Better decisions thanks to better data transfer between contact points

If transparency in the supply chain leaves anything to be desired, it’s usually because of the supply chain contact points. These are the points where data transfer often falters, making cooperation with supply chain partners difficult. At the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event on 22 May at the Pathé cinema complex in Amsterdam, several supply chain visibility suppliers showed their solutions to improve data transfer between contact points.

By Marcel te Lindert

If supply chain visibility is lacking, disputes and claims may arise. What about that customer who ordered three products and says he only received two? Were only two products actually picked and packed in the warehouse or is something else going on? ‘Judging from what companies tell us, 20 to 40% of all claims are false. We know of one company where it is as high as 75%,’ said Staffan Persson (pictured), co-founder of SiB Solutions. ‘Dealing with those claims often ends up with you still sending a third product after the fact and bearing the cost.’

SiB provides assistance in handling claims by making video footage of the warehouse searchable. If a customer submits another claim, this allows a quick look back to see whether a mistake was actually made in the warehouse. ‘We know of a company that saw a 40% drop in the number of claims within a few weeks, simply because customers hardly submit false claims anymore.’

Streamliner’s platform provides visibility at the intersection of warehousing and transport. Warehouses can use this platform to let carriers book a time slot for loading or unloading. Co-founder Kris Van Ransbeek of Streamliner: ‘It’s not just about whether a dock is free, but also whether people and resources are available for loading and unloading. Streamliner gives you the ability to steer the operation in the warehouse. You decide which orders you want to unload on Monday morning and which ones you want to load on Tuesday afternoon.’

Intersection of procurement and transport

Winddle is creating visibility at the intersection of procurement and transport. ‘Many companies are aware of how their inbound goods flow is planned, but we all know that planning is often not respected. Our platform allows companies to see their inbound goods flow in practice and enables them to anticipate deviations from planning,’ Emilia Jevakhoff, CEO of Winddle, explained.

‘Our platform connects procurement teams, transport teams and quality teams. We make sure suppliers and forwarders are connected. As a result, we know exactly which products are in which shipment in which quantities. Because we free all parties involved from error-prone, manual communication processes, they are left with more time for tasks that add more value.’

Uber Freight’s comeback

A notable name in the list of speakers on visibility is Uber Freight. In 2020, this company pulled out of Europe and transferred its operations on the continent to Sennder. Now, the US company is trying to recapture the European market. ‘Four years ago, we used the Uber platform for booking shipments,’ said Guy Roijen, Sales Director at Uber Freight. ‘With the acquisition of Transplace in 2021, we have now grown into a fully-fledged 4PL. We use Transplace’s transport management system to direct entire logistics networks on behalf of companies.’

In doing so, Uber Freight also creates visibility, Roijen explains. ‘We house all transport data in one central data warehouse, so companies don’t have to work with Excel themselves to collect and check data.’