How do you manage logistics information systems for better supply chain visibility?

1 Choose the right LIS for your needs

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for LIS. Depending on your industry, business model, customer expectations, and operational requirements, you may need different types of LIS, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS), or inventory management systems (IMS). You should evaluate the features, benefits, and costs of each LIS and select the ones that best suit your needs and goals. You should also consider the compatibility and integration of different LIS, as well as the scalability and flexibility of the systems.

2 Implement data standards and quality controls

To ensure that your LIS can provide accurate, timely, and consistent information, you need to implement data standards and quality controls across your supply chain. Data standards are the rules and guidelines for how data should be defined, formatted, and exchanged among different systems and stakeholders. Quality controls are the measures and procedures for checking and validating the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of data. By implementing data standards and quality controls, you can avoid data errors, duplication, and inconsistency, and enhance the interoperability and usability of your LIS.

3 Leverage cloud-based and mobile technologies

Cloud-based and mobile technologies can offer many advantages for managing your LIS and improving your supply chain visibility. Cloud-based technologies allow you to store, access, and update your data on remote servers, reducing the need for costly and complex hardware and software installation and maintenance. Mobile technologies enable you to capture, transmit, and receive data on the go, using devices such as smartphones, tablets, scanners, and sensors. By leveraging cloud-based and mobile technologies, you can increase the speed, efficiency, and security of your data management, and provide real-time and on-demand visibility to your supply chain partners and customers.

4 Use analytics and dashboards to generate insights

Data alone is not enough to improve your supply chain visibility. You need to use analytics and dashboards to transform your data into actionable insights that can help you optimize your supply chain performance. Analytics are the tools and techniques for analyzing, interpreting, and visualizing data, using methods such as descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. Dashboards are the graphical interfaces that display the key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics of your supply chain, using charts, graphs, maps, and tables. By using analytics and dashboards, you can identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in your data, and make informed decisions and recommendations based on your findings.

5 Foster collaboration and communication among supply chain partners

Managing your LIS for better supply chain visibility is not only a technical challenge, but also a relational one. You need to foster collaboration and communication among your supply chain partners, such as suppliers, carriers, distributors, and customers, to ensure that your data is shared and used effectively and efficiently. Collaboration and communication involve establishing trust, transparency, and alignment among your partners, as well as setting clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations for data sharing and usage. You should also leverage platforms and tools that facilitate data exchange and integration, such as application programming interfaces (APIs), electronic data interchange (EDI), or blockchain.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?