meeting deadlines.

Reduction of errors and misunderstandings

Centralized and accessible information for all participants minimizes the possibility of errors and misunderstandings that often arise in traditional communication (e-mails, phone calls).

This results in the elimination of contradictory information, reduction of errors in the transcription of data and greater clarity in responsibilities.

Thus, reducing errors and misunderstandings not only improves operational efficiency, but also strengthens the relationships between the different actors in the supply chain.

Increased agility in decision making

Access to accurate and up-to-date information enables decision-makers to make more informed and faster decisions.

Agile decision-making enables companies to adapt quickly to changes in the environment and maintain a competitive advantage.

In short, improved collaboration and communication through Supply Chain Visibility creates a more agile, efficient, resilient and sustainable supply chain, where different actors work together to achieve common goals.

Visibility and collaboration in the supply chain with FIELDEAS Track and Trace

In an increasingly complex and globalized business environment, the implementation of a Supply Chain Visibility platform becomes a crucial competitive advantage.

By providing complete, real-time traceability, these solutions enable companies to optimize their operations, improve merchandise security and strengthen consumer confidence.

In this sense, FIELDEAS Track and Trace is the most advanced Supply Chain Visibility solution on the market, allowing:

• Real-time monitoring of your transport operations, including multimodal.
• Traceability of your shipments from origin to delivery at destination, through the monitoring of key information.
• Artificial intelligence and proprietary algorithms to anticipate supply chain disruptions.
• Automation of processes and management flows adaptable to the needs of your business.
• Meet sustainability objectives by eliminating the use of paper and optimizing resources.

FIELDEAS Track and Trace Modules

Our supply chain visibility platform has different modules that cover the entire value chain and work with predictive algorithms.

• Track and Trace
• SeamLess eCMR
• Dock management
• Route planning
• Route optimizer
• Transportation tracking
• Delivery management