Transportation Management Systems Archives

Digital Product Passports: A Game Changer for Global Compliance

Business Intelligence | By Jim Frazer • 10/09/2024

As businesses face tighter regulations on product safety, sustainability, and ethical sourcing, Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are becoming crucial for navigating these challenges. Today’s regulatory environment requires companies to comply with local laws and international standards that often differ across regions. DPPs provide a streamlined, digital way to document a product’s lifecycle, making it easier to ensure compliance and improve transparency. For companies operating globally, quick access to accurate product information can help avoid penalties and maintain trust. Let’s explore how DPPs are impacting regulatory compliance, preparing for future rules, and encouraging industry collaboration.

How DPPs Are Impacting Compliance Across Multiple Regions

Digital Product Passports are becoming increasingly important for companies managing compliance across various regions. As regulations become more extensive around product safety, environmental responsibility, and ethical sourcing, DPPs offer a reliable way to record a product’s entire lifecycle. By digitizing this information, businesses can more easily demonstrate compliance with local, national, and international regulations. This also helps avoid legal issues while building trust with regulators and consumers. DPPs simplify compliance by consolidating all necessary information in one place, reducing administrative burdens. As regulations grow more complex, the ability to access a product’s complete history quickly and easily becomes vital. DPPs not only provide transparency but also position businesses as proactive in addressing regulatory changes. As the regulatory environment continues to shift, companies that adopt DPP strategies will be better prepared for the future. Additionally, DPPs are evolving into strategic assets, helping businesses streamline operations while ensuring long-term compliance.

Simplifying Compliance Across Diverse Markets

A key advantage of DPPs is their ability to bridge regulatory gaps across different regions. Each country or market has its own set of rules, which can be challenging for global businesses. In the European Union, the Green Deal emphasizes sustainability, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency focuses on lifecycle analysis and waste management. DPPs allow companies to centralize compliance data, ensuring that it meets requirements across regions. By consolidating this information in one location, DPPs eliminate the need for multiple tracking systems, reducing complexity and the risk of non-compliance. This system benefits both businesses and regulators by providing quick access to all relevant information during audits, thus global companies can more easily adapt to local regulations without overcomplicating their operations. DPPs streamline that compliance process, allowing businesses to navigate fragmented regulatory landscapes with speed and efficiency.

Addressing Regulatory Challenges with DPPs

Despite their benefits, managing compliance with DPPs presents its own challenges. One of the largest issues is the constant evolution of regulations across regions. What complies today might not comply tomorrow, and businesses must stay vigilant to remain up to date. This is especially true for global companies dealing with a patchwork of regulations that differ by market, geographical location and regulatory bodies. Keeping products compliant across all relevant regions can become overwhelming. Additionally, managing compliance for multiple products, each with distinct regulatory requirements, adds significant complexity. Manual tracking of these changes is typically not feasible for businesses, whether large or small. Advanced data management platforms, which automate tracking of regulatory updates, are becoming increasingly important. These systems can automatically integrate regulatory changes into DPPs in real time, significantly reducing the risk of non-compliance. By leveraging technology, businesses can reduce the administrative burden of keeping DPPs current while ensuring they meet ever-changing regulatory requirements.

Future-Proofing Compliance with DPP Systems

To stay ahead, companies must implement systems that continuously monitor and update their DPPs. Regulations do change frequently, and static DPP systems will fall short. Automation tools can track regulatory changes across markets and update DPPs in real time. This approach reduces the likelihood of products becoming non-compliant, preventing penalties and legal action. In addition to tracking current regulations, businesses should also prepare for future changes. For example, sustainability regulations in the EU and other regions are becoming more stringent. Companies that anticipate these changes by integrating more detailed environmental data into their DPPs will avoid last-minute disruptions. Advanced data management systems help businesses stay ahead of shifts in regulations by flagging upcoming changes, thus companies that deploy dynamic DPP systems will be better equipped to meet future regulatory demands without adding administrative burdens.

Anticipating Regulatory Changes: The Key to Effective DPP Strategies

A crucial part of an effective DPP strategy is anticipating those future regulatory trends. Many businesses rely on reactive approaches, struggling to keep up with new rules. By focusing on future-proofing their DPP systems, companies gain a competitive edge, especially in sustainability-driven markets. For example, businesses in the U.S. must prepare for state-level regulations, which can vary significantly. A forward-looking strategy ensures compliance while positioning companies as leaders in sustainability. By taking a forward-thinking approach, companies can make gradual operational adjustments, minimizing disruptions. In addition, businesses should keep an eye on technological trends like blockchain, which could further enhance DPP capabilities.

