Scott Shaw Speaks on Logistics IT Solutions
Scott Shaw, Senior Consultant and supply chain industry lead with Clarkston Consulting, was recently featured by Inbound Logistics. Read a brief summary below or the full article on logistics IT solutions here.
November 5, 2021 | Durham, NC
3PLs Drive Logistics IT Solutions
This Inbound Logistics article discusses how shippers are using 3PL’s technology expertise to combat the new challenges due to massive shifts in consumer expectations and e-commerce acceleration. The article stated that the top four challenges are: “managing transportation costs, finding and retaining qualified labor, and managing e-commerce transactions and inventory.”
Scott Shaw noted that the volume of shipments at many consumer products companies is increasing due to the growth in eCommerce and DTC delivery, and many of these companies ship the same amount but divided into several deliveries to individual customers instead of their older model of shipping a single truckload of product to a retailer. “This requires more precise inventory visibility within your warehouse, more efficient pick/pack/ship processes, more frequent carrier pickups, and visibility of the shipment up to the time the consumer receives it,” Shaw says.
There are a variety of technological solutions that can help companies succeed in DTC markets: warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS), robotics, and business intelligence tools. IoT helps report and monitor storage conditions; AI and robotics helps with autonomous warehouse and storage retrieval solutions. “Pairing IoT, artificial intelligence, and mobile and cloud computing allows traceability of individual shipments even as trucks carry them across the country,” Shaw says. Logistics technology is continually advancing to deliver greater visibility and control across the board.