Logistics play a vital role in the economy of any country. Hence, implementing a dynamic cloud-based ERP for the logistics industry can help gain a competitive curve, attain maximum ROI, and boost profitability.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- What is an ERP System?
- What About Logistics?
- Benefits of ERP for the Logistics Industry
- Bottom Line
Overview
Leverage better communication and improved customer service…
Without a doubt, the logistics industry is vital for any business globally.
Trade and commerce are nurturing because of it, and so does the supply chain.
The smooth flow of demand and supply chain enabled the logistics market to be one of the most essential industries globally and have a fair share in the global economy.
As this industry is a part and parcel of massive amounts of real-time data, managing freight, supply chain, warehousing, maintenance, and storage, calls for competency and proficiency.
ERP for the logistics industry is a foolproof tool that is smart and proficient enough to use its exquisite system intelligence for automating processes and managing constant changes, eccentricities, and other uncertainties.
What is an ERP System?
An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system enables an organization to efficiently manage its flow of information centrally by combining all business operations in a seamlessly accessible software feature.
ERP helps businesses to automate unmanageable tasks and streamline the business process to enhance overall efficiency and productivity.
A lot of business functions such as production, finance, HR, inventory, payroll, supply chain, customer relationship management (CRM), order management, etc., all are manageable efficiently with a dynamic ERP like Smartinfologiks.
It effectively integrates all these functionalities, removing silos, and formulating enhanced communication and collaboration betwixt different departments.
Employees from different apartments can access the same information for their requirements and speed up business performance.
ERP has an integral role to perform following the logistics industry.
What About Logistics?
Logistics, similar to supply chain management (SCM), includes coordinating and transferring resources from a supplier to the customer or storage facility. While supply chain management emphasizes more on the outside organizations functioning together to offer the desired product, logistics emphasizes a holistic approach within a particular organization. Logistics is an amalgam of the entire process- right from purchasing and delivery of raw materials, foods and liquids, to the packaging of products, coupled with the final transportation of products to customers.
A few vital components of a logistics company include:
- Inbound and outbound transportation
- Fleet management
- Warehousing
- Materials management
- Production and packaging
- Inventory management
- Security of goods
Benefits of ERP for the Logistics Industry
ERP can effortlessly integrate into different industry domains with different applications.
This enables one to lead all the essential facets of a business to a centralized dashboard, driving easy monitoring and formulating informed choices.
1. Lowered Expenses
ERP solutions offer accurate data on a real-time basis, allowing organizations to drive better, accurate decisions to minimize monthly expenses.
Hence, decision-makers need not wait to acquire essential information or feedback, enabling them to resolve issues and make corrective actions as and when required.
This can be done when required so that the issue doesn’t blow up into an expensive barter for the business.
Gradually, this will transform into improved productivity every month.
2. Consumer Portal
A vigorous ERP for the logistics industry encompasses a customer or vendor portal to allow easy login and instant and efficient monitoring of all aligned processes.
Integration of communication through an email or secure SMS facilitates users to get updates directly on their profiles.
Portals with secure logins concerning registered users enable shareholders to know the status logistics, among other aspects.
3. Inventory Control
With ERP software serving one centralized system, all respective information needed to run a logistics company can be captured in one place, encompassing orders, inbound and outbound sales, deliveries, etc. This captured information enables a company to drive informed decisions and future predictions for the firm based on historical data that the ERP system delivers. The decision-makers can preview the previous sales trends and delivery times thereby making changes whenever necessary based on the information.
The real-time data enables instant notification of out-of-stock products, inbound orders coming in, outbound orders that require attention, and any issues with deliveries as they take place.
4. Financial Reporting
This is one of the most vital benefits of implementing an ERP for the logistics industry.
The accounting tools help you track the revenue and expenses so that you can balance your accounts receivables and accounts payables. It also helps produce automated reports and categorize them by location, employee, profit centre, or whatever parameters or KPIs you choose.
This extra information allows decision-makers in the supply chain to restructure logistics processes to improve efficiency. It also allows quick identification of the causes of profit loss, which in turn helps in planning to compensate for those issues.
The dynamic budgeting and forecasting functions help logistics with the management to develop an in-depth corporate financial plan. These particular plans can help in the estimation of the company’s expenditure and income in the future since the financial reporting tools encompass workforce planning with predictive budgeting.
5. Distribution Management
The distribution part of the logistics company is among the most essential aspects of the business, as it includes accurate management of the flow of distributions and control over the transportation of goods.
An ERP system helps serve the solution to manage the flow and distribution efficiently by collecting all the required information in a centralized hub.
Following transportation purposes, the ERP system can help control the transportation of goods, making sure customers and suppliers receive their products on time, the system also enables live communication between the drivers and coordinators, sharing live traffic updates, customer addresses, and any emergency information, like transportation issues.
6. Staff Management
Managing staff can be a daunting task, particularly within a logistics company, where staff can be from different locations in the country or even globally. Staying ahead of the staff’s responsibilities and whereabouts can be challenging. However, with an ERP system in place, managing staff is made easy. A few ways managers can benefit from the ERP system with the staff include:
- Employee working hours and rest periods/ lunch breaks
- Employee information and paperwork
- Tracking staff during transportation
- Payroll and staff increases as well as bonuses
- Staff performance
- Sick and paid leaves
- Managing casual and permanent employees, etc.
The KPI-based indication feature in the ERP empowers entrepreneurs and managers with quick and easy access to employee performance evaluation reports, which allows enhanced decisions concerning the workforce.
Bottom Line
Undoubtedly, logistics play a vital role in the economy of any country. Hence, implementing a dynamic cloud-based ERP for the logistics industry can help gain a competitive curve, attain maximum ROI, and boost profitability.
Also, Smartinfologiks’ real-time asset tracking system is a fully integrated cloud-based software supported by barcodes or RFID tags technologies meant to track and manage your logistics operations and efficiently monitor of location and health of valuable assets and inventory.
BizSuite – cloud-based solution, which provides various benefits. BizSuite is flexible, scalable, and customizable. You and your team can access vital and pertinent information whenever you want, irrespective of where you are, and what device you’re using.
Still confused about how the system works and how can it benefit your logistics business? Schedule a demo to witness our BizSuite ERP system
