End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility Through Smart Logistics Apps

Supply chains, once local and highly granular, are now, due to the hyper-connectedness of the world, international and global in nature. The upside of this complexity is that it presents one of the primary problems for logistics and manufacturing companies: visibility. Organizations today need to understand where their products are, in what stage they are, and the level of efficiency of the movement of goods. This is why end-to-end supply chain visibility applications are becoming such an effective tool.

These smart logistics applications will not just allow organizations to track shipments, they also provide real-time insights into bottlenecks, risks, and operational inefficiencies. Below we will discuss how these apps fundamentally shift paradigms in modern supply chains.

What Is End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility?

End-to-end visibility means a single-vantage-point perspective into the entire supply chain; from sourcing the raw material to delivering the finished products to customers. Instead of disparate bits of data housed in unconnected systems, an organization can have and monitor everything from one single-source application.

The benefits of visibility to organizations include:

• Enhanced forecasting capacity
• Increased operational efficiencies and reduced pain points
• Improved levels of customer satisfaction
• Reduced operational costs
• Proactively managing risk

Without visibility, businesses have operational silos that cannot be measured, resulting in inefficient communications and undesirable costs. 

Why Smart Logistics Apps Are Game-Changers

Smart logistics apps can digitize traditional supply chains, and offer more than tracking shipments, autonomous vehicles, monitors and sensors, and bulky legacy ERP systems–they are mobile, real-time, and scalable.

This is how digital visibility apps will provide value:

1. Real-Time Shipment Tracking

• GPS based apps provide visibility to real-time locations of items.   
• Businesses can easily track truck movements, transfer of items from warehouse to truck or warehouse to warehouse, and last mile delivery from sender to receiver.   
• Customers receive instant updates on their shipments, providing better visibility. 

2. Data-Driven Forecasting

• Smart apps also provide predictive analytics of demand, inventory status, and delivery speed.  
• Businesses improve their ability to plan for future needs accurately.  
• This reduces over stocking and stock outs. 

3. Inventory Optimization

• Apps provide visibility across the entire warehouse inventory.  
• Automated notifications alert users when low quantities are present.  
• This is helpful to eliminate overstocking and carrying costs. 

4. Enhanced Collaboration

• Suppliers, distributors and logistics partners can use the same application.   
• This eliminates much miscommunication errors with all stakeholders.  
• This establishes trust and leads to quicker decisions. 

5. Proactive Risk Management

• AI enabled apps can predict possible delays from weather, strikes, or accurate source of port congestion.  
• Businesses are able to reroute shipments or have alternatives prepared ahead of time.   
• This reduces the potential for any financial loss and leads to on-time deliveries. 

6. Compliance and Documentation

• Apps automate the creation and storage of invoices, shipping labels, and compliance documents.   
• Anything automated means less human error and quicker audits.  
• Also keeps businesses aware and compliant of trade regulations globally. 

7. Customer Experience Enhancement

• Customers have as much demand for visibility in their purchases as businesses.  
• Apps for complete visibility from end-to-end in the supply chain allow customers to track their orders in real-time.  
• This builds consumer trust and responds to fewer inquiries asking “Where is my order?” and leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Benefits of End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility Apps

Adopting smart logistics apps brings measurable benefits:

• Cost Reduction: Real-time tracking enables organizations to reduce costs associated with fuel, storage, and labor..
• Faster Delivery: Tools in smart logistics systems can optimize routes and address issues before they affect fulfillment speed.
• Improved Accuracy: Reducing human interaction with automation improves accurate tracking.
• Agility: Organizations can quickly adapt to shifts in demand or disruptions caused by other factors.
• Sustainability: By using better planning, organizations can use non-bound shipping, reducing their carbon footprint through better transport.

For organizations navigating a fast-moving nature of supply chain industries (including e-Commerce, retail, and manufacturing), the tangible benefits listed above are essential for maintaining competitive company presence.

Real-World Use Cases

1. E-commerce: Apps ensure that orders move seamlessly from warehouses to last-mile delivery.
2. Manufacturing: In manufacturing, the app provides a real-time visibility of the inflow of raw materials used in production, preventing delays in production.
3. Pharmaceuticals: For consumption sensitive to temperature (such as pharmaceuticals), apps track based on temperature as well for compliance and safety measures.
4. FMCG: For Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, (FMCG) apps identify or eliminate any bottlenecks to ensure product moves to retail without spoilage.

Each of these services depend on efficiency throughout the supply chain, the need for real-time or logistically visible apps occurs more as a necessity rather than advantage or compliment.

Challenges in Achieving Full Visibility

While the advantages are clear, businesses face hurdles in implementation:

• Integration Issues: Many organizations utilize a well-established Legacy ERP system and / or systems that are too siloed to integrate multiple apps.
• Data Security: Shipment and vendor data is often sensitive, and organizations want to implement solutions that are compliant with organizational privacy policies and procedures.
• Adoption Resistance: Organizations may want to adopt a sexy app but partners within the supply chain may resist adoption and implementation of new systems.
• Scalability: We need to be able to scale applications globally and not just include local logistics.

The answer is selecting the correct app partner who can provide scalable, secure and customizable logistics solutions. 

The Future of Supply Chain Visibility

The exciting new technologies for supply chain visibility can elevate supply chain visibility to the next level:

• AI & Predictive Analytics: More intelligent demand and disruption forecasting.
• IoT Sensors: Real-time condition monitoring of their goods (temperature, vibration, humidity).
• Blockchain: Tamper-proof tracking to be more trusted and comply with regulations.
• Autonomous Logistics: Faster delivery via drones and driverless trucks powered by AI.

Done right, the adoption of these strategies will give maximum advantage to those businesses who adopt them early on.

In this competitive marketplace, organizations can least afford to have blind spots in their supply chain. End-to-end supply chain visibility apps give companies a hook to hang real-time data, predictive analysis, and working-together tools to help them run their fleets & operations with both faster and smoother, and more reliable service levels for their customers.

At Creatah, our focus is on building custom smart logistics apps that help organizations achieve true visibility across their supply chains, regardless of being in manufacturing, e-commerce, or global logistics, built to up-efficiency and ramp-up customer trust.

Are you ready to upgrade every aspect of your supply chain?  Contact Us at Creatah today and discover how our tailored, logistics solutions can provide your business with the visibility and control it needs.