Operations Analysis and Optimization
4SIGHT assists shippers with analyzing their transportation operation by conducting a three to four-week assessment of their ‘end to end’ processes, which typically includes the following:
- Order Management – understand what is unique to orders from a transportation planning and execution standpoint
- Product uniqueness – weight, cube, pallets, pieces, density
- Order lead-times
- Order changes
- Calculation of order plan dates – shipment and delivery dates
- Transportation Planning – determine how orders are built into optimal loads, scheduled, and routed
- Mode/service level determination – based on routing guides, capacity commitments
- Order/load optimization – logic for combining orders into loads based on defined criteria
- Application of an audit quality rate – contract rates vs. spot rates
- Tender process
- Transportation Execution (includes 204/990/214 EDI processes)
- Carrier tender and acceptance process
- Rate review and modification process
- Appointment Scheduling
- Exception Management
- Capturing Arrival/Departure
- Freight Payment (includes 210 EDI process)
- Manual or match pay process
- Discrepancy management
- Freight accrual
- Freight allocation methods
- Business Intelligence
- Operational reports
- Performance metrics – operational, performance, financial
- Process improvement areas
Beyond the review of the typical daily operational processes, other areas of potential focus could be: Transportation Procurement/Bid Events, Network Optimization Modeling, and Load Optimization Modeling.
Once an assessment is complete, and opportunities are identified, a Transportation Business Case is created as a next step. This aids in justifying either system or process related changes/upgrades.
To learn more, please contact us.