Anyone who’s ever taken a driver’s education class should be familiar with the notion of reaction time and the importance of good visibility. The further you can see, and the clearer your visibility, the better you react to the conditions ahead of you. Bad visibility can be calamitous to a driver, and the same can be true when applied to a business lacking visibility into their supply chain.
A high level of supply chain visibility is a cornerstone of the modern logistics business. Particularly with the growth of companies operating at an omnichannel level, the need to understand where inventory is at any given time is vital for effective operation, problem-solving, planning, and, ideally, optimization.
Companies trying to keep pace with supply chain demands accelerated by COVID-19 better supply chain visibility can defend against difficulties created by unexpected circumstances. On better days, it can become a competitive advantage. Who wouldn’t want in-transit transparency on their inventory and the ability to keep customers up to date on its movements? But getting that visibility can be a daunting process. In a recent study, 40% of supply chain decision-makers expressed an intention to increase supply chain visibility in the coming year, with many feeling their visibility is “awfully low.”
The tools to utilizing data in your supply chain data are, inevitably, technological. And any company with a modern supply chain is a technology-dependent company. But not every company starts that way. Different organizations have different levels of tech fluency and needs.
At Expak Logistics, we recognize that no two companies are the same. We address supply chain visibility issues through our Expak Performance Suite (EPS), a technology platform that’s easily customized to meet customers’ unique and varying needs.
EPS is comprised of both a complete Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) solution, ExpakConnect™, and its client-facing portal, ExpakShip™.
ExpakConnect™ can manage every piece of data from your shipping partners electronically via Advance Shipping Notices (ASNs), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), AS2, as well as proprietary B2B data interchange methods. Data transfers can be in real-time, sequenced, or processed as batch updates, pulling files from any system: Email, FTP, SFTP, API, VANs, etc. This allows us to manage both inbound and outbound integrations for your supply chain data with ease.
ExpakShip™ is a web-based tool that operates seamlessly from any browser or device. You can utilize it to create, label & track shipments, update shipment statuses, view customizable analytics, manage invoices, and more. It provides settlement capabilities for drivers, carriers, and customers, handling the settlement tasks where the data sits or exported to any accounting system. ExpakShip can integrate into any existing infrastructure, or you can run in our cloud deployments that reduce the need for any infrastructure or technology requirements.
We are continually improving our technology based on three core principles: Effective Communication, Business Intelligence, and System Innovation. Harmonizing data and automation will drive exponential growth from sustainable ways of transportation to fast deliveries. By continuously pursuing automation and seamless integrations reduce time, increases efficiency, and, most of all, lowers costs.
