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eLogistics

eLogistics streamlines traditional processes while ensuring that the right products are shipped to the right place at the right time, and in the right quantity.

eLogistics has been widely adopted by industry enterprises and organisations because it reduces error rates and increases customer satisfaction.

Through the efficient use of eLogistics, business owners and managers can reduce the risks associated with handling and shipping products to ensure that goods are delivered in the most efficient and profitable way possible.

The use of eLogistics provides many benefits, including lower costs and improved profit margins through a reduction in error rates, better asset management, improved customer service and an overall increase in efficiency of the logistical process.

Supply Chain

Supply chains can be viewed from three perspectives:

Downstream - From a company to their client, which is the traditional definition of a distribution channel;
Upstream - From a client to their supplier, the traditional definition of a supply chain; and
Value Chain (Integrated Logistics) - In which the distribution channel and supply chain are viewed as an integrated system.

Regardless of where your business sits in a value chain, you are part of the process if you sell or receive goods, and eLogistics can help you move goods more efficiently.

Barcoding

Barcodes are an identification system used in the logistical process to store information within a predetermined format for reading by a barcode reader, such as a fixed or portable laser scanner.

The information in a barcode can include the name of the company that produced the product, serial numbers, expiry dates and order numbers.

When a product with a barcode is received by an organisation, the information can be quickly scanned into a database without the need for manually entering data, reducing errors and saving time.

Radio Frequency Identification Tags

The electronic alternative to the barcode is the Radio Frequency Identification tag (RFID).

RFID tags can be easily updated and have a high capacity to store variable information.

They can be tailored to suit individual customer needs - distinct customer segments, for example, may require customised data sets - and they have the capacity to improve the tracking of products and assist with environmental consignment monitoring.

Environmental Consignment Monitoring

Environmental Consignment Monitoring (ECM) uses RFID tags to record, store and deliver temperature data remotely to a local computer or to a handheld reader, enabling the receiver of goods to monitor the condition of goods during every stage of the transportation process.

ECM is gaining prominence within the agricultural industry. Primary producers and buyers can measure and monitor the temperature of fresh produce as it is transported from the farm gate to the marketplace, and if temperatures fluctuate outside a predetermined range, immediate action can be taken to save a shipment.

Track and Trace

Track and trace is a web-based service that allows a company and its customers to identify the location of a shipment at any time of the day or night. Deliveries can be traced by entering information, such as consignment numbers, customer numbers, or delivery dates.

Pick and Pack

The automation of the pick and pack process can yield many benefits such as reducing the elapsed time between receiving an order and fulfilment. It reduces paperwork and repetitive data entry.

The pick and pack process can also be used in conjunction with barcodes and portable readers to ensure that the correct products are loaded for each order, helping to reduce packing and shipping errors.

Advanced ship notices can also be generated, with the goods receiver providing advanced information about incoming merchandise.

Mobile Computing Devices

Delivery drivers can use mobile devices to store electronic consignment notices and have recipients electronically sign each delivery notice to ensure proof of delivery.

This information can then be uploaded from a handheld device to the organisation's database, eliminating the need to re-enter data or electronically scan each document.

Mobile devices can also be used by drivers to send and receive delivery updates in real time, allowing for the tracking of deliveries and accurate records of what has been delivered and when.

Tasmania Business Online

Tasmania Business Online (TBO) provides an eLogistics service incorporating electronic consignment creation, management and track and trace capabilities.

Users of the TBO service can achieve lower costs through increased efficiency, reduced data errors, and increased profits through higher customer retention rates and improved productivity.

By outsourcing logistical processes to an expert provider such as TBO, companies are free to focus on core business activities. For more information see www.tbo.com.au.

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