Many companies today outsource their logistics functions to third-party logistics (3PL) providers to focus on their core competencies. They can enjoy the benefits 3PL providers offer in terms of cost reduction, productivity, profits, and improvement of their service quality. A 3PL can perform some or all of your logistics functions.

4SIGHT has extensive experience working with many of today’s leading 3PL companies. We can provide valuable insights into the 3PL market and its participants, as well as a highly structured methodology for executing a formal 3PL Request for Proposal (RFP).

The focus of the 4SIGHT Logistics Network Optimization exercise is to evaluate supply chain and logistics network design with the primary objectives of minimizing total logistics costs (transportation, facilities, inventory) while maximizing for service-level requirements.

This optimization work should be considered among the most strategic of all supply chain and logistics initiatives. It should involve your senior executives as the result of the exercise can have a significant impact on both your operational costs and potential capital investments in equipment and infrastructure.

The omnichannel approach factors in the implementation and development of technologies and processes that expand your customer reach and engagement while maintaining continuity across all new and existing platforms. This strategy is grounded in a framework that enables your customer to navigate these respective platforms to cater and deliver to their requirements. Allowing customers to create their personal purchasing experience gives them the ability to leverage integrated applications to provide a seamless and functional model for success while aligning with your company’s efforts to attract and retain business.

Evaluating and selecting the right supply chain automation technology is a complex process that’s critical to developing and maintaining highly efficient and competitive operations. 4SIGHT’s consultants and engineers have deep experience in facility layout and design as well as material handling equipment for new distribution facilities, brownfield sites, and existing DCs. We invest in keeping our consulting and engineering staff up to date on the latest automation technologies and equipment as well as the types of operations in which they can be successfully applied. We’ll work closely with your team on a business case analysis to determine the most effective way to leverage today’s state-of-the-art automation options for more efficient operations and lower costs.

To drive ongoing success and dramatic supply chain efficiency gains, companies need to adequately address the reality that physical processes, such as warehousing, transportation, and manufacturing, have to be much more closely aligned and synchronously planned and managed along with other ‘virtual’ supply chain processes. These virtual processes include sales operations, demand forecasting, replenishment planning, supply planning, and procurement across the extended supply chain.

The latest phase of control towers builds on the automation tools by letting machine learning examine historical data of how the supply chain has operated to offer insights on where rules and thresholds can be reset. Additionally, vendors are working on capabilities that provide prescriptive actions based on anticipated issues that could impact the supply chain.