Automotive Supply Chain Management Solutions Benefit Your Business Almost Immediately
In Tuesday’s post, I talked about the importance of supply chain management solutions in the automotive industry. In the process, I mentioned a recent trip we took to an automotive forum in Mexico. There, we learned that, while the industry is thriving, many of its most prominent production centers lack the necessary supply chain management services to support industry companies.
I also referenced a previous post by Jon Cummings, one of our Print Commodity Management Specialists for Superior Business Solutions. Jon had traveled across the country to visit many auto industry manufacturers and suppliers with multiple locations and facilities. In the process, he discovered that many of them are managing their print projects on a plant-by-plant basis. And further, they do it even though these forms, tags, labels and other printed items are used enterprise-wide!
High Costs and Inconsistency = Time and Money Wasted
We pointed out several problems with this approach, including the potential for out-of-stock situations, and inconsistent forms from location to location. Other problems: failing to take advantage of cost savings that consolidation across the enterprise could generate, and the inventory demands and out-of-date materials that can result from bulk purchases.
The post suggested a three-step process from Superior Business Solutions that will help streamline your company’s print procurement practices. First, we analyze your company’s print supply chain needs. Next, we work with your people to optimize handling of each item. Finally, we establish a supply chain management “Plan for Every Part” that places each one in a category.
According to the supply chain management plan, you keep critical parts on the company premises for immediate access. Superior Business Solutions inventories your supplier parts at one of our facilities for quick delivery when needed. Normal production schedules should suffice for non-critical parts, so no special provisions are necessary.
3 Benefits Our Customers Are Experiencing
This process isn’t a theory. It works. And our customers who have used it find their businesses have benefited in at least three ways.
- Direct savings on per-piece costs, achieved by taking advantage of economies of scale across all locations. In fact, many companies say they have experienced double-digit savings during the first year of program implementation.
- Increased efficiency in the purchasing department. The plan reduces administrative time spent by the purchasing department. There are fewer vendors to manage, and far fewer purchase orders to generate and process.
- Reductions to on-hand inventory levels and employee hours spent. Inventory levels shrink dramatically with Superior supplying many products on a “just in time” basis. Far fewer employee hours are required to manage inventory, because Superior’s Corporate Kiosk™ manages the process for them, with all ordering and fulfillment done through a simple online portal.
Time savings are estimated at several hours per week at each plant, and ten hours per week at the administrative level. This translates to thousands of hours saved annually, worth up to tens of thousands of dollars every year – or more.
Forget the Worry Over Your Print Supply Chain & Trust Our Experience
We can help you forget the worry, decrease the hassle and save time and money with your print supply chain management. We have helped many clients in the automotive industry, including General Motors, Honda, and many OEM and Tier 1 auto suppliers. Our ISO certification shows our attention to detail. But you might find our attention to customers especially relevant. The positive comments and rankings of our products and services by those customers helped us earn a 2017 Best of Print and Digital Award.
Find out how our print solutions for the automotive manufacturing industry could benefit your company. Contact us today and ask for a supply chain management review or reach out directly to one of our sales reps directly.
