Manufacturing | 31 Jul 2020 | 10 min
Take sure-footed steps with Workflow Automation Tools
We have all seen the disruption of the global supply chain. In this post Corona window, start-ups and enterprises alike have relooked their business, seen an increase in their digital capacity, a demand revival, and regionalized supply chains in their bid to make their supply chain Pandemic proof.
To compete on a global level, organizations must equip themselves better, must adapt according to the time- just like how the retail industry adopted an Omni-channel approach, the manufacturing and banking sector have seen an increasing dependence on AI.
To meet delivery commitments, generate revenue, and optimize assets it is extremely important to have an efficient scheduling, tracking, and documentation system. Here are three boxes you need to check to ensure a quick pay off and the realization of your dream-a robust and fully digital supply chain.
Automating your supply chain means to systemize a small part or all of your workflows so as to streamline your supply chain processes and offload all your traditionally manual processes like planning, order fulfilments, tracking, billing and invoicing .
Companies globally have a huge and complex ecosystem of suppliers and depend on them heavily for order fulfilment. Supply chain automation, more particularly, workflow automation can simplify this complex ecosystem. That way the supply chain team can have access to all the information at the time they need it, ensure optimized workflows, minimum friction when fulfilling customer demands, and almost ZERO hiccups.
So where exactly is the starting point for a company raring to achieve a fully digital supply chain? I would say go all in with Workflow automation. It is a small step indeed, but if manual processes like your documentation are streamlined, then it goes a long way in ensuring a more efficient supply chain management system. And also it is important to re-imagine these processes for the digital world, rather than just digitizing manual processes without modifying them.
Automated technology can help with fulfilling orders faster, so heavy consumer demands can be met in half the time. For example, delivery tracking firms use this kind of workflow automation – if a delivery agent scans a package barcode, then the supply chain automation software triggers a notification to the supplier and the customer at the same time, projecting the expected time of arrival to the customer. In a similar fashion, an auto manufacturer used workflow automation solution to accelerate project delivery.
It is important to plan, project, track, and document your supply chain processes with the right workflow automation tools.
Delivering a product to a customer is not just a pick up and drop thing. There are so many things in play when it comes to a supply chain- project planning, product manufacturing, inventory management, schedule management, task management, document management, order fulfilment, and product delivery, etc.
So if manual tasks are time consuming, processes are repeated with almost no variation, and if your processes are such that it can be handled through software then the right workflow automation tool can help you identify bottlenecks, delays, and manage them better. Leveraging supply chain automation solutions, can help your organization lower operational costs and increase profits.
How do you identify the right workflow automation tool? These supply chain automation tools must necessarily –
– Integrate with your existing supply chain infrastructure: Automation is meant to make your job easy, so look for options that can integrate well within your company’s existing infrastructure not ones that require jettisoning your existing ones.
– Be Cost Effective: Well yes, making things simpler can cost you, but look for cost effective workflow automation solutions, ones without complex workflows, yet out of the box and fit exactly into the process of your supply chain.
– Be User friendly: It is important all those using the platform are familiar with the way the tool works. A user- friendly and easily navigable user interface in your supply chain automation tool, helps you be less dependent on the IT team
– Be Customizable: Having a supply chain automation tool that is extremely customizable, and on an as-needed basis, benefits both the organization and the suppliers, and makes automation a smooth sailing process.
With Corona defining every aspect of everyone’s daily lives, bold moves are needed if you want to have a fully digital supply chain.
You can choose to slumber along and take it slow, or you can
Going from a semi-digital to a fully digital platform for your supply chain processes means addressing some of the most critical issues that can influence your supply chain and transform your digital journey. Try it all, have no regrets-as bold moves and multiple options can help you see or even become a big trend taking shape in the global supply chain.
Write to us to if you have anything to say about supply chain management, our services, or if you would like to know how we helped an auto manufacturer increase their productivity by 30% using enterprise workflow automation tools.
P.S: Make wise choices, stay safe, and keep reinventing yourselves and your business.
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