As a Logistics Service Provider you probably consider supply chain collaboration and integration as core competences and key capabilities for your business. Not only do you invest in assets such as trailers and warehouses to physically store and move the goods, you also invest in IT equipment, processes and people to ensure information availability and flow. Unfortunately your customers are unwilling to pay for this information sharing capability separately and it generally has to be incorporated in a price per km or per package handled, or some other physical measure agreed in a contract. Moreover, customers generally tender 3PL services for 3 years or less, making investments in optimized customer collaboration and integration difficult to justify. At the same time, your customers' integration and collaboration requirements have become more and more sophisticated. The key question is how do you support these conflicting demands and priorities in what is probably one of the most competitive industries in the world?

Key supply chain challenges for Logistic Service Providers

• Come as you are approach to match any customer integration requirement.
• Efficient and cost-effective customer on boarding in your systems and processes.
• Eliminate high investments, complex solutions and specialized IT staff.
• Display accurate and real-time information in a single holistic overview.
• Harmonize internal information flows after acquisitions and divestures.
• Connect to supply chains where sophisticated labels, scanners etc. are adopted.
• Real-time dashboards and KPIs linked to drill-down information sources.
• Adopt sophisticated tools to cope with any business partner's capability.
• Offer same visibility level to customers with shorter contract durations.
• Improve collaboration with trading partners to deliver according to the contract.

Compared to other business types like OEMs, CPG companies and Life Science companies, LSPs are underrepresented in terms of their use of cloud-based software products. Perhaps because, prior to the general breakthrough of cloud computing, they were the prime movers in developing web-based track & trace and order management tools, and acquired and nurtured the appropriate competences internally. Or perhaps because they see the ability to provide supply chain integration and collaboration as a unique selling point, which they want to control by using their own delivery resources.

Quyntess can help - not only by supplying an IT solution and expertise, but also by offering a business model that builds bridges between your business goals and those of your customers and their other partners in the supply chain.

The benefits of our e-Logistics platform:

• Full integration with your back-end ERP, WMS, TMS etc. systems.
• Flexible on-demand and pay-per-use subscriptions.
• Fully branded to your company's look and feel: your e-logistics platform!
• Ready-to-go collaboration and integration platform to fit any business requirement.
• Re-usable industry templates enable fast adoption and roll-out.
• One single platform for web, mobile, EDI and form-based collaboration.
• Platform as a service: no investments in software, hardware and specialized staff.

e-Logistics meets customer requirements

Depending on your specific situation and the supply chain configuration, your customer could be either an OEM for which you handle inbound material flows, or a CPG company for which you manage outbound flows to retailers. Alternately, you may be involved in a scenario where you work for a retailer and its inbound flows. Multiple combinations and variations are possible. In this particular case, we will use the term "customer" to refer to your customer: the party that pays your bills at the end of the month.

In general, your customers require a certain level of electronic integration to handle transport orders, goods receipt, confirmations etc. To establish 100% transparent processes it is also crucial for your customers to access information on alerts, generate approvals and monitor flows or performance of third parties, including your own performance. Quyntess offers B2B integration and Web-EDI integration services, which allows you to control costs and manage on-boarding time-efficiently while freeing up internal IT resources. You can manage all of your integration and collaboration needs via a single platform - your private cloud. Exactly aligned to the scope of service the customer requires for the contract duration that has been agreed with you.

The benefits of our e-logistics solution:

• B2B connectivity for high volume customers, using their own data formats.
• Web Portal connectivity to provide accessibility to non-EDI partners.
• Accurate performance monitoring and real-time alerts for all partners.
• Supports transportation, warehousing and other data flows, including customs.
• Customer-specific workflows decoupled from your internal processes and systems.
• End-to-end inventory monitoring: at suppliers, on trucks or in your DC.
• Ability to book slots at customer unloading docks and your own DCs.

e-Logistics meets supplier requirements

If you are involved in an inbound scenario for a retailer, wholesaler or an OEM, you will typically need to provide information on behalf of your customer. Depending on your customer's specific supply chain, you may either receive ASNs from your customer's suppliers through your customer's system, or receive them directly from those suppliers via EDI, via a portal or via some other communication channel. The ASNs may contain different levels of detail. For example, they may be based on Purchase Orders or they only state the number of pallets or loading metres.

Typically your internal systems will build shipments and routes, either based on direct delivery to the customer, or based on consolidation or cross-docking processes in your facilities. This is where the activity becomes highly complex: business rules are required for weight, cubing, stacking, notifying shipment and determining cut-off points for routes. Some of your customers may require planned shipment approvals in order to generate transport orders and some of their suppliers may need reconfirmation of pick-up times or apply slot booking. You face the challenge of providing effective support for all of these processes and need to consider whether you can justify the associated expense in the light of the contract duration with your customer. This is where our e-Logistics platform can help.

The benefits of our e-logistics solution:

• Manage POs on behalf customers and accommodate changes from both sides.
• Capture detailed Advance Ship Notice or Despatch Advice in different forms.
• Manage supplier barcode/label printing for warehousing, distribution etc.
• Create shipments, build routes and manage consolidation via milk runs.
• Ability to manage the relationship between orders, shipment and inventory.
• Ability to collaborate based on available time slots for docks at suppliers' facilities.
• Manage subcontractors, customs and VAL providers operating on your behalf.
• Ability to handle supplier packing lists in different forms.
• Availability of information on return flows to suppliers.
• Ability to merge return flows with pick-up flows for returnable containers or articles.

e-Logistics meets end-customer requirements

If you are involved in an outbound scenario for either an OEM, CPG company or a wholesaler, you typically operate in a situation where you deal with your customer's end-customer. As such, you are often the end-point in their logistic fulfilment process. You are primarily responsible for what the end-customer perceives as your customer's performance. We live in a customer-driven world, so your customers will scrutinize your performance more closely than ever before. They will also demand that you provide customer-friendly information services, state-of-the-art alerts and exception management, and suitable exception workflows. Obviously competitive pricing and high-quality service are also indispensable.

LSPs require advanced e-Logistics technology that acts as their customer's fulfilment centre in order to deliver this high-value end-customer user experience. This technology also offers integration with their customer's IT system for handling transport orders, proof of delivery, etc.

The benefits of our e-logistics solution:

• Accessibility to sales orders from end-customers: via EDI or via a portal.
• Create shipments directly based on available customer transport order information.
• Ability to collaborate on dock schedules and pick-up slots at your customers' sites.
• Ability to re-format packing lists and documentation as required by end-customers.
• Notify scheduled deliveries and provide real-time track and trace information.
• Ability to collaborate on return logistics and packaging from end-customers.
• Record and manage proof of delivery information provided by end-customers.
• End-to-end inventory visibility warehouse for goods in transit at each stage.
• Ability to generate transport documents, manifests and invoices.

e-Logistics meets Third Party requirements

As an LSP you seldom provide all of the logistic services required by your customers using your own assets. Modern supply chains are subject to continuous reconfiguration. The following are examples of other third parties that may be involved:

• Customer warehouses managed by other third parties.
• Subcontractors for transportation using different transport modes.
• Forwarding agents that consolidate material flows in other geographical areas.
• Collaboration in "cross chain control centres" to enable consolidated shipments.
• Customs brokers and agents.

All of these partners require a certain level of integration with your customer processes for defined areas within the workflow. Tasks need to be expedited, confirmed, monitored and synchronized within the overall flow. The ability to structure this end-to-end collaboration flexibly by leveraging content that is available on our platform is a door opener and business enabler.