Supply Chain Management Companies: How To Choose The Best One?
Introduction
The role of supply chain management (SCM) in innovative companies is to manage sustained supply chain excellence through the seamless flow of goods, services, and information. SCM oversees the conversion process between procuring raw materials and finished products.
SCM ensures that enough products are manufactured to meet customer demand. Monitoring production is important for businesses to lower storage expenses and excess inventory.
Supply chain companies have control over your product’s manufacturing process. Choosing the best SCM company will enable your business to expedite the delivery of goods and reduce waste.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Supply Chain Management Company
1. Expertise and experience
Your SCM provider should offer advice and industry knowledge to help in the development of your supply chain.
Look for a business with a successful track record for similar products. This shows that they are trustworthy and prepared to take on a variety of challenges. It also helps if the company has experience working with businesses of your size.
Gartner Supply Chain is a prime example of an SCM business with an excellent track record. They have a long list of satisfied clients and strong relations with suppliers. In spite of the ongoing economic disruption of recent years, the Gartner Supply Chain services continue to develop dynamically.
2. Technology and innovation
The role of technology in a supply chain is to create transparency in the flow of information. This enables businesses to assess data insights.
Nexxiot is an SCM business using technology and innovation to improve its services. Their IoT technology creates transparency, using analytics to increase productivity and protect value. AllRead is another business that improves productivity through automated supply chain technology.
Make sure the SCM firm you select has the resources to pursue an innovative approach. Their technology should be compatible with the software you use every day.
3. Cost and value
The cost of supply chain services depends on numerous factors like transportation, production, inventory, and procurement costs.
Every company’s supply chain strategy and management process is unique. You can determine the value of SCM services and ethical supply chain practices based on the following factors:
- Inventory investment and efficiency
- Accuracy of forecasting
- Lead time
JDA is a fantastic illustration of supply chain excellence. They enhance customer service while improving efficiency, saving costs, and managing risk. Another great example is the Descartes System Groups, which include logistics software-as-a-service. This shortens the time to value and improves the entire supply chain performance.
4. Flexibility and scalability
Flexibility is important in a distributed supply chain because it enables firms to easily scale to fulfill customer demand. Businesses struggle to connect manufacturing operations to meet consumer demands. They need to keep up with changes in the business landscape to maintain a competitive edge.
Find a provider who can identify both your immediate needs and long-term supply chain sustainability requirements. They should provide a range of solutions for your existing technology requirements.
Epicor is a fantastic supply chain company offering flexible and scalable services. Their innovative supply chain solutions software can be adapted to the requirements of any organization.
5. Customer service and communication
Customer satisfaction is due to the SCM company’s high standard of service. Clear communication creates an effective production process.
It is crucial to pick an SCM provider that gives you access to all areas of the supply chain. When given accurate data, businesses can deliver household and consumer products on schedule, save expenses, and boost profits.
HighJump is a company with strong customer service and communication skills. They help clients remain adaptable in an ever-changing environment and put the customer first.
The Best Supply Chain Management Companies
1. DHL Supply Chain and Global Forwarding
DHL is a global specialist in contract logistics and SCM. They increase the value of your supply chain by offering dependable logistical support. DHL Global Forwarding commits to delivering important technology and supply chain innovations to further boost reliability and efficiency.
DHL is a leader in the logistics suppliers industry, with over 1,000 supply chain specialists in 46 countries and over 20 years of expertise.
They utilize innovative technologies to make the workplace safer and more comfortable. DHL automates routine administrative and labor-intensive manufacturing operations.
This supply chain firm offers a range of value-added services that let you move pre-sale operations up, which reduces cost and complexity in target markets.
Their operating structure offers consistent, reliable, and flexible data exchange. This enables scalable reporting and effortless end-to-end supply chain visibility.
One of DHL’s main services is customer service. They drive and develop supplier efficiency at the source, ensuring timely customer satisfaction.
2. FedEx Supply Chain
FedEx Supply Chains offers renowned logistics services in the US and Canada. They provide solutions that streamline operations and boost performance for a variety of sectors.
FedEx Supply Chains has been operating for over 100 years and has over 130 distribution locations.
Their services include the use of technology to upgrade and expedite the manufacturing process. This is accomplished by:
- Incorporating importer security filing
- Purchase order administration
- Electronic data exchange
- Imaging technology
FedEx is an augmented logistics supplier that streamlines your business’ supply chain.
FedEx Supply Chain provides greater returns on investment for its shareholders. This is accomplished through high-value-added logistics, transportation, and related company services. Their value proposition ensures that every market group will have its needs satisfied.
