Global Cargo Monitoring / Cargo Tracking / Supply Chain Intelligence

  Introduction Supply chains are the lifeblood of any business, serving as the vital link between suppliers, manufacturers, and end consumers. While they are essential for the smooth operation of a company, supply chains come with inherent risks that, if not managed effectively, can have far-reaching consequences. This newsletter will explore how analytics can revolutionize supply chain management, mitigating risks and enhancing operational efficiency. Harnessing the Power of Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics Predictive analytics is the key to foreseeing future events, such as equipment failures or the precise amount of inventory needed based on sales forecasts. Conversely, prescriptive analytics provides actionable insights, guiding businesses in making informed decisions. For instance, it can determine the optimal mix of in-house production versus outsourcing, factoring in cost and quality control considerations. Recent advancements in machine learning have fueled the rise of...

Let's dive into a cutting-edge and crucial topic: visibility in supply chains. I dare to say that the term "visibility" and with that, the visibility solutions seem rooted in an outdated idea, relying heavily on human perception: our eyes. In this era of relentless dedication to harnessing state-of-the-art technologies, it's fair to question why we cling to a concept that intelligent AI-driven systems could potentially surpass. So, allow me to engage you in a conversation that combines insightful illumination with a dash of audacious discernment. While dashboards with complex visual representations provide insight into the inner workings of our supply networks, there is an undeniable appeal to going beyond this informational satisfaction and embracing the realm of dynamic resolution hubs. These intelligent resolution hubs, fueled by the power of artificial intelligence, possess an incredible ability to predict and prevent upcoming challenges proactively. Workflows (no...

The news called it a historic agreement, when U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in a historic climate change deal, that both countries would curb their greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. The agreement will give confidence to both companies and investors to support clean energy investment and technological innovation that will ensure the necessary capacity to meet or exceed the stated targets. The idea and the objective is not new, but the agreement sends a powerful signal to the business community, which is pushing more forcefully for coordinated policies and clear market signals to deal with climate change. For example: Nike’s environmental goal for logistics and transportation is to achieve a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020. This is a pretty aggressive goal taking into account a growing business. The US-China agreement may supports Nike’s (and other companies’) strategic decision and hopefully encourages m...

Fuel prices remain volatile and continue to increase. The price of fuel has a direct impact on transportation costs. Some experts have calculated that each $10 increase in the cost of barrel of oil results in a 4-cent per mile increase in transportation rates. That adds up! For an average arviem client, this would mean around 400US$ more for each and every shipment. Increased transportation costs can affect the optimal design of a supply chain. With low transportation costs, it often makes sense to pool inventory in fewer locations so you can optimize space, labor and inventory pooling. However, as transportation costs increase it is more optimal to place inventory closer to customer locations, reducing overall transportation miles. However, as a distribution professional, it can be significantly more complex to manage multiple smaller warehouses rather than a single large facility.  Another key to managing the fuel-optimized supply chain is transportation...

From time to time I'm reading through the mails I get from my LinkedIn discussion group "Supply Chain Management Group ". I stumbled over a question, which made me very curious:  What is your two word definition of supply chain? For your convenience I list some of the answers here: - absolute certainty - real-time communication - demand matching - customer satisfaction - managed predictability - risk management - optimized flow - value add - realistic commitments - etc. I tend to add two more answers from my side - realtime monitoring - arviem services Realtime cargo monitoring does not solve all these ideas 100% itself. But realtime cargo monitoring could contribute substantially. Or to quote one of our clients: This is a no-brainer! Read about the mentioned discussion on LinkedIn yourself:   LinkedIn discussion