Why DPPs Will Become Mandatory in Sustainability-Focused Markets

DPPs are likely to become a requirement in markets prioritizing sustainability. Governments and international bodies are increasing their efforts to combat climate change, resulting in a broadening and deepening of regulations. The European Union, for instance, is setting the stage for mandatory DPPs under its Green Deal. Businesses that lack comprehensive DPP systems may face compliance issues down the line. However, those that invest in robust DPPs now will meet these demands without significant disruption. This trend will likely extend to other regions, including North America and Asia, where sustainability initiatives are gaining traction. For companies, developing and maintaining DPPs is not just about regulatory compliance—it’s a long-term investment in their ability to stay competitive in global markets. As regulations become more stringent, DPPs will be essential for maintaining market access.

Getting Started with DPPs: A Practical Roadmap

For companies just beginning to implement DPPs, the first step is understanding the regulations that apply to their products. Conducting a thorough analysis of these rules helps identify the data that needs to be captured. This may include environmental impact, safety standards, and ethical sourcing information. Once the data is identified, businesses can design DPP systems that allow for easy input, retrieval, and reporting. Automating these processes is essential for companies with large product portfolios, as it minimizes the risk of missing updates. Over time, DPPs should integrate smoothly into daily operations, reducing the need for manual intervention. This allows compliance teams to focus on more strategic tasks rather than managing routine updates. As DPPs become embedded into business operations, managing compliance across regions becomes more efficient. The goal is to create a system that reduces compliance risks and improves operational efficiency.

Collaborating for Success: Standardizing DPP Practices

Collaboration within industries is key to simplifying DPP adoption. As regulations become more consistent, particularly within the EU, businesses must develop standardized approaches to DPPs. Industry-wide collaboration helps establish best practices, ensuring that companies align their compliance efforts. When industries collaborate to develop common standards, businesses can navigate regulations more effectively. Active participation in industry groups allows companies to stay informed about upcoming regulations and share insights on managing compliance. This cooperation can also lead to technological advancements, as companies pool resources to improve DPP systems. Aligning with industry standards also improves relationships with regulators, as businesses adhering to best practices are often viewed as more credible. In the long term, this collaboration helps industries stay ahead of regulatory changes and simplifies compliance for all stakeholders.

Why Seamless DPP Access Is Critical for Businesses and Regulators

Finally, companies must ensure their DPP systems are both accurate and easily accessible. Regulators are increasingly relying on digital tools to monitor compliance, and they expect near-immediate access to product information. Poorly organized DPPs can result in penalties or audits, even for otherwise compliant companies. By ensuring DPPs are user-friendly and up-to-date, businesses reduce regulatory scrutiny and strengthen their market reputation. Accessible DPPs demonstrate a commitment to ethical practices and sustainability, which resonates with consumers and regulators alike. In today’s market, consumers care about where products come from and their environmental impact, thus a well-maintained comprehensive DPP system differentiates a company from its competitors. DPPs are not just about compliance—they help position businesses as responsible, forward-thinking players in a competitive marketplace. By investing in high-quality DPP systems, companies ensure they meet regulatory demands while enhancing their reputation.

Conclusion:

Digital Product Passports are poised to become essential for regulatory compliance, especially as sustainability and transparency take center stage. Companies that adopt robust DPP systems now will not only streamline compliance but also lead in responsible business practices. By centralizing product data, automating updates, and anticipating future regulations, businesses can avoid risks and maintain a competitive edge. Collaboration across industries will further standardize DPP practices, simplifying compliance efforts. As this digital oversight increases, well-organized DPP systems will boost both compliance and reputation. Embracing DPPs is not just about meeting current requirements—it is a strategic move for the future.

Seven Steps to Successful TMS Solution Selection

Guest Commentary | By Karen Sage • 04/26/2018

In today’s increasingly fast-paced world, visibility and access to information are critical to supply chain management. This point is acknowledged in a recent white paper produced by The Journal of Commerce, “The Road Ahead.” One technology that is proven to increase supply chain visibility is a transportation management system (TMS), and both shippers and logistics providers seem to agree. According to the report, 52 percent of shippers and 21 percent of logistics providers rank TMS technology as a top IT priority for 2018.

As TMS technology continues to evolve, and a wide range of options available today, choosing the best system can be a bit daunting. As with many major changes in business, it is best to approach technology selection with a well- planned process.

