Yards are the intersection between warehouses and transportation. They are a critical linkage in logistics management practices and have a significant impact on the overall efficiency of the supply chain. For these reasons, designing yard management for efficiency is vital to business success.
Companies of all industries and verticals that are involved in moving inventory through the supply chain realize that transportation delays take place not only on the road but also while the assets are still in yards at distribution centers (DCs) and manufacturing plants.
As all goods often go through multiple yards throughout the shipment lifecycle, any inefficiencies or errors in the yard will propagate through the entire supply chain. Investments in yard management solutions for efficiency can yield an excellent return on investment.
According to industry-leading analysts, on average, a trailer shipment, between one facility to another facility, takes three days. Of that shipment time, over two-and-a-half days (80%), a trailer is actually in a yard idling either empty or loaded. The loaded shipments represent idle inventory and this idle time is usually the result of trailer status information delays and information inaccuracies along the supply chain. An efficient trailer yard management system can help you significantly cut these costs and delays.
While corporations have made significant investments in managing their transportation and warehouse assets using transportation and warehouse applications, without real-time, accurate trailer and shipment status information across their facilities, they cannot gain full value for these technology investments. For instance, delays can mean production downtime for manufacturing operations, product spoilage if handling perishable goods, lost opportunities caused by stock-out for retailers, or credibility issues with carriers and customers.
Distribution center managers and supply chain executives agree that without a dependable yard management solution, the actual arrival and departure times of trailers, location information in the yard, and load status are not properly tracked—the entire supply chain is adversely impacted at each facility within the distribution chain.
Errors and inaccurate information ripple throughout the supply chain. A late shipment or a misplaced trailer in the yard will impact all warehouse and transportation plans managers have in place and result in poor customer service.
The productivity of today’s complex warehouse and manufacturing operations can easily be impacted by inefficiencies in the yard such as
Let us show you what our trailer yard management systems can do for. Call PINC at (877) 511-PINC for a free demo, or contact us online with any questions.
