Why is it so imperative to be concerned about coordinating supply chain management with marketing and engineering departments?

This recession is requiring real time communication between departments to avoid being stuck with excess inventory that no one is willing to buy. Corporations that incorporate good supply chain management practices will not only make it through this recession, but they will be poised to pick up the lion share of business when the recession finally passes.

Here is a quote from the article ” Leading the Logistics Pack” in todays Journal Of Commerce. How many lessons can you glean for your business:

“That doesn’t mean supply chain leaders have escaped the brunt of the global recession. “These companies are not perfect, they too are struggling,” Hofman said.

But the companies AMR cited have responded quickly to changes in demand, and restructured their supply chains. For example, Procter & Gamble, No. 3 on this year’s list, recently reported disappointing earnings. However, P&G has been able “to respond more quickly to a profound shift in consumer demand than if the pieces in the puzzle were separate.” P&G has refocused its product line along lower “price points” designed to improve sales and profits.
Along the same lines, Dell has made a major change in its business model, moving away from direct sales of its computers to retail distribution channels. Nevertheless, “Dell’s inventory turns still can’t be beat” because its supply chain managers collaborate so closely with its engineering and marketing departments.”

You can read the entire article here:

Businesses in this environment can not afford to exist without a supply chain management team.

Have an In House Logistics Team Already?

You are to be commended for recognizing the value of supply chain management. Did you know that we work with many corporations with in house teams already?  They find that our complimentary added value services help to augment and optimize what they are doing already.

Don’t have a logistics team inhouse?

By teaming up with an Atlanta logistics company you can have all of the benefits of a logistics team without the payroll. Our management center becomes a virtual extension of your business. The best part is that the majority of our services are based on a performance basis.

Why not pick up the phone and contact us now?

(770) 561-3178

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Local U.S businesses and manufactures right here in the states are under tremendous threat of extinction due to manufacturing outsourcing overseas. How is it impacting you?

I know you are concerned about the effects of the upcoming recession on our economy and your business bottom line. Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this right now. You are rightly concerned about the threats of overseas manufacturing and the impact on your businesses profitability, cash flow & market share.

How To Profit During The Lean Times

One way to do that is to take advantage of a resource that has been used by Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 Companies for almost 50 years. I am talking about teaming up with an Atlanta Logistics Company that specializes in finding “hidden” money in your shipping and transportation costs. As a result our clients have seen an overall average of 34% savings the first year by implementing some of the transportation strategies we have brought to the table. That is found money dropped right into your lap.

And don’t worry…these logistics recommendations will not interrupt your day to day operations. Instead, they will augment them & make available manpower and new capital that you were not expecting. Think about this for a moment…how would this impact your business?

What Would You Do With An Extra 34% Savings?

Our clients take their logistics savings and use it to grow their market share with marketing and advertising dollars. Others use it for research and development of new products and services. How would your company benefit from this?

Let an Atlanta 3PL like, TSG put our experience to work for you to help you increase revenue, improve efficiencies and effectiveness, cut non value expenses and grab new market share. You might be surprised what a Atlanta Logistics Company can bring to the table for you.

Contingency Based Strategic Sourcing

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When we first approached this company they had excellent discounts in place with their LTL carriers, however they were open to ways to find savings.

Since they practiced the six sigma philosophy of finding the most efficient way to do things, the idea of finding ways to simplify, eliminate inefficiencies and save money certainly appealed to them. When we explained our “100% Risk Free Offer” they agreed to a complimentary transportation consultation.

Our original analysis was for 17 LTL invoices showing a 39% savings. This intrigued them to want to do a full study of the prior 30 days. 323 invoices were analyzed with an overall savings of 31% or $10,000.

They next asked us to do a study for their California office for the last 90 days. Considerable savings of over 53% or $34,000 were shown on paper. Remember this was without sacrificing quality of the carriers.

Additional Problems Unearthed

• Our consultation showed two locations using their own negotiated rates with their local carriers.
• We found that their individual 60+ branches were calling in their own freight pickups and getting what ever rates they could.
• Even worse then that they were being hit with assessorial charges left and right.
• To top it off the freight trucks when delivering to their individual store fronts could not get close to the store due to not having enough room to turn around the truck. This required the only employee to lock up the store and physically break down a pallet and carry it thru the parking lot and load it into their warehouse. When their were clients in the store they had to run and collect the freight and pray that no one shoplifted while the store was unattended. Some of the stores were run by pregnant women. Can you imagine them having to do this alone?

