Tips for Effective Supply Chain

Management

Companies or their logistics and supply chain partners (such as JUPITER SCM  LLC)  and AIT Tahipo engage in supply chain management to design and operate supply chains in the most effective and efficient manner feasible.

The concept of supply chain management is based on a single premise: almost every product in the world eventually reaches a customer. The more steps in a logistics plan there are, the more efficient your supply chain process must be. Here are some pointers to help you manage your supply chain more successfully.

Choose the right suppliers

Make your requirements clear to your suppliers from the outset. Aquila chooses suppliers who adhere to established standards for playground equipment safety performance, are the right size to supply the company’s needs, and produce consistent quality.

Have multiple suppliers for each product

Never rely on just one supplier for each product. Disasters, like fires or floods, can occur and prevent suppliers from delivering. With more than one supplier per product, you are always prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Always Have a Contingency Plan

Your logistics department, or provider, should have contingencies for every element of your plan if something goes wrong. You should also know when to stick with your original plan rather than switching to your backup. can gear up and are fully aware of what to expect from you.

You don’t want to surprise your suppliers. Keep in constant touch with them.  This ongoing dialogue helps build loyalty. “They love it because they can gear up and are fully aware of what to expect from us.

Develop a Supply Chain Strategy

Although it seems like common sense, few businesses actually develop a written supply chain strategy. Effective supply chain and logistics management are all in the planning. The fewer decisions that need to be made on the fly during the transportation process the better.

Although a solid plan won’t cover every circumstance, it will limit the number of decisions that need to be made. A good logistics provider will plan well ahead to eliminate supply chain disruptions as best they can.

Leverage New Technology

Technology that exists today plays a major role in strengthening supply chains. The most successful supply chains incorporate technology such as warehouse management systems (WMS) and transportation management systems (TMS) to automate processes.

By speeding up decision-making, technology-driven supply chains play a large role in helping companies gain a competitive advantage.

Learn From Your Mistakes

Depending on the size and complexity of your company, poor supply chain management can cost your company hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The most important thing you can do when optimizing your supply chain is to identify your mistakes. As a result, you can shift your focus on putting systems in place to ensure the same mistakes don’t happen again.

Customs Clearance

When you ship something internationally, you’ll have to take a few extra steps to get your package ready for customs clearance. Customs, the part of the government that is in charge of making sure international trade laws are followed, checks and regulates every shipment to make sure its contents follow the rules of the country or territory that is importing it.

​​JUPITER SCM has a national CHB license in the United States which enables it to process customs entries in all fifty states and Puerto Rico. We also provide post customs clearance services such as trucking and warehousing and distribution.

Tips to Avoid Customs Delays

• Even if you’re giving the item away for free, you should still say how much it’s worth (i.e., sample or not for resale). Duties and taxes will be based on the value.

• Keep shipments with more than one piece together, and label each piece separately.

• Fill out all necessary forms correctly. Make sure your answers are clear, correct, and don’t have any spelling mistakes.

• Make sure that all of the required customs documents have the same information.

• When filling out customs forms, you need to list each item separately and describe it in detail, including what it is made of and how it will be used.

• Write the country of origin or country of manufacture clearly to show where your product was made, grown, or produced.

• If you have your own broker, please include all the details about how to reach them.

• Give both the sender and the recipient’s phone number or fax number.

50 expert tips on logistics planning and strategy

Guidelines for integrating supply chains

1. Establish a flexible, unified purchasing process.

2. Create space for cooperation.

3. Approach your supply chain collaboration with generosity.

4. Establish a center of excellence for your supply chain (CoE).

5. Come up with a sustainable environmental model.

6. Recognize the impact supply chains have on their businesses.

7. Recognize when your supply chain is opening itself up to risk.

8. Become familiar with the feared “worst case scenario.”

9. Identify the requirements of your supply chain.

10. Reevaluate your model for demand forecasting.

Logistics techniques for efficient fulfillment

11. Continue to use and improve your inventory management techniques.

12. Reevaluate your 3PL provider’s worth.

13. Increase your exposure. This entails using tools to monitor production, orders, and product shipping so that you may better understand what might be harming or facilitating your particular processes.