Their services assist your business in building a flexible and scalable network, boosting profitability and allowing you to be prepared for any situation.
To ensure complete client satisfaction and effective communication, the firm employs cutting-edge, warehouse management system technologies and tailored fulfillment solutions.
3. C.H. Robinson Worldwide
C.H. Robinson develops unique, customized solutions that help organizations improve their supply chains and outperform the competition.
More than 100,000 firms rely on them for agile supply chain services, and they support huge, complex enterprises like Energizer and Microsoft.
C.H. Robinson’s technology and innovation lower shipping costs, streamline procedures and enhance dependability and visibility. Their latest innovation, Emissions IQ™, allows businesses to view their carbon production by mode, position, and store.
Their value proposition is to use their employees, systems, and technology to enhance global ethical supply chains and transportation networks while providing suppliers and customers with exceptional value.
With a flexible approach to shipping, this SCM provider enables your organization to react to change, resulting in an innovative and robust, supply chain business.
By controlling your freight and logistics costs, C.H. Robinson raises service standards to go above and beyond what clients expect.
4. XPO Logistics
With its top-notch network, technology-augmented logistics, and service, XPO is a major supplier of less-than-truckload freight transportation.
They have expertise in their industry and extensive experience, with 13,000 drivers, and more than 35,000 trailers and tractors.
XPO uses cutting-edge technology to track and manage your shipments, request quotations and enter cargo data. Their innovation enables ongoing network optimization as well as flexible pricing and routing.
XPO’s value proposition is a customer service culture that drives efficiency. Customer relationships are their first focus.
Businesses may achieve their supply chain growth goals thanks to XPO’s ability to create a flexible and scalable supply chain strategy.
XPO maintains continual communication with its clients. This ensures that you are receiving outstanding service and staying up to date with your constituents and suppliers.
5. UPS Supply Chain Solutions
UPS assists businesses in optimizing all aspects of their supply chains. They focus on providing trade compliance support, supplier management, and cash management.
They are the #7 contract logistics supply chain provider, operating in over 120 countries, and sharing their expertise and experience across the globe.
UPS makes investments in the latest technologies to track suppliers and orders as well as monitor UPS shipments at all times. This enables companies to foresee difficulties and make important choices for the business supply chain.
Their cost and value proposition is that they always put their customers first; they are led by humans and completely innovation-driven.
UPS lowers employee carrying costs, postpones capital investments, and responds to periodic needs. This places a focus on increasing the flexibility of a supply chain.
UPS assists close to 10 million customers daily. This fosters a culture of customer care that boosts the effectiveness of shipping and logistical operations.
Conclusion
Selecting the right SCM company is essential if a company wants to boost supply chain reliability. Your decision has an impact on the rate of production and level of waste. Your provider must make sure that there are enough items being produced to meet demand.
An SCM company’s expertise, technology, cost and value, flexibility, and scalability all play an important role in their service quality. Supply chain strategies are unique and should be tailored to any given business’ needs. You need to choose a strategy that works well with your company’s continued focus.
The top supply chain companies based on the supply chain sustainability factors discussed above are DHL, HighJump, and C.H. Robinson. They are more than capable of fulfilling your company’s supply chain needs.
Sometimes it may be beneficial to outsource your supply chain needs to multiple companies, the way Cisco Systems does. Cisco Systems is a part of the energy management industry and focus on sustainability by utilizing a global network. As a result of a strong supply chain network, zero greenhouse gas emissions linked to Cisco Systems have been established.
FAQs
What are some examples of SCM companies?
Apart from the companies mentioned above, Gartner Supply Chain Strategies and Solutions offers SCM as a service. Their software allows businesses to track purchases and reduce cycle time. Gartner Supply Chain is efficient in handling any diverse supply chain. Hash Manufacturing Software’s providers are also supply chain masters with extensive experience, including their management of the palm oil supply chain.
What are the benefits of using a supply chain management company?
Your company can benefit from a strong supply chain in greater collaboration, quality control, and optimization. You can also improve your own corporate responsibility strategies and engage in the waste-free world initiative.
Sources
https://www.gartner.com/en/supply-chain
https://www.descartes.com/home
https://www.jda.org.za/supply-chain-management-scm/
https://www.epicor.com/en/industry-productivity-solutions/modules/supply-chain-management-logistics/
https://www.fedex.com/en-us/logistics/supply-chain.html
https://www.chrobinson.com/en-us/
https://supplychaindigital.com/logistics/xpo-logistics-delivering-leading-supply-chain-solutions