How Smart Logistics Is Empowering Smbs

Intro:

• Impacts of the coronavirus have caused many businesses to rethink their supply chain strategy and have accelerated the timeline of some emerging trends

 • Global air and ocean capacity constraints, a competitive workforce environment, intensifying customer expectations for high speed and low cost and a dramatic rise in e-commerce

• Businesses are evaluating their distribution and fulfillment processes in order to achieve greater flexibility and efficiency

• Companies are looking for ways to manage costs, balance skilled labor and automation, and meet consumer expectations in a very competitive e-commerce space

 • Speed of delivery, predictability, reliability, and visibility are critical

 • Smart warehouse technology, combined with a strong, global transportation network can be a key to helping businesses achieve these goals

• UPS’ Customer First, People Led, Innovation Driven strategy is about our people working together, embracing technology and the UPS portfolio of services to create the best possible experience for our customers

Warehousing & Fulfillment:

 • Many SMB companies don’t have the resources, capital or expertise to implement an automated warehouse strategy on their own

• The “warehouse of the future” must be more modular, scalable and economical to help SMBs achieve success

• 3PLs exist to help make this a reality for these companies through scaled solutions designed to lower capital investment, improve ROI, and exceed customer expectations

• Examples of new technology reshaping the warehouse management industry

•Warehouse digitalization

• Foundation of deploying new technologies

• Moving from manual tracking of data to real-time tracking of inventory and labor

• Leads to more advanced tech like predictive analytics, AI and machine learning

• Enhanced fulfillment systems

• Allows autonomous warehouse operation, which reduces human decision-making required to operate a complex fulfillment operation

• Robotics

 • Drives improved operational performance

 • Removes process redundancy and frees up labor to complete more complex tasks

“Successful SMBs will partner with 3PLs that have the technology, experience, and people to help them meet customer expectations, operate more efficiently and grow profitably”

• Inventory asset management

 • Allows companies to efficiently validate, update and track inventory without disrupting warehouse operations

• Companies can have access to these new developments by tapping into the UPS network and the automation services at UPS Supply Chain Solutions

• For example, UPS eFulfillment can reach almost all of the U.S. in two days and is Amazon Prime and Walmart 2-Day certified

Global Transportation (GFF):

• From a global freight forwarding perspective, SMBs want simplicity, efficiency, visibility, and value from a provider than can trust

• Simplicity –fast, reliable service that is simple to quote, book, ship and track online

• Efficiency –ability to manage air and ocean freight together

• Visibility –having visibility across multiple modes of transportation with the ability to respond to shipment information and critical milestones as they occur

 • Value –not only providing a portfolio of transportation services, but also understanding customers’ objectives, sharing commercial insights and helping them solve their problems and seize opportunities.

• Trusted provider– working with a 3PL that is trustworthy and understands its customer’s business needs and delivers on its commitments

• In October, UPS debuted its UPS® Forwarding Hub, a digital tool that allows customers to manage their UPS Global Freight Forwarding Air & Ocean freight from a single online portal

 • For example, customers can use the highly interactive dashboard to retrieve price quotes, book and track shipments and chat with customer support

 • Successful forwarders do not lean on technology alone

Conclusion:

• Successful SMBs will partner with 3PLs that have the technology, experience, and people to help them meet customer expectations, operate more efficiently and grow profitably

• Meeting customer needs and expectations requires a network of experienced people, resources andrelationships

• Our strategy says it all: Customer First. People Led. Innovation Driven.