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Efficient Supply Chain Management in 6 Simple Steps. 
Today’s retail environment is driven by a knowledgeable consumer and seemingly limitless buying options. 
 
This means, in order to possess a much-desired competitive advantage, and be a success in your industry, providers today need to have talented people across all levels of their supply chain. 
 
But how does your supply chain stack up? And is it leveraging the right structure, technologies and trading partners in order to drive the best level of performance? 
 
In our latest post, we discuss 6 ways to optimise your end-to-end supply chain, including how the evolution of 3PL can help to solve common supply chain challenges. 
READ MORE: 6 Tips to Enhance your End-to-End Supply Chain 
Knowing the secret to enhancing your end-to-end supply chain, is something all retail businesses strive to discover. This can take years of hard work, but ultimately requires a few select strategies to override common supply chain challenges. Inevitably, a 3rd party logistics service (3PL) can prove invaluable for your operations. 
 
How Does your Supply Chain Stack Up? 
In order to know how best to improve your supply chain, you first must understand how it is per-forming and where there is room for improvement. For instance, where do you stand in comparison to other supply chains when it comes to your operations? You will need to know the answers to such questions if you want to maximise the potential of your supply chain. 
 
To help you achieve just that, here we uncover 6 simple steps in achieving an efficient end-to-end supply chain… 
 
Efficient Supply Chain Management in 6 Simple Steps: 
 
1. Establish a Carefully Staffed Supply Chain Structure: 
Your company’s supply chain ought to be structured and staffed in such a way that it capitalises on efficiency so as to bring the most advantage to your business. Such an amalgamation results in better clarity and co-ordination between strategy and application, while enabling a better overall service. 
In enrolling your supply chain workforce, your focus should lie more with strategy, and your recruited leaders should encompass this strategic thinking by using strong communication and relationship management skills to create more value both in-house and externally. 
 
2. Uphold Healthy Relationships with New Trading Partners & Existing Suppliers: 
Whether you’re looking to improve current supplier relationships or are hoping to gain new working connections, the value of building effective relations with trading partners and suppliers is significant to the success of your operations. Achieving the greatest end-to-end supply chain will be almost impossible without the pro-activity of addressing issues, challenges and problems as they arrive. 
In fact, many organisations gauge the success of their operations through reviewing the health of their supplier relationships. Such quality of relationships can say a lot about a business, particularly when they require on-going maintenance to remain established. 
Pro-activity is crucial in ascertaining new trading partners, just as it is crucial for upholding healthy relationships with existing suppliers. For instance, the sourcing and upkeep of for instance a 3rd party logistics service (3PL) requires good communication, the establishing of responsibilities, and understanding the contractual obligations. Achieving such will help to promote a long and healthy relationship. 
 
3. Continually Assess where Technology Can Streamline your Processes: 
Manually driven processes are often to blame for lack of supply chain visibility within enterprises. So, what’s the solution? Well, the often-inept nature of supply chain processes can be easily ramped-up with the use of tech-aided automation. 
Improving efficiency in your supply chain requires the careful reviewing of processes to recognise those performing below standard. Such poorly performing processes should help to determine areas where technology can help to improve, so you can then select your software solutions to fit those needs. 
By having the right technology in place, you can gain better insights into your performance from the likes of reporting data, while enhanced accessibility will ensure the likes of your supply chain council are kept well informed. 
 
4. Ensure Efficiency & Mitigate Supplier Risk with Regular Reviews: 
Reviewing procedures and policies is a vital role for your supply chain council and management. Doing such can help to ensure compliance, currency, and efficiency, as well as preventing process holdups, helping to streamline operations, and mitigating supplier risk. 
 
5. Establish Metrics to Track and Measure Results: 
In addition to assessing where technology can help to automate processes as mentioned in step three, it’s equally important that you ensure your supply chain management initiatives include the tools you need to track and evaluate outcomes. 
We recommend that you monitor your established protocols to see if they are working as intend-ed, then determine the metrics you want to use, i.e. cash to cash cycle times, inventory days of supply, supply chain cycle times, inventory turnover etc. Establishing such metrics will enable you to better track and measure your results. 
 
6. Consider 3PL Supply Chain Management: 
While creating the most efficient supply chain can be difficult, using a 3PL supply chain management service can offer a great deal of support. Outsourcing elements of your company’s distribution and fulfillment services with the likes of integrated operation, warehousing and transportation services, that can additionally be scaled to and customised to customer’s needs based on market conditions, can free-up a wealth of money and time for your business. It also helps to eliminate the need to invest in transportation, warehouse space, technology, and staff to execute essential supply chain management processes. 
 
Colvanbridge Ltd Offer 3PL Supply Chain Management. 
If you are looking for a new value in your supply chain system, look no further than Colvanbridge Ltd. At Colvanbridge Ltd, we offer a complete 3PL supply chain freight management service and can help to enhance your end-to-end supply chain operations. Our services include Pre-Retailing, IT solutions, P.O Management, Freight Forwarding, Customs Clearance/Duty Management, Ware-housing and Distribution. Please feel free to get in touch for more information. 
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