Renowned Supply Chain Solution Provider Connects Its Missing Dots with Ramco Logistics

Renowned across India for its complete package of supply chain solutions, this third-party supply chain service provider offers end-to-end logistics and warehousing solutions. With more than 160 warehouses spread over 6 million sq. ft., they deliver 3PL services to clients at more than 36,000 locations, covering over 150 leading brands, across all business verticals.

KEY BUSINESS CHALLENGES

The supply chain service provider faced multiple hurdles in streamlining their objectives, such as:

• A system of functional modules that worked in silos to provide solutions that were beneficial only in isolation. But with disparate solutions from these islands of modules, managing the flow of information, maintaining an accurate MIS, and establishing a smooth operational workflow became cumbersome
• Without the availability of an intelligent technology to provide a transparent view of the supply chain, real-time customer SKU tracking, smart execution of transportation orders, and SLA monitoring were not delivering expected results
• The rigidity of the legacy warehouse management solutions and their isolated functionalities proved to be challenging since they did not allow the organization to realize its objectives of efficient and consistent operations at multiple locations
• Efficient implementation of nation-wide mandatory rules and regulations such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was quite tough given the multiple operational nodes that had to be updated
• Multiple data versions and siloed functional nodes made the creation of customized reports quite a hurdle, given the high scope for errors, missing data, excessive inputs, and unnecessary information captured across the supply chain
• They did not have the ability to deliver a centralized functionality

These challenges led to low warehouse utilization, uncontrollable delays, slow response to sudden disruptions, slow customer billing, and revenue leakages. The organization wanted to achieve a perfect system that could bring together three critical components that impacted their operational effectiveness – intelligent technology, real-time visibility, and data analytics.

They wanted a trusted technology partner who could connect all the missing dots in its logistics journey.

Solution Offered

Ramco’s expertise and wide experience in delivering technology-driven logistics solutions ticked the requirements of the organization. These included:

• Warehouse Management System which covered the entire range of warehouse functions, from stock management and carrier integration to constraint-based selection and product movement tracking
• Transportation Management System which addressed every aspect of freight management from source to destination, including smart freight planning, driver performance and vehicle management, real-time freight tracking, and effective risk management
• Fleet/Asset Management System which exponentially improved fleet efficiency, reduced costs, and increased compliance through a centralized command center format of fleet management
• Rating & Billing solutions which delivered a streamlined and transparent flow of information from quote to billing, that also included technology-enabled solutions such as sign-on-glass
• Finance & Accounting (F&A) Systems that stitched the financial and operational functions together and organized data flow from each node of the supply chain to the F&A system
• CRM which supported the supply chain service provider in delivering personalized and real-time solutions to each one of their customers consistently
• Procurement & Inventory solution which ensured automated inventory alerts for triggering immediate procurement cycles
• HCM & Payroll which empowered their employees to deliver their best at all times

Business benefits achieved

A short 8-month strategic planning, implementation, and adoption journey took this organization closer to its logistics goals, connecting all the missing supply chain dots.

• The well-integrated, cloud-based system not just delivered a streamlined operational unit, but also enabled seamless data flow across modules
• The organization effectively achieved workflow-based decentralization of many of its functionalities such as procurement and sundry payments with workflow authorization
• They were able to place their customers at the center of their operational deliverables and were able to easily define customer-tailored rules to offer customized supply chain solutions
• They effortlessly adopted Android Handheld Terminals (HHT) for their warehouse operations
• They were able to effectively introduce solutions such as contract-based billing, automatic invoice generation for fixed contracts, GST implementation, and easy reimbursement cycles for customer events based on real-time data capture and analysis
• Timely cost capture was no longer a challenge, nor was equipment maintenance and tracking cumbersome anymore
• With a high level of operational visibility, tracking both warehouse and transportation management systems became simple, thanks to the smooth and uninterrupted flow of a single version of data to and from customers and vendor systems
• Stakeholders could easily build customized reports delivered across intuitive dashboards that provided them with a single click overview of their operational landscape
• The logistics solution provider could also successfully roll out their solutions across all their locations and in their customer locations, with easy usage encouraging effortless compliance