End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility

As we have seen in the last couple of years, A relentless stream of disruptive events (e.g., weather, accidents, supply constraints) has challenged the logistics industry. Not to mention the increasing geopolitical tensions have adversely impacted the semiconductor supply chain, which threatens the prosperity of multiple industries.

Now is the time to take the first steps toward a digitized supply chain that gives you end-to-end visibility simply because you can’t measure or improve what you can’t see. Transforming your supply chain operating model from rigid and linear to an agile, networked ecosystem in which all parties work collectively which will allow you to see what is happening in the planning, sourcing, building, delivering, and returning stages. Investing in digital and analytics could be one of your turning point to be able to look across the end-to-end and more reliably predict the effects of change, disruption, or increased demand.

What is an end to end supply chain?

End-to-end (E2E) supply chain refers to all supply chain processes, from logistics procurement to the post-sale customer experience. Its purpose is to provide a seamless workflow from one stage of the supply chain to the next. This enables businesses to reduce supply chain delays, improve supply chain visibility, and improve operational costs while meeting customer demand and expectations.

Advantages of End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility

There are three reasons companies use E2E visibility to increase their competitive advantage:

1. Pro-active risk management

Weak points in the supply chain can be identified immediately and appropriate countermeasures proactively initiated to reduce risks. Information and decisions are transmitted quickly and easily to all affected parties in the supply chain.

2. Optimised inventories and reduced costs

A lack of transparency of demand can lead to high inventories on the one hand, and to stock-outs on the other. This results in costly production downtime, spare parts procurement, and a decline in customer satisfaction. Keeping extra stock as a safety measure is an expensive solution. Forecast accuracy is increased by appropriate transparency in the processes.

3. Improved customer service

If there is a delay in delivery, Supply Chain Visibility can be used to remedy the situation. Information such as shipping status, product availability and recalls can be shared with customers or partners along the supply chain.

Benefits of An End-to-End Supply Chain

• Seamless flow of activities across the supply chain

• Reducing delays with the ability to detect any issues across the supply chain

• Better relationships with suppliers and customers

• Complete visibility can reduce risks, operating costs, and predict and plan to meet the needs of market changes

• Transparency and the ability to view “blind spots”

• Reduced labour and material costs, by removing waste in the process

When we bring visibility into the picture, E2E supply chain visibility is a necessity for businesses to communicate, solve problems, and provide service to partners and customers. To put it simply, collaboration among the necessary teams, warehouses, suppliers, and stakeholders is necessary to have better visibility of your supply chain.

However, In recent years, businesses are so focused on downstream visibility. This is because downstream visibility focuses primarily on the customers, which should naturally be a priority. However, the idea that a business should only focus on downstream visibility is actually quite damaging and narrows the business focus. Companies today need to have enough oversight to look upstream in the supply chain and predict where demand may shift in the near and distant future. Complete supply chain transparency – achieved through the latest supply chain management solutions – can help manufacturers not only mitigate risks and reduce operational costs but also help organisations forecast and plan to meet market needs as they come to fruition.

Chat to one of our friendly sales team at Image International Freight today about integrating your business to utilise our integrated freight forwarding and warehousing service to assist with providing more transparency on your end-to-end supply chain visibility.