Here are seven steps to a successful TMS solution selection:

TMS Solution Selection Step 1: Identifying the Issue(s)

It is important to understand the issue(s) or problem(s) the TMS is expected to solve as well as the circumstances that have led to a decision to invest in technology. Most software purchase decisions begin for one of three reasons:

The current system, manual or automated, is not producing the desired results or is filled with inefficiencies.
The company is going through a merger, acquisition, or divestiture, and it must re-evaluate or even consolidate its systems.
To align with strategy, such as growth, a company may need to upgrade its technology.

Regardless of the specific circumstances that have led to the purchase, maintain clear expectations about what the technology is going to accomplish.

TMS Solution Selection Step 2: Requirements Gathering

The second step in the process is documenting the critical requirements (technical and non-technical) of the business. This will allow potential solutions to be identified, and those that are not a fit to be put aside. In this phase, it is critical that the voices of all stakeholders are heard. Include everyone who may have a role to play in the purchase, implementation, or use of the system, including IT, purchasing, finance, and possibly manufacturing or sales. This is also the time to document the current state versus the future state.

TMS Solution Selection Step 3: Build the Business Case

In many larger companies, simply identifying requirements is not sufficient, and a business case must be built and presented to various members of the executive team. At this point, it is best to have assessed the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), including how, or if, the new technology will integrate with existing systems, how quickly the solution is expected to yield a return, and how long the implementation process is anticipated to take. This is also the time to thoroughly investigate one-time costs and ongoing costs as well as service commitments.

TMS Solution Selection Step 4: Demo Phase

Once a list of top contenders is developed, it is time to ask for demonstrations. If possible, customized demos based on a company’s own data are preferred. It is also important to ensure that the demonstration stays within the scope of the documented requirements. This will save time, avoid delays, and keep the process on track.

TMS Solution Selection Step 5: Evaluation Phase

As each demo is completed, it is important that all decision makers make notes and rate the vendor based on a pre-determined list of criteria. Relying on memory alone is not the best way to approach a purchase of this significance to a business. A running scorecard will be very helpful at this point.

TMS Solution Selection Step 6: Validation and Selection Phase

Once the demos are complete, the final selection often comes down to two or three finalists. If there is little differentiation from a quantitative perspective, it may be important to factor in whether the TMS is scalable or if regular releases or enhancements are planned. The way that the vendor’s team responds to questions and requests during the evaluation phase may be a good barometer of what can be expected in terms of customer service going forward.

TMS Solution Selection Step 7: Post-Selection Phase

The real fun/work begins after a selection is made. To ensure the chosen solution is a success, buyers should keep the momentum on the project moving forward from selection to implementation to integration. Keeping all stakeholders apprised of milestones and progress will go a long way towards getting high-fives from co-workers, rather than pointed questions like, “Who picked this clunker?”

As the JOC white paper stated, the transportation industry is rapidly moving in the direction of greater use of technology, and specifically TMS solutions. The steps listed above can help buyers navigate “the road ahead” with the destination being improved business results, while avoiding wrong turns and potholes along the way.

Karen Sage is MercuryGate’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) responsible for the company’s global marketing, communications, sales enablement, and go-to-market efforts. She is a veteran with 20+ years of experience in business-to-business marketing and communications helping several industry leaders launch disruptive new categories, accelerate revenue growth, build leadership brands, and establish marketing organizations that scale globally. She comes to MercuryGate most recently from spend management solution provider, SciQuest. Prior to SciQuest, she was at CA Technologies where she served as vice president of marketing leading rapid growth initiatives. Her experiences leading growth also include multiple leadership roles during a 15-year stint at Cisco. Karen started her career having invented the NETSYS Performance tools at NETSYS Technologies, Inc., which was acquired by Cisco in 1996.

Competing in an Amazon World – Technology is the Key

Transportation | By Karen Sage • 05/30/2017

One of the most discussed topics in supply chain management today is the “Amazon Effect.” Clearly, the Amazon business model has affected many industries, including retail, manufacturing and distribution. Consumers now expect — and get — free next-day or second-day delivery on everything from electronics to shoes. To ask your customers to accept anything less in an Amazon world would be like telling your teenager that their iPhone is going away, but they are welcome to share a landline with the rest of the family. In short, the business environment has changed and for the foreseeable future, there is no going back.

