5 Supply Chain Tools to Improve Your Small Business

Logistics is a $4 trillion business that spends worldwide. This is because so many businesses in a wide range of industries all depend on a supply chain of some sort. If your business sells a product, then you need a way to manage your inventory and sales.

Several supply chain tools can help you manage your business. This helps you to grow by becoming leaner and optimizing your processes.

Do you have these five supply chain tools for your business?

1. Order Processing Tools

You need a way to track your orders. That way, you know where each order is in the fulfillment process. Look for a supply chain management system that can integrate into your entire system.

This lets you track orders throughout the entire sales channel. It also helps you track your inventory to ensure you never end up with a product on backorder.

2. Shipping Status Tools

A shipment tracking tool is necessary to know the status of all of your shipments. For the greatest management ability, it should give you real-time shipment updates. This lets you know where each shipment is in the supply chain process.

Complete shipment tracking systems can alert you when a shipment reaches its destination. They can also give you an estimated time of delivery. This helps you keep your customers informed and happy.

3. Data Management

Having a way to organize and compile data is a must. This lets you analyze the data output and choose the best supply chain strategies. You can learn more about web edi and how it can compile data and produce useful reports.

4. Warehouse Management

Your warehouse management tool will help you manage and maintain your warehouse space. Warehouse square footage is expensive, so you want to optimize your use of it. Having a tool to help you will ensure you’ve organized your warehouse correctly to optimize the space.

It can also help you understand warehouse usage and if the system you’ve chosen works for your warehouse team. It makes no sense to have people running from one end of the warehouse to the other repeatedly throughout the day.

Your warehouse management system will also ensure you have enough inventory and storage space for that inventory. This is important if you have a seasonal business where your inventory and storage needs fluctuate.

5. Demand Forecasting

If you want to have a lean operation, you need to reduce the inventory you have stored in your warehouse. However, this can be challenging with the changing demands of your customers. A demand forecasting tool is a must.

This helps you remain efficient while also meeting demand. It will signal a need for increased inventory for high demand. Then it will signal for you to reduce inventory in anticipation of a drop in demand.

Have These Supply Chain Tools

As you can see, you need these supply chain tools to effectively manage your business. For the most functionality and usefulness, look for a complete system that can manage all of these functions. Or, look for several systems that will integrate together.

Browse our other business-themed articles to learn more supply chain tips and tricks for becoming a successful entrepreneur.