14. Examine the pick-and-pack procedures used by your warehouse manager.

15. Adaptable processes should be part of your logistics plan.

16. Reconsider your omnichannel fulfillment strategy.

17. Take into account implementing cross docking practices.

18. Compare your costs to the satisfaction of your customers.

19. Clearly state your return policy.

20. Review your product pages and item details.

Automated Collaboration Integration

21. Replace your manual systems with ones that are automated.

22. Inform your business about the advantages of platforms for logistics management software.

23. Consider what your warehouse might look like in the year 2030.

24. Add more valuable pairings to your WMS.

25. Identify the repetitive tasks in your operation to reduce slow production times.

26. With the aid of strategic automation, develop a plan for comprehensive warehouse testing.

27. Only invest in automation that will help you achieve your needs and/or goals.

28. Start utilizing shipping integrations.

29. Take into account automation as a service.

30. Replace your heavy-duty scanners with cheap, portable gadgets.

Pointers for managing your logistics team and suppliers

31. One of the foundational elements of productivity is effective communication with the entire staff.

32. Establish a social conscience that your supply chain can honor.

33. Provide a listening ear.

34. Approach supplier management in a collaborative manner. There are three guidelines to adhere to in order to advance your business toward best-in-class supplier performance management.

1) When choosing suppliers, inquire not only about what they can do for you but also about how feasible it will be to collaborate with them in the long run.

2) Once partnerships have been established, look for ways to increase profitability or decrease total supply chain costs that are advantageous to both parties.

3) Encourage suppliers to improve their performance, but save their application until when there is failure.

35. Prioritize talent development.

36. Improve every aspect of your team.

37. Establish objectives that benefit both you and your suppliers.

38. Ensure your safety by assessing the liability and insurance requirements of your supplier.

39. Offer attainable benchmarks to your team.

40. Provide your suppliers with a “middle ground.”

Guidelines for enhancing customer satisfaction

41. Be willing to adapt.

42. Give your clients transparency.

43. Pay attention to customer experience (CX) trends.

44. Provide shipping and product replenishment alerts to customers.

45. Improve customer experience by tightening demand planning strategies.

46. Be kind to your customers and confirm that you can keep your commitments.

47. Do not be reluctant to request feedback.

48. Make an investment in technology that initiates automated customer communication.

49. Spend money on a customized mobility solution.

50. Think about making an investment in augmented reality tools.

 Jupiter SCM offers a special Drawback Processing Service

Are you looking for a better way to manage your import and export duties?

Our Drawback Processing is the perfect solution. It offers the refund of certain duties, internal revenue taxes and certain fees collected upon the importation of goods and refunded when the merchandise is exported or destroyed.

Duty drawback is a refund on import duties, fees, and taxes that you may be able to claim when you export. The process of claiming those duties can be complicated but the good news is – you don’t have to do it yourself. Learn about the duty drawback process with Jupiter SCM and how our experts can help you get the refunds you deserve.

Step 1: Import and export documents are compiled and a risk assessment and initial validation is performed.

Step 2: After validation, the optimal drawback type and ideal method is analyzed to maximize drawback recovery.

Step 3: Once the claim analysis is complete, your claim undergoes two levels of quality review before filing.

Step 4: We file, monitors progress and responds to CBP inquiries.

Step 5: We follow up with CBP to ensure timely accelerated payment and liquidation of drawback claims.

Streamline your international trade operations with our easy-to-use platform.

Sign up today to get started!

We also have a logistics search portal. The web portal enables users to search for customs brokers, freight forwarders, truckers, and warehouses worldwide. We also have curated content such as trade articles, blog posts in text and audio, and targeted industry videos for our users on a wide array of market subjects.

Other Services Include:

• Custom Brokerage

• Air & Ocean Import and Export,

• Overseas Client Representation,

• Buyers Consolidation,

• Hand Carry Delivery,

• Logistics Consulting.