Distribution Management
Distribution management is a process that can take place virtually or outside the boundaries of a business's physical location. From the manufacturer to the customer, through portals or Web sites, logistics can be dynamic and complex. Effective distribution management requires real-time insight across inventory, ordering and shipping applications to create the critical linkages required to optimize the supply chain. Coordination, communication and collaboration with channel partners can also affect the outcome of the distribution model in effect.
The global economy provides new opportunities to develop markets and sources for goods, but it presents challenges in terms of managing, shipping and tracking products or components. The ultimate goal is to bring goods and services from point A to point B in the fastest, most reliable, and least expensive way possible. With expenditures being the biggest factor, it is not always a simple matter when shipping items to another location while keeping costs within reasonable profit margins. Vehicles break down, arrive late, mission critical inventory is not delivered on time, and on and on.
Other considerations include the time it will take for the goods and services to be delivered to their destination. For non-perishable goods, time is not as sensitive; however, if perishable goods do not reach the destination in the same fresh condition, sales will be impacted. This poses a revenue risk considering products stand a good chance of not being sold. With respect to technology, integration can be included in the list of challenges regarding today's distribution management methodologies. Each vendor, manufacturer, and service provider has their own technological recipe and senior management expect them all to work together flawlessly.
Our Approach
iGET Systems understands that in today's highly competitive global marketplace, the pressure on businesses to find new ways to create and deliver value to customers is key. By harnessing technology for automation and management controls, businesses can efficiently and accurately evaluate transportation and marketing options offered by qualified bidders and quickly decide on the best and most profitable route to take. iGET Systems provides awareness of the multitude of options available to optimizing the distribution process, minimizing costs, and improving bottom lines.
There is a growing recognition that through logistic efficiency and effective management of the supply is chain both cost reduction and service enhancement can be achieved. Whether the distribution strategy is centralized versus decentralized, direct shipment, cross-docking, pull or push strategies, or private labeled, the process of optimizing distribution management starts by analyzing the entire transportation process and identifying existing strengths and weaknesses. An accurate depiction of the current environment must be construed with solid insight into the demand that drives inventory, when distribution starts and ends throughout the sales cycle.