How We Helped Them

We put their freight out to bid and they were ecstatic at what we were able to bring to the table.

• Overall hard dollar savings of approximately $300,00.00
• We got them better carrier than before
• Soft dollar savings were also realized because we negotiated a little forklift on the back of every truck for free so that the truck driver would be able to unload the freight and drive it right into the warehouse while the employee was able to keep the store open. This saved a minimum of 2 hours a week per store manager equating to a savings of  an additional $19,000 a year. Lost revenue due to the store being closed during unloading was eliminated. Shoplifting also declined as a result of this.
• All assessorial fees were waived.

I wonder how we could impact your organization? If your business has the  “kaisen” philosophy of constant and continuous improvement why not contact us for a free consultation?

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Once your transportation analysis has been completed and reviewed with you, upon your approval we will send your freight out to bid.
We will request what carriers you would specifically care to have bid on your freight. We will also invite LTL carriers who specifically meet the requirements that we unearthed during your transportation analysis. Please be assured that only reputable carriers will receive an invitation.

The Bidding Process:

1-TSG will prepare your package and then send it off to the carriers we specified.

2- Please allow up three to four weeks for the carriers to respond and for all of the bids to come back in.

3- Our staff will then carefully review each bid to make sure the requirements like FAK’s and waived assessorial fees were honored.

4- Our bid specialists will then assemble all of the data quotes into a spreadsheet to assess the savings your business would recognize.

5- This spreadsheet is then turned into a easy to read document that your transportation consultant will prepare for you.

The bid review meeting

Your transportation consultant will set up a time to review the details of this bid with you in person. They will carefully explain each of the major carriers proposal with you so that you can see the benefits that each carrier brings to the table.

If you like what we see we can put this transportation management and savings plan into action.

If you like what you have heard so far please feel free to contact us.

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TSG believes that its strategic plan is very effective at isolating potential areas to bring additional value as well as savings. In the end we know that no two businesses are the same and so our system will develop a customized solution tailor made for your requirements.

What can you expect from this process as we begin to work together?

- A transportation consultant will interview your staff to find out your current procedures. Copious notes are taken and questions are asked to discover the hidden avenues of savings that may be available to you.

1. What parts of your supply chain are you currently pleased with?
2. What problems and frustrations are you currently dealing with in your shipping and logistics system?
3. What impact are these “bottle necks” having on the rest of your production?
4. If these problems are not resolved what additional problems could this lead to?
5. Quantify the “cost” of the current situation to your business in dollars.
6. If you had the ability to create the perfect system what would you change from what you have now?

- Your consultant will ask for you to have copies made of the following items for your discussion:

1. Please have a list of all carriers you are working with along with your current negotiated rates
2. What assessorial fees are you currently paying?
3. Copies of all transportation invoices for the last 6 months. (Why so many? This way we can get a true    picture of your freight volume.)
4. Your consultant will be happy to sign any non disclosure forms necessary before taking this information with them.

Please allow up to 3 weeks for your detailed transportation analysis.

1. This report that will be generated will show you in explicit detail where your potential areas of savings are.
2. It will highlight what your original pricing structure is as well as what your new rates will be. Most importantly it will highlight your potential savings including any assessorial fees that can be waived.
3. Please be assured that TSG only uses carriers of the highest quality and caliber, so that there will be no sacrificing of quality to generate these savings.
4. Projected rate savings will be based on target studies of existing clients &benchmarks achieved. (New clients report that many times the savings generated during the bid process are actually higher than anticipated.)
5. Please remember that while this analysis does cost us money to produce, there is no cost to you.

4- Your transportation consultant will call you to schedule a time to review this analysis.

1. Your estimated savings will be explained to you as well as the reasons why we can justify such savings.
2. All of your questions will be answered.
3. It is up to you then as to what the next step will be in our relationship.

I like the potential savings that I see.
Where do we go from here?
The bidding process.

If you would like to contact us about setting up a free transportation analysis click here.

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TSG’s model is simple. We reclassify & renegotiate your freight. You then simply pay us a fixed percentage of the savings difference between your old rates and your new rates. Ther are no kick backs between us and the carriers. There are also no secrets or suprise extra costs that other 3pl’s often generate. Simply put, we will never nickle and dime you. This transparent model ensures TSG only generates revenue only when you save money.

