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A critical component of any successful business is its ability to efficiently source and transport services or products. World-class manufacturing companies are keenly aware that continued success depends on their ability to deliver products and services at the exact moment a customer expects it.
Leading companies are taking advantage of innovative technology that provide precise shipment location and visibility from internet connected devices. Stakeholders can now monitor their high-value shipments whether they are transported over the road on a vehicle or onboard an aircraft to its final delivery. This enhanced shipment visibility enables organizations to improve their operational efficiency and financial performance.
How Amazon Changed E-Commerce Based Logistics
Amazon’s exponential growth is a recent example of a company implementing technology to drive further process automation and achieve greater operational efficiencies. Other industry verticals have an opportunity to reflect on what strategies and technologies have been impactful for Amazon and adopt similar techniques to improve their performance. Specific to Amazon’s distribution capabilities, technology has provided significant benefits in deploying products and services faster and with improved delivery performance. It is evident in Amazon’s continued investments, including a $1.5 Billion air cargo hub, their growing fleet of over 30 cargo aircraft, research in drone deliveries, photo proof verification of delivered orders and futuristic patents to create floating warehouses, that disruptive technology is powering this commercial juggernaut.
How Amazon Changed Last Mile Delivery
Adding Visibility to Time-Critical Logistics
For manufacturers within the industrial, high-tech and aerospace sectors, shipments are significantly higher in value and the stakes at risk for missing a quoted delivery time are massive. A few notable examples of high-value products include computer PCB’s, semiconductors, aircraft parts, capital asset repair components or prototypes that represent years of a companies R&D investment. High-value goods often rely on an expedited transportation service provider to fulfill the function of safely delivering these valuable goods as quickly as possible. An opportunity for improvement exists in the ability of these time-crtiical service providers to improve the transparency and reliability of the shipments.
Many time-critical service providers are still providing their customers with lagging notifications for shipment status updates, including proof of delivery (POD) verification. A POD verification qualifies as a lagging notification when it entails waiting for a delivery agent to physically return signed paperwork, known as a delivery receipt, back to an office for processing.
Once at the office, a personnel is assigned to manually transcribing the information from the delivery receipt into a computer to notate the delivery details. Included in the delivery details is the name of the person that signed for the delivery, the date and time, and often the department the signature occurred. In this scenario, it is predictable that the POD verification may get updated incorrectly or that the information never makes it into a system. It is crucial to ask and understand how your time-critical service provider is currently capturing delivery details and to have them describe their POD verification process.
If your organization is currently working with an time-critical service provider that is using physical paperwork to complete the delivery verification process, they need to be aware of the associated risk. Imagine a situation where your company receives a frantic request from a strategic stakeholder, advising that a crucial shipment they ordered from your company was never received and that a production line was shut-down waiting to receive the order. Your companies logistics team researches the delivery data from the expedited transportation provider and concludes that the information is either missing or inaccurate.
From that moment, your entire organization shifts its priorities to locate or replace the lost shipment. It is staggering to think about the number of resources and additional costs incurred to research and hopefully recover this missing shipment. This gaffe has just inflicted havoc on your entire organization’s performance. Outside of the initial issues of wasting and straining resources, the gravest concern is that this crucial information gap may have jeopardized your organization’s relationship with a valued partner. For companies that manufacture high-value goods, it is imperative that they partner with a trusted expedited service provider that consistently offers data integrity, full transparency and “live” shipment notifications.
Watch How Airspace Technologies Automates Logistics
Airspace Technologies offers a proprietary IT platform which provides heightened visibility and real-time transparency of time-critical shipments. The software, processes, and services are generating time-critical solutions to improve all facets of commerce: from expediting organ transplants, R&D prototypes, customized manufactured components, new product launches or aiding in urgent service recoveries for maintenance and repair. Airspace Technologies allows your stakeholders to monitor, manage and optimize your supply chain actively. By improving the visibility, velocity, and reliability of an organization’s supply chain, Airspace Technologies drives operational efficiencies that enable your organization to fulfill its mission.
A few of the many features that Airspace Technologies provides include:
- A digitally integrated, surface and air expedited transportation network, designed for time-critical logistics.
- Automated data analysis of fastest origin/destination routings. Taking into consideration real-time traffic conditions and an estimated 25,000 daily domestic flights.
- An internet accessible “live” visual map interface, displaying continuous shipment status updates onboard vehicles and aircraft.
- Geofencing capabilities to provide shipment proximity notifications to alert necessary personnel.
- Proactive event management notifications, including exception alerts, to efficiently communicate any potential delays to your organization.
- Automated proof of pick-up and proof of delivery system notifications.
- Readily available photo verification of shipments picking up and delivering.
- And much more.
