Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Business Logistic



The dictionary defines logistics as ?The time related positioning of resources.? Hence, logistics can be considered as an implement for getting resources such as products, people, and services as and when they are needed. It is not easy to manufacture any product or promote it without proper logistical support. Business Logistics entails the amalgamation of information, conveyance, inventory, storing, handling of material, and packaging. The functional responsibility of logistics is the geographical relocation of resources, work in progression, and finish inventories at the lowest charge achievable. Hence, logistics involves creation of ?people systems? rather than ?machine systems?.

Business logistics as a concept developed only in the 1950s. It was evolved because of the increased complication of supplying business ventures with materials and transportation of these finished products in a global chain of supply. This management is increasingly realized through experts in the field of business logistics. Logistics in business focuses on the flow either internally or externally of the business venture.

The main task of a logistics manager involves procurement, transport, storage, and organizing the execution of these proceedings. Logistics managers have to typically merge a general awareness of each of these operations so that there is a coordination of resources in an organization.

There are two essentially different forms of logistics. One optimizes a fixed flow of substance through a set of connections of transport links and storage space. The other form enables the synchronization of a series of the performing assets to carry out a specific venture.

Effective business logistics augments the competitive position of a business. It contemplates the tools of logistics management but concentrates on the relationships that are required to be built through the supply chain to release the latent potential.

The doctrine of business logistics can be practiced on any organization, regardless of size, in public or private sector, in domestic or international scenario as well as in service or manufacturing industry.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Score Card Improvement for Vendor Compliancy: Can Logistics Software Help?



There are two obstacles encountered by manufacturing companies as they aim for higher sales: improving their products, and achieving scorecard improvement for vendor compliancy. If your company does business with smaller retailers and smaller corporations, you may think that vendor compliancy isn't much of an issue. But, if you aspire to sell your goods through major retailers or to big corporations, meeting vendor compliancy could even require you to change some of your basic business practices, including how you handle your shipping process.

Scorecard Improvement for Vendor Compliancy and Shipping Logistics

The complexity of compliance standards among large businesses is reflective of the chaos that would occur were they not in place. When a business has relationships with hundreds or thousands of vendors, it needs to standardize its vending process to make the reception of and payment for products as efficient as possible. At smaller businesses, a lower volume of vending relationships means that vendor standards needn't be as stringent. For example, smaller businesses usually don't have as many rules about how goods are labeled, packaged, and delivered as large businesses do.

The biggest reason why manufacturers avoid vending with large businesses is the cost of implementing infrastructure necessary to meet complex compliance standards. But, considering the sales power of selling goods through major retailers and to large corporations, a better cost saving strategy is to look for less expensive ways to get the infrastructure you need, one of which could be the implementation of logistics software, also referred to as freight management software. Logistics software aids in the vendor compliance process in two ways: it can secure the labeling, packaging, and delivery arrangements required by tough compliance standards, and it can do so at a fraction of the cost of other shipping logistics methods.

In addition to using logistics software, companies also rely on in house logistical departments and third party logistics (3PL) to meet shipping related compliance issues, both of which are more expensive-and often less comprehensive-than freight management software. Freight management software achieves its economy by allowing companies to become their own logistic providers without hiring logistic experts, or hiring 3PL providers that essentially serve as middlemen. Freight transportation software is priced as software as a service (SAAS), making it the most affordable way to receive full-scale logistical services. One year after implementation, most companies reduce their annual shipping cost by 10 percent, savings that make additional compliance measures more affordable.

www.made-from-india.com offers solutions that help companies to improve bottom-line operational efficiency and meet new performance objectives. The exclusive database covers information about Logistic & Transport services in India, Logistic & Transportation Products in India, exporters of Logistic & Transportation Accessories, Logistic & Transportation products importer, Logistic & Transportation supplier, Logistic & Transportation manufacturers, & Wholesalers, logistics services in India, and customized global transportation.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Transportation and Logistics Software - What Are Its Advantages?



If you are a small to midsize company that tries to ship your goods without the aid of transportation logistics, you'll likely end paying significantly more for shipping than you would if your hired a third party logistics (3PL) provider or implemented online transportation and logistics software. Without the aid of freight logistics, the cost of the shipping process can prohibitive for small to midsize companies for two main reasons: they either pay full truckload FTL shipping (full truck load) rates to ship partial loads or, realizing the economic disadvantage of FTL shipping for partial loads, they use parcel shipping, which is also a disadvantage when shipping multiple parcels on a regular basis. In response to these situations, 3PL and transportation and logistics software can revolutionize a company's sipping costs by providing them with options such as LTL shipping (less than truckload), integrated transportation methods based on competitive pricing and shorter shipping routes based on route analytics.

But while 3PL and logistics software function in the same capacity, the latter has two basic advantages over the former, beginning with price differential.

Price Differential

Although 3PL and logistics software companies serve the same purpose, they are principally different in their corporate make up. Third party logistics providers are freight logistics experts that act as middlemen between manufacturers and shipping companies, while logistics-software providers are freight logistics experts that specialize in creating freight logistics software, which they offer as an online software application for an affordable monthly fee. In other words, when you opt for 3PL, you end up paying more because you pay for an expert to manage your account, whereas logistics software lets you manage your own freight logistics through an easy to use interface. Essentially, 3PL providers make their money by charging you for a logistics service that you could easily perform on your own with the aid of logistics software. It's as simple as that.

Level of Control

When you outsource a service that isn't one of your company's core competencies, you're naturally at the mercy of the company that you outsource to. This is not to say to that 3PL providers are out to profit on their clients' lack of logistics expertise in an ulterior way. But it does mean that 3PL providers are always looking for LTL shipping rates and other shipping options that offer the greatest price differential between what the options actually cost and what they charge their clients to secure those options. In some cases, the greatest price differential might result from shipping your goods with a company that doesn't have the best reputation; a situation that you could easily avoid if you opt for logistics software. In addition to allowing more control over what companies you ship with, logistics software also allows each of your company departments to participate in the shipping decision process by accessing the software online, which can prove extremely valuable from an accounting and management perspective.

www.made-from-india.com offers solutions that help companies to improve bottom-line operational efficiency and meet new performance objectives. The exclusive database covers information about Logistic & Transport services in India, Logistic & Transportation Products in India, exporters of Logistic & Transportation Accessories, Logistic & Transportation products importer, Logistic & Transportation supplier, Logistic & Transportation manufacturers, & Wholesalers, logistics services in India, and customized global transportation.