Our Transportation Management Center is fully equipped to handle transportation planning, track-trace, exception management, and freight payment. What this basically means is that our services allow you to enjoy all of the benefits of having a great carrier relationship, while we have our people, processes and technologies to do the day to day work.

How This Works

Our management team works with the following 4 step system.

Consulting and planning
Plan Execution
Measuring of results
Constant and continuous Improvement
This 4 step approach to account management is a never ending loop as we continually reevaluate your business every few months to see what is happening and how can we continue to improve on it.

What If I still want to be in control of my shipping?
We understand that the one size fits all mentality does not work for all of our logistics clients. That’s why our program can be be customized to satisfy your unique business requirements.  For example you may want to keep control of the day to day processes, the scheduling of pickups and deliveries, the review of the invoices  etc.  We will work with you. Whatever it takes we will customize our services so that you can be as “in control” as you need to be. We will then work behind the scenes to ensure that we achieve the results you are expecting.

What Makes TSG Different?
It comes down to this, TSG was formed back in 1998 by 3 sales people in the shipping industry that worked for some of the biggest LTL carriers in the business. A sales persons job is to keep their clients happy. The founders realized that to build a successful third party logistics business it would take surveying their existing clients and finding out what was important to them. What would they look for in a 3pl. And what it would take to gain their business. TSG’s business model has been built on the detailed advice that was taken from their customers. That business model still is being used today.

Remember, you the client need to feel you are receiving true value from a service to continue to want to work with us. That is why we continue to look for ways to improve and find additional value added services.

Why not give us a try? Take advantage of our 100% risk free transportation analysis. Put our transportation management center to work for free to see what we can do for you.

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Our Transportation Logistics Management services include:

Carrier management
Mode selection
Freight bill audits
Consolidated billing
Consolidated shipments
Vendor management
Premium freight reduction
Backhauls
New market distribution
Shipment tracking
Tracking reports via fax or email
Customized reporting
Claims resolution

Learn about our transportation management center located right here in Lawrenceville Georgia.

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Allow me to explain:

1- A third party logistics provider becomes a virtual extension of your transportation department. This can occur in sevarl ways depending on how you choose to work with TSG.

a- We can support your existing Transportation team. We are available by phone, fax and email to help in any way that you need help. The best part is that we are not on your payroll.

b- In economic down turns like this many businesses have to make drastic cut backs. Unfortunately, layoffs often follow. TSG can fill in the gap as we manage your freight as if it were our own.

c- Perhaps your business is not big enough to afford a full time transportation manager. TSG will remotely manage your shipping and transportation. Remember, there is no additional charge for this value added service. We are only compensated for the hard dollar savings we provide.

2- Handling claims. Instead of your employees relentlessly following up on unresolved claims, often spending hours on the phone and email, TSG will handle it all for you.

3- One phone call to TSG to setp up for pick ups and deliveries.

4- TSG will open all invoices. This may not sound like a lot to you. A recent survey found that the average small business owner was spending $ 15.00 – $17.00 for every invoice their employees opened, checked, entered and then filed. How many transportation invoices are you receiving each week? What more important tasks could you have your people doing instead?

5- TSG will check all invoices for accuracy. We will handle all incorrect pricing for you.

6- TSG will send reports to you daily or weekly showing a summary of all your shipping activity and savings generated.

But that is only the beginning notice what other value added services TSG provides.

As you look at these ideas presented here and you had to put a pencil to this, what kind of soft dollar savings would it mean to your business?

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In fact, our typical client saves 34% on their shipping costs.
Let’s take an example.

Supposing for the sake of this example, your transportation costs are $100,000 a month.

After analyzing your current situation and implementing our negotiation process we can secure bids from respectable carriers ranging from 25-39% savings over your existing discounts.

That equates to anywhere from $ 25,000 – $ 39,000 savings depending on which carriers you decide to choose.

For the sake of this example, let’s say you decide to choose a carrier somewhere in the middle for a savings of 29%. That would equate to a savings of $ 29,000 a month or $ 348,000 a year. TSG would then be compensated on the savings generated. In other words, it is truly a win-win scenario for your organization.

Real Hard Dollar Savings That You Can Reinvest Back In Your Corporation
In this economy, businesses are looking for every way to pinch a penny, while dollars may be slipping between their fingers without them even being aware of it.

This unexpected revenue could then be used to grow your business while your competition is still counting pennies.

So far we have discussed the hard dollar savings that you will see immediately. But what about the soft dollar savings that often goes unrealized?

Why not contact us for a complimentary transportation analysis right now?

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