If costs are out of control in your supply chain and you lack visibility into shipping activity, then it’s time to consider implementing a transportation management system (TMS).
A TMS can help your team manage all shipping activity in and out of your facilities. The system’s primary function is to centralize the booking process, capture rates, and provide shipping documents for each order.
Plus, when you utilize a system such as our CloudLogix platform, you can manage communications with each carrier, centralize and automate order tracking, and integrate with your ERP system to maximize shipping visibility.
Sound like a good plan to regain control of your supply chain? Let’s look at how a TMS solves common supply chain headaches. We’ll also unpack how to get started implementing this system in your company.
How a TMS Improves Supply Chain Management
Implementing a TMS creates significant improvements across the supply chain. Consider how a TMS targets two critical areas: cost control and time management.
1. How TMS Addresses Cost Issues
One of the most important improvements is capturing costs. In the absence of a TMS, cost chaos often reigns. For example, employees in companies without a TMS will often select their carrier of choice without following a standardized process. Additionally, those booked rates are not captured, and the costs are not collected until freight invoices are received.
However, once you begin capturing costs upfront in a TMS, you can implement rules to help team members make better decisions about what providers to use and when. You can also budget accordingly for your freight operations. Plus, you will have more negotiating power to ensure that you receive the best possible rates from your carriers.
Without visibility into cost, you have no way of knowing whether you are getting a favorable deal on shipments for each carrier. You are simply at the mercy of the carrier. But, through the power of a TMS, you can come to the table with valuable information that will support your discussions.
2. How TMS Saves a Lot of Time
Implementing a TMS can also lead to better time management. By using a robust TMS, your team will spend much less time contacting various carriers for shipment availability, emailing back and forth with each carrier, and navigating to different websites or software systems.
Once your team has access to a centralized location to perform all shipping tasks, you can achieve significant time savings. Your team will be able to spend more time on value-added tasks rather than trying to track down shipping details from third parties or flipping back and forth between spreadsheets.
Ready to Implement a TMS System?
At CloudLogix, we follow a simple three-step process to implement a TMS:
1. Establish what carriers will be used, then add them to the system.
2. Integrate with your existing ERP or operating system as necessary.
3. Set up front-end system configurations such as adding users and implementing specific shipping/business rules.
We tailor each implementation project to fit the specific needs of your company. We are happy to discuss your operational flow, identify the best solution to fit your needs, and handle any technical conversations necessary with your ERP system provider and freight carriers.
We can even set up custom configurations to ensure that information flows smoothly throughout the supply chain. We will do everything it takes to make the process simple and easy for your company. Plus, we’ll ensure that implementation is completed within a time frame that exceeds your expectations.
Realize These Positive Benefits of Implementing a TMS!
There are many benefits of using the TMS portion of our CloudLogix platform. Let’s take a look at the expected results of implementing a Transportation Management System in your company!
- Instant visibility into all shipping activity
- Easy integration with vendors and suppliers
- Ease of use creating shipping documents instantly from one location
- Significant cost savings by providing your team with tools to shop carrier rates
- Additional time savings by centralizing your tracking data and sending any information you need back to your ERP system; no more switching back and forth!
- Provide leadership personnel with critical data to review and analyze valuable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Want to create an even more robust supply chain? If you use the Order Management and Freight Invoicing pieces of our CloudLogix platform, you will realize even more time and cost savings. Implementing a TMS is just the first step in the process of solving your supply chain logistics challenges through a streamlined approach!
Schedule a Demo of CloudLogix to Learn More
Implementing a TMS does not have to be difficult. Our team of experts can simplify the process so that you can quickly start realizing cost and time savings.
Let’s start with a demo of our CloudLogix platform so that you can see how the platform serves as a TMS. We can also dive into other aspects of the platform to show you how everything connects together to streamline your entire supply chain.
Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation demo! We look forward to helping your company.
