Establishing comprehensive sound processes into yard flow and management can have a significant positive impact on efficiency, visibility and gate-to-gate turnaround times. Inbound inefficiencies hamper yard flow and increase dwell time, creating a knock-on effect that pushes every aspect of the supply chain out of alignment.
The challenge for any organisation dealing with inbound logistics is to create a systemic flow from order to gate to delivery that increases capacity, manages human resources efficiently, and optimises yard capabilities. In 2018, Trackmatic and Massmart embarked on a collaborative journey and developed a solution that revolutionised these processes to deliver real-time execution and inbound yard execution.
At the 41st Annual SAPICS Conference, Marcus Vosloo, Vendor Relationship Manager at Massmart will discuss how supply chain for Massmart has been digitally transformed by Trackmatic’s Link solution.
“There was definitely a need to review our entire yard execution process, to improve workflow and replace manual paper-based processes with complete automation, and to radically decrease dwell time which was adversely impacting on our delivery capacity and service to our vendors,” says Vosloo.
“Truck bottlenecks within the yard were impacting on flow to dock, paperwork was causing significant delays as drivers waited on operations, and, irregular, badly managed fleet arrival times meant that there was no seamless flow from gate to bay to gate process.”
Trackmatic’s Link solution enables Massmart to create bookings online for suppliers and their carriers. The system facilitates specific date and time slots to provide clearer visibility into expected truck arrivals and eliminates bottle necks and delays. Gate passes are emailed to suppliers to allow access to the site at only prescribed times, and upon arrival on site, trucks are scanned in using a mobile handheld device and tracked in real-time throughout all the critical touch points in the yard; from entry to execution touchpoints and yard departure.
Data provides much needed insight into areas of vulnerability in operations requiring immediate attention. This level of visibility eradicates truck ques and helps yard managers make proactive decisions around how to handle unexpected overdue arrivals, avoid unnecessary delays and ensure that personal resources are well-allocated and truck dwell times are reduced. This digital innovation has seen the complete transformation of the yard flow for the organisation.
“This ongoing, real-time approach ensures that there is continuous learning and improved operational management throughout the process,” says David Slotow, CEO of Trackmatic. “An actionable real-time dashboard provides operations teams with the information they need to make strategic decisions and refine processes for true excellence”.
“The on-the-ground challenges that we faced in the yard were adversely impacting on our visibility, our ability to control movement, and our understanding of root cause analysis,” adds Vosloo. “We had a yard full of suppliers that stood for hours waiting to unpack their trucks and many complaints about a lack of visibility into where they should go or what was to happen next. With the Link solution, the processes were instantly exposed in real time, allowing us to strategically plan and manage activities within the yard whilst improving the way we engaged with our suppliers and logistics companies.”
The Link platform is an easily integrated, fully digital solution that delivers measurable compliance and empirical metrics that highlight yard inefficiencies in real-time. The complete gate-to-gate process is meticulously managed, monitored and controlled by handheld mobile applications, live dashboards, and insightful analytical models.
“Executives are empowered with a deep understanding around the trends that influence scheduling, compliance and yard flow which then allows them to implement effective operational improvements,” concludes Slotow. “The system includes an interactive supplier portal, branded communications, extended supplier visibility, real-time activity updates and a dynamic repository of delivery documentation online. In short, Link connects the world of inbound and outbound, to deliver on our promise of building a unified collaborative supply chain platform.”
The presentation delivered by Marcus Vosloo will showcase the systems that offer integration to drive real-time execution across all activities of the business and each technology’s role in driving end-to-end visibility. He will share the learnings along the way and how people have been empowered to deliver a better way.
The presentation is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 11 June, 15:00 – 15:30 at The Annual SAPICS Conference and Exhibition, to be held at Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town.