So, how do companies develop strategies to maintain a competitive edge now? Many successful firms are leveraging a page from the Amazon playbook and investing in technology. A Transportation Management System (TMS) is a good first step to reduce cost, gain efficiency and optimize your supply chain.

Why companies invest in TMS solutions
Companies that implement TMS solutions are looking for certain capabilities: maintaining relationships with carriers; improving supply chain management and effectiveness; streamlining operations; adding efficiency and reliability; and accessing more accurate and up-to-date information to enhance strategic decision-making. For example, the ability to analyze the freight spend down to a single customer, at an order or even at a product level, can be a key input to developing competitive product pricing and identifying opportunities for change.

Additionally, TMS solutions help with the customer experience. Improving customer satisfaction is the key to growth. It is predicted that by 2020, customer experience will be more important than price, product or brand choice as a differentiator in purchasing decisions. Having insight to TMS-produced data might be the difference between a happy or unhappy customer whether that customer is a shipper, manufacturer, or end-consumer.

What TMS Provides:
Automation
One benefit to be gained from a TMS is automation. Attack anything that is manual and inefficient and automate it. In transportation management, that often begins with freight sourcing or procurement. With a TMS solution, you can significantly reduce the time and resources spent on the bid process, while factoring in subjective issues as well as historical data to rate carriers. Being able to evaluate carriers based on past performance with your shipments makes a big difference. Sourcing all modes through one platform is a tremendous time saver and very important as companies are looking at more home deliveries than ever before.

An added byproduct of automation can be found in embedded analytics. This essentially is bringing intelligence into the automation to allow the system to learn, make recommendations and take actions as it gains knowledge of preferences and priorities.

Control Tower Visibility and Optimization
A TMS provides control tower visibility across your entire transportation network enabling faster access to the status of freight, greater insight into spot and contractual rates, and opportunities for optimization. For example, with this broad view from a single platform you may be able to combine multiple less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments into a single truckload (TL), reducing costs while ensuring delivery expectations within parameters of cost are met.

With a fleet management solution, you can also compare using a private fleet versus contracted carriers for specific moves. Because many industries and virtually every mode of transportation is subject to some level of regulation, an advanced TMS fleet system can also help you maintain compliance status for drivers and equipment in one place, with automatic notification supporting management by exception.

Because many industries and virtually every mode of transportation is subject to some level of regulation, an advanced TMS fleet system can also help you maintain compliance status for drivers and equipment in one place, with automatic notification supporting management by exception.

Collaboration and Communication
As companies are making smaller, more frequent deliveries, more businesses are adopting regional or even local distribution models since Amazon often requires local pickups. This has led to an entirely different view of inventory management by many companies. In the recent past, businesses operated in lean, just-in-time environments, maintaining as little inventory as possible.

A TMS also has a role to play in inventory management by building a bridge between the order management system and warehouse management. It sounds a little contradictory that a TMS can simultaneously reduce resources and improve collaboration but it’s true. When you integrate one platform like a transportation management system into your organization, the effects touch several departments depending on the breadth of your company.

From scheduling warehouse workers to optimizing routes, the right TMS can serve as one platform that all employees can work from. In doing so, strength is added to inter-department management and your co-workers are equipped to rapidly identify problems, move through processes faster and mitigate decision-making risk while adding increased visibility to the entire supply chain. And, advanced TMS solutions integrate seamlessly with many WMS systems and other tools used by shippers or 3PLs.

Why companies need to act now
With Amazon challenging established past best practices and expectations of supply chains, and TMS becoming more advanced and readily available due to the increase of cloud-based systems, now is the time to leverage technology to be more competitive. Transportation comprises the largest percentage of logistics expenses for the typical company, so integrating a full-featured TMS into a firm’s overall supply chain management approach not only makes sense; it’s an imperative in today’s fast-paced environment.

While reducing freight costs is a standard value proposition for TMS, there are many other forms of direct and indirect ROI that such solutions present, including higher customer satisfaction, improved supply chain visibility, and enhanced operational efficiencies. The value gained from having better data, improving service levels, enhancing in-transit visibility, and managing transportation operations by exception are vital to ensuring continuous improvement and competitiveness. And, these benefits are significant, with or without Amazon or the next market disruptor as part of the equation.

