Cue the orchestra: Synchronize your supply chain execution

By Govind Bhatti, Founder & CEO of Haulmate

It could be argued that no one would ever confuse the general mishmash of freight movement with the seamlessness of symphony music. Even so, a term now popular in logistics circles is “orchestration.” Industry experts see orchestration as the necessary outgrowth of the digitization of the supply chain.

As the word implies, orchestration is about getting the band to play together with maximum effect. It knocks down inefficient silos of responsibility to make it “possible for supply chain planning and execution to be synchronized, instead of cascaded data and decisions,” as Anne Robinson, chief strategy officer of Kinaxis, an Ontario-based provider of supply chain services, puts it.

And managing in a synchronized approach that sings along beats bashing silos to make an impact. In an orchestrated supply chain, each function works with the others smoothly. Three key elements to keeping time this way are “aligning around a clear set of goals, creation of a plan, and tactics to execute the plan,” offers Matt Spooner, thought leader at Kinaxis.

Sing along

Among other experts singing this tune is leading global logistics provider DHL Supply Chain. In a new white paper, DHL describes orchestration as promising “to build on and amplify” the significant advantages that digitization is bringing to the productivity, speed, and visibility of supply chain operations.

“Trucks arriving late, employees calling in sick, order volumes exceeding projections, and equipment failures” are some of the daily problems that orchestration eliminates by “dynamically balancing supply chain resources so that the value of every resource is maximized, and orders can be filled faster, more efficiently and at lower cost.” DHL advises.

Orchestration is supported by solutions such as daily dynamic routing, driver utilization during non-peak periods, and returns management, a major pain point for eCommerce, the logistics firm notes.

Smooth the way

Haulmate is adept at orchestrating the optimization of supply chain planning and execution on a day after day, situation by situation basis. We accomplish that by assigning highly trained team members to expertly and efficiently conduct all your key customer-facing interactions.

Our smooth-the-way solutions range from data entry and real-time tracking to handling claims.

You’re always the bandleader. Think of Haulmate as your rhythm section, setting the beat and keeping harmony so you can direct your operation soundly, with an ear to the ground and an eye on the future. To hear how we can help orchestrate your symphony of freight movement, reach out to Haulmate. We’re here, like you, 24/7.