| In the relatively healthy economic climate of the last | | | | independent consultancy firms. |
| few years, businesses have understandably been | | | | The modern specialist consultants business should |
| focused on sales and revenue growth, often without | | | | therefore be focused on the key project objectives, |
| ensuring that operational and Supply Chain best | | | | use proven industry experience and methodology |
| practice has also been implemented. Now that | | | | from their own expertise, and focus not only on |
| survival rather than growth is the number one | | | | developing a strategic solution but also on the |
| priority, organizations are looking long and hard at | | | | implementation of it and the handover to the client |
| their Supply Chain operations and, in many cases, | | | | of strategy ownership as soon as it is feasible. This |
| finding that they have become fractured, | | | | minimizes cost to the client and ensures that the |
| cumbersome and expensive. | | | | improvements to their business, and that the return |
| Whilst outsourcing has always been prevalent in the | | | | on investment into specialist resource, can be realized |
| Logistics and Supply Chain Consultants sectors, there | | | | as soon as possible. |
| has been a marked increase in the requirements of | | | | For example a key area of unnecessary and wasted |
| businesses in all sectors, for independent specialist | | | | cost within the supply chain across all sectors is often |
| Supply Chain Consultants over the last 6 months. This | | | | within Returnable Transit Packaging (RTP)and |
| is not just due to economic slowdown or uncertainty, | | | | Materials Handling equipment fleets, whether they are |
| making companies more cautious in employing | | | | owned and managed internally or rented from and |
| permanent resource, but mainly due to the diversity, | | | | managed by a third party. The client therefore needs |
| unique requirements and expectations of the modern | | | | to choose specialist independent Materials Handling |
| supply chain. | | | | Consultants with expertise in RTP management and |
| Never has so much attention been focused on taking | | | | pooling implementation, with the ability to design, |
| cost out of all aspects of the supply chain as well as | | | | develop and implement equipment pooling processes, |
| reducing the effects on the environment, whilst of | | | | facilitating improved equipment control, user |
| course achieving higher levels of customer | | | | accountability, optimal logistics and supply-chain |
| satisfaction - a tall order for any business especially in | | | | infrastructure, repair & maintenance operations |
| what we are being told to expect as tougher | | | | and overall RTP fleet cost control. This should have |
| economic times ahead. | | | | the result of a fully developed and implementable |
| With so many different aspects of the increasingly | | | | solution providing significant savings to RTP fleet |
| complex Supply Chain to consider, the number of | | | | operations, reducing losses and damage, as well as |
| specialist project requirements increase and it is not | | | | reducing fleet sizes through improved process, |
| possible for one person within an organization, | | | | reducing dwell times and therefore increasing trips per |
| (whether a permanent employee or an interim | | | | RTP unit. Having developed and implemented a |
| contractor), to have the skills and expertise to | | | | strategic solution, which can in some cases deliver |
| successfully optimize all of them. As the Supply Chain | | | | 15% to 20% savings on annual RTP costs, a |
| is broken down into smaller identifiable elements, | | | | specialist consultant will seek to hand ownership of |
| there is a greater need for more specialist expertise | | | | the strategy over to the client as soon as it is |
| to ensure best practice. | | | | feasible, minimizing costs and delivering the fastest |
| It has also become more evident that a number of | | | | possible payback period.RTP fleet management is |
| businesses have reduced resource in some areas to | | | | also a key area which can have positive |
| such an extent, in an effort to minimize costs, that | | | | environmental impact as a by-product of the original |
| they are now finding they are unable to operate to | | | | strategy objective of minimizing costs. |
| maximum efficiency and potential as the remaining | | | | Everyone is a winner (including the planet), thanks to |
| staff are being asked to "multi-task" (often in areas | | | | the specific RTP expertise of the specialist |
| outside of their core competence), therefore losing | | | | independent consultancy. During good economic |
| focus on their key roles and functions. This in most | | | | growth, as we have experienced over the last few |
| cases is a short term cost saving solution, but | | | | years, businesses can prosper and grow financially |
| unfortunately has the medium to long term adverse | | | | focusing on sales and revenue, without perhaps the |
| effect on the business as both the specialist projects | | | | operational focus to ensure that best supply chain |
| and the key business objectives are diluted; reducing | | | | practice is implemented as the business grows. It is |
| their effectiveness and worth, preventing the | | | | only when the growth slows down and the business |
| business from achieving continuous improvement and | | | | is analyzed in more detail that one realizes that their |
| growth. | | | | Supply Chain has become fractured, cumbersome and |
| Simple economics and common sense dictates that | | | | expensive. This is a potentially very damaging |
| rather than employing a permanent team of staff to | | | | situation for smaller businesses that have grown |
| work on a few short to medium term projects, more | | | | quickly without true understanding of the impact of |
| and more businesses are opting for the more flexible | | | | their Supply Chain operation on to their costs. Often |
| and cost effective approach of using sector specialist | | | | in these cases a simple analysis and implementable |
| independent supply chain consultants. | | | | strategy recommendation from specialist Supply |
| Logic dictates that using an independent consultancy | | | | Chain Consultants will enable the client to identify |
| specializing in a particular area or discipline will be more | | | | where savings can be made and the supply chain |
| effective, (cost and operationally), than using | | | | streamlined to suit their business, whilst it remains |
| someone who has to learn about the area of | | | | flexible for economic boom or recession. The answer |
| expertise during the course of the working day. | | | | is often in reducing handling and transport |
| The days of the general "Management Consultants" | | | | requirements, and centralizing more functions but with |
| who claim to be able to improve any aspect of your | | | | the introduction and adherence to standard operating |
| business by writing lengthy (and largely theoretical) | | | | procedures (SOPs) and measuring the continued |
| strategy reports, too "all encompassing" to practically | | | | performance of the business through simple Key |
| implement are, thankfully, behind us. They still exist, | | | | performance indicators (KPI's). |
| but are not really in touch with the requirements of | | | | Once again, thanks to the expertise of the specialist |
| the modern streamlined business culture, and | | | | independent Supply Chain Consultants, the needs of |
| contradict the proven and sound logic behind using | | | | the client and the environment are satisfied. |
| sector specific resource through experienced | | | | |