Karen Sage is MercuryGate’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) responsible for the company’s global marketing, communications, sales enablement, and go-to-market efforts. She is a veteran with 20+ years of experience in business-to-business marketing and communications helping several industry leaders launch disruptive new categories, accelerate revenue growth, build leadership brands, and establish marketing organizations that scale globally. She comes to MercuryGate most recently from the spend management solution provider, SciQuest. Prior to SciQuest, she was at CA Technologies where she served as vice president of marketing leading rapid growth initiatives. Her experiences leading growth also include multiple leadership roles during a 15-year stint at Cisco. Karen started her career having invented the NETSYS Performance tools at NETSYS Technologies, Inc., which was acquired by Cisco in 1996.

Creating a More Stable Environment for Navigating Demand and Rate Changes Using Transportation Optimization

Guest Commentary | By Vijay Ramachandran • 12/15/2016

There’s certainly no shortage of articles attempting to answer the question, “Will rates go up or down next year?” Depending on who is asked, the answers are yes, no or maybe. Is it any wonder? Some of the variables include:

According to the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, which looks at where rates have been and where they’re going, the industry has experienced eight consecutive months of price declines. This is credited to “softer demand.”
Retailer earnings and same-store sales are flat or falling, but e-commerce sales, as a proportion of all retail sales, continue to rise.
Carriers are reducing fleet sizes and ordering fewer trucks, according to this Wall Street Journal article. In fact, orders have not fallen this low since the post-recession numbers of 2009 and 2010.
On the regulatory front, parts of the 34-hour-restart rule have been suspended. The suspension was a goal of the American Trucking Association (ATA).
Key provisions of the Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) mandate go into effect next year. In a Logistics Management article, Brad Delco, an analyst with the investment bank Stephens, Inc., adds that, “The ELD mandate [is] expected to reduce capacity by up to 10% in utilization and will have a positive impact on supply/demand dynamics for the entire TL industry, which could be in addition to supply correction that is occurring with weak equipment orders.”

As one can see, some of the above items will place upward pressure on rates, while others have the potential to cause rates to remain stable or to fall. With transportation being one of the highest supply chain costs—this study pegs it as 42% of total logistics costs, on average—the transportation decisions a company makes can impact all aspects of its business, from customer satisfaction to product availability to general profitability.

Creating an Environment to Evaluate Options in Uncertain Times
A sophisticated transportation management system (TMS) can help companies overcome the challenges of modern shipping. Transportation modeling technology can help shippers evaluate the effects of uncertainty and variability in their networks. In this way, they can effectively manage logistics across an entire, dispersed ecosystem. Modeling helps users to understand and prepare for the impact of any potential changes before they are operationalized. These changes can range from expanding networks to carrier flux or even to growing businesses, all of which require adjustments to logistics.

Test Assumptions
Essentially, shippers can model what their network might look like, allowing them to prepare and deploy resources as needed. An additional benefit of transportation modeling technology is that it enables companies to modify approaches to account for different shipping scenarios. Companies can then create models and review results through a user interface that includes maps and other graphical reporting. Additionally, various scenarios can be managed all at once, in order to quantify both results and the impact of change.

Transportation Modeling Informs Business Strategy
There are a number of benefits that can be realized by incorporating transportation modeling into a TMS strategy.

Determine which distribution centers should service which stores for which specific products, especially in large networks, in order to optimize time, fuel and resources.
Create the most productive delivery schedule for fleets, taking into account factors such as opened and closed stores, route disruptions and seasonal issues.
Factor in delivery window optimization, determining the best time for product delivery based on store hours, traffic and other variables.

These examples represent only a few of the benefits of transportation modeling. The challenges of managing an international transportation system that spans continents, cultures, languages and laws are daunting and require the assistance of advanced technology.

The Long View
Driver shortages, changing regulations, fuel costs, global security concerns and the logistics challenges that a geographically dispersed transportation network faces can create complications. In turn, managers must be prepared to address them. The insight provided by TMS enables managers to handle the challenges that await drivers on the open road. Managers prepared and equipped by a TMS strategy elude the risk of significant service disruptions, missed deliveries and unhappy customers as a result.

Is Your Routing Guide Ready for a Tune Up?

Procurement | By Steve Raetz • 11/17/2016

Asking, “What’s the point of conducting regular procurement events?” is just like asking, “What’s the point of conducting routine car maintenance?” You could skip some maintenance, but you’d probably pay for it in the end. And the same goes for procurement events. Whether it’s your supply chain or your car, regular “maintenance” can keep things running smoothly and save you money.

To stick with my metaphor, all the parts in your car need to run smoothly together to keep the engine in peak condition. Your routing guide allows you to rely on pre-determined carriers and rates—keeping all the pieces of your supply chain running smoothly.

