Industry Pulse on Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
Brad Forester
Helping shippers select, implement and manage Transportation & Fleet Management Systems | TMS Implementation Expert
Transportation Management Systems (TMS) have been around for decades. Whether a Tier One, cloud-based, somewhat holistic platform or an on-premise point solution, the range of options is nearly endless.
The acronym ”TMS” is used and defined differently by shippers and carriers/brokers.
However, TMS generically refers to the category of software that deals with the planning and execution of the physical movement of goods across the supply chain.?
According to Grand View Research, the global transportation management systems market size was estimated at USD 8.78 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 10.75 billion in 2021.
Two takeaways from this information - the TMS market is huge ($8.8B USD); and if you, as a shipper, are not utilizing technology to manage transportation functions, you are behind the curve.
How satisfied are you with the current operations of your TMS?
JBF Consulting recently polled Transportation VPs and Directors on LinkedIn asking “How satisfied are you with the current operations of your TMS?”?
“How satisfied are you with the current operations of your TMS?”?
Because we often work with large shippers that have varying degrees of needs (first time implementation, upgrade existing, swap out), we were curious what the overall marketplace felt about their current technology solution(s).
From our experience, it is not surprising that over one-third of respondents are not satisfied with their TMS and another 30% are so-so. While nice to see that nearly a quarter are highly satisfied, 11% don’t have a TMS.
The fact that over 67% of respondents are unsatisfied with their TMS caught our attention and we wondered what lack of satisfaction means.?
Could it be a lack of operational visibility, missed opportunities for cost reduction, digitized yet manual processes, all of the above and more?
And of course given the current situation with freight rates and service, mediocre operations are being penalized more heavily.
Here are our interpretations of, and suggestions for these responses:
37% Not Satisfied
Too many times shippers do not perform due diligence to understand their requirements (today and into the future) and fail to appropriately communicate their needs to a vendor.
Many vendors are happy to make the sale, slam in the product, and move on. The shipper is left with something that they quickly find does not meet their needs, is not as easy to use as advertised, has gaps in performing specific processes, and the vendor support is lacking.
>>> RECOMMENDATION
30% Meh
Probably not terribly different from Not Satisfied, our interpretation is that shippers in this group have some features and functions that meet fundamental needs, but they expected much more and there is room for improvement.
Again, the shipper may have not done a great job in defining their requirements, or if they did, perhaps the implementation was poorly conducted, hence fundamentally they can execute, but they are not getting much more value than what they had previously.
>>> RECOMMENDATION
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22% Highly Satisfied
These respondents likely put in the effort to define requirements, engaged cross-functional teams, used a systems integrator, managed every step of the implementation, communicated and resolved issues to the vendor, and had definitive goals in mind.
In practice they have considered change management, organizational readiness and acceptance, and denied workarounds that could defeat the value of the system.
Additionally and importantly, this group has likely committed to maintaining the integrity of the system, looked for ways to improve the solutions, and has a culture that IT and the business collaborate to protect the investment.
>>> RECOMMENDATION
11% Don’t Have TMS
Even with the proliferation of TMS options in the marketplace, it would be easy to say that most of these respondents are smaller shippers that can’t or won’t make the investment.
Surprisingly though, some respondents are large shippers with global operations. Not surprising to us, we have seen this before.
Too many organizations are running transportation operations with spreadsheets, homegrown databases, and siloed staff “doing what they have always done”. These shippers may have either had other investment priorities or have not recognized the value of systemization.
Admittedly, there are a few shippers that are so simple in their operations that they don’t need a TMS.
>>> RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
The TMS space continues to grow and evolve. As with any technology there are always levels of satisfaction. Our goal at JBF is to help every shipper to be highly satisfied in whatever solution is appropriate for them.
Not satisfied with your TMS, then perhaps it's time for a gap assessment. We've been able to ‘rescue’ implementations using an unbiased and fact-based approach designed to maximize your investment.
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Since 2003, we’ve been working with shippers of all sizes, from any industry to select, implement and squeeze as much value as possible out of their logistics systems.
Our leadership team has over 100 years of logistics and TMS implementation experience. Because we operate in a niche — we’re not all things to all people — our team members have a very specialized skill set: logistics operations experience + transportation technology + communication and problem-solving skills + a bunch of other cool stuff.
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I wonder if some of the 11% that don't have a TMS have just outsourced logistics.
The TMS satisfaction pie chart is telling. Personnel skills/capacity, unrealistic expectations, death-march implementations and a mismatch between application capabilities and market needs are all factors that must be addressed in selecting and implementing a solution.
Creating supply chain value through enablement of strategic capabilities
2 年I would wager that many organizations in recent years have focused on their ERP solution (e.g. upgrading from SAP ECC to S/4HANA) and have not included TMS or other supply chain solutions in their short-term technical roadmap. This can create a disconnect in the more advanced functionality found in their new financial, merchandising, and planning systems compared to what a decade old (or more) TMS can support. Even if those in the 'not satisfied' or 'meh' category are not considering an outright TMS replacement, a re-review of the configuration and supporting business process can go a long way in filling the void and unlocking new value from existing platforms. JBF can help with this!
Helping orgs transition to new Logistics Technology by leveraging Policy & Process to ensure Value
2 年Great information, as always Brad Forester. I wonder how many Shippers 'forget' to continuously improve their investment in TMS? The common thinking is likely that the monthly or annual software vendor maintenance or subscription costs are the 'continuous improvement'. Ha! That would be like buying a house and thinking that your taxes and mortgage payments cover all of the necessary maintenance and needed updates.