In the past few months, the coronavirus pandemic and the steps taken to mitigate it have shown us the stark reality that we can never really know what challenges the future holds for us. In our opinion it has demonstrated quite clearly that flexibility and its close sibling, adaptability, are perhaps the most key components of any management system and nowhere are they more vital than in a modern Transport Management System (TMS). Of course, TMS itself is a key component of any supply chain management system worthy of the name.
As we discussed in a recent post (see here), the lack of flexibility in the UK’s food service supply chain was responsible for local producers having to throw away massive amounts of meat, dairy and fresh produce as traditional sales outlets closed, while the big supermarket chains had to turn to producers abroad to supply their customers’ needs. If our supply chain management systems had had the necessary in-built flexibility and adaptability, our food supplies could have been rerouted to where they were most needed almost instantaneously, with obvious benefits for local food producers, retailers and customers alike.
So, how can a TMS be made as future-proof as possible by building in flexibility and adaptability so that it can respond to real-world challenges in real-rime?
The answer is of course that it’s only possible by implementing a SaaS TMS solution, preferably as an integral part of an overall supply chain management system. The good news is that this is possible right now with an existing SaaS TMS solution like Deltion’s CarrierNet. When it comes to flexibility/adaptability, CarrierNet offers:
Modular design, with all the necessary functionality on tap
Seamless integration – after all, TMS is just one of the key elements in a smooth functioning supply chain
Ability to adapt and transform itself on the fly as customer requirements change
Provide Business Intelligence (BI) reports for all levels of management, while also providing applicable information to a separate corporate BI
Allows companies to be the masters of their own destiny, by being able to amend and redesign their workflows and rules as the forces of change demand
Allows the TMS provider to give their customers the ability to develop their own environment according to their changing needs
The TMS provider is able to help their customers with major changes – i.e. any new customisation and/or ensuring the required data integrity and security
CarrierNet the customer can change any aspect within their environment by use of workflows and rules that they develop themselves
The future of TMS is here right now in the form of a SaaS solution such as CarrierNet, which itself has all the inherent benefits of such a software solution such as low cost of entry, pay-for-what-you-use, accessibility-anytime-anywhere 24×7, rapid deployment with minimal training due to ease-of-use, and suits companies of all sizes and complexity. The list goes on.
For more information about Deltion’s CarrierNet SaaS solution, please contact Bashir Khan – bashir.khan@deltion.co.uk