As your car ages, it become less efficient, in turn, your engine is more susceptible to damage. Eventually your entire engine could completely shut down. Talk about expensive!

While a lack of regular procurement events may not shut down your entire supply chain, it can certainly keep things from running smoothly and lead to additional expenses. Research from Iowa State University shows that routing guides, like car maintenance, have a limited life span.

*Click the infographic to view a larger image.

To learn more about why frequent transportation bids make sense, you can check out the research we conducted with Iowa State University in our white paper, Stale Rates Research: Benefits of Frequent Transportation Bids.

Steve Raetz, Dir. Research and Market Intelligence, joined C.H. Robinson in 1989 and currently focuses on areas contributing to the evolution of C.H. Robinson’s supply chain value proposition to its clients, supporting client sales and relationship strategies through transportation market insights and academic research. Previously he led CHR’s consulting team, was General Manager of Minneapolis National Accounts and served as the Southeast Regional Transportation Manager for the Quaker Oats Co. Steve also is a member of advisory boards with three universities supply chain programs.

The Myths and Realities of Implementing a TMS

Guest Commentary | By Walt Heil • 06/28/2016

As a company grows and expands its geographic footprint by procuring and selling goods around the globe, its supply chain naturally becomes more complex. As a result, a savvy supply chain manager will often look to deploy a transportation management system [TMS] to plan and run the company’s transport operations.

Unfortunately there are some lingering myths about implementing a TMS that have kept many businesses from transitioning away from outdated legacy systems. Here are the three biggest misperceptions about using a TMS to streamline your supply chain.

Myth #1: A Software-as-a-Service [Saas] solution doesn’t add value when it comes to logistics.
Reality: SaaS is a deployment strategy, not simply a procurement model. If you think about transportation and supply chain networks, the backbone to any successful approach is connectivity and effective trading partner collaboration. With a SaaS solution, the ability to easily connect with partners is inherent within the subscription vehicle and the cost is part of the proposition. In other words, much of the connectivity is built-in and there are fewer hurdles or unknowns with a SaaS solution compared with traditional software, which requires a huge IT investment to build out that network. Opting for a SaaS model allows users to easily scale and deploy systems globally, which is invaluable, especially during business expansion or an acquisition.

Myth #2: Systems delivered via the Cloud are too costly to implement for mid-size businesses.
Reality: Historically, return-on-investment [ROI] studies regarding TMS systems have examined large companies that work with enormous volumes and scores of trading partners, making implementation costs appear high. Truth be told, the total cost of ownership depicted by these studies simply isn’t germane to most businesses, especially mid-size companies. These organizations don’t have as many partners or customers to consider and the initial configuration is much more straightforward, so the costs of implementing and maintaining a TMS are much lower than what a larger company would incur. In addition, mid-size companies can use a TMS to automate processes they now handle manually, such as load tendering, which can free up staff to pursue value-add activities that can lead to further savings – something that’s rarely considered in an ROI analysis.

Myth #3: If you want to go global with a TMS solution, you have to move everything in-house. Outsourcing is no longer an option.
Reality: This is probably the biggest myth and one of the main reasons companies have been reluctant to undertake a global TMS strategy – and it’s simply not true. Businesses can still use outside vendors with a TMS. If you are using a 3PL in your supply chain, all you need is to have its operational data fed through your TMS, which shouldn’t be a challenge as the supply chain industry becomes increasingly digital. It’s no different than the way shippers connect their TMS with their carriers. You don’t need to take 3PL operations – or any other service provided by an outside vendor – in-house just because your business operates a global TMS. A SaaS-based solution makes it easy to connect to all your trading partners and third-party providers.

The Bottom Line
Running a TMS has become a competitive differentiator across virtually every industry, both for the way it can streamline transport operations and for the crucial data analytics and intel it can provide a business. It’s time to throw out all of the outdated myths and misconceptions you may have heard and consider the bigger picture: a TMS is a strategic investment that any shrewd logistics manager will consider in order to thrive and grow in today’s volatile market.

As Vice President, Multimodal Transportation Solutions at Kewill, Walt Heil brings over 20 years of experience in supply chain and transportation management operations, sales and sales leadership. Prior to Kewill, Walter led the worldwide commercial efforts for the IBM Sterling TMS solution, providing strategy and executive leadership for IBM’s global supply chain execution portfolio. Walt has managed several sales organizations and led Sterling’s supply chain execution strategy for the North American manufacturing market. Walter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University and attended The Detroit College of Law.

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