It’s not shipping on time that matters; it is receiving on time. That is true for you, and for your customers. That means manufacturers can no longer accept the black hole of logistics and last minute challenges.

Supply chain visibility refers to a system of real-time relevant data converted to information that is utilized to identify and solve near-term delivery problems. Awareness of problems is the first step in solving them. Whether it’s a truck that is delayed by traffic, inventory that is not in the warehouse you planned to ship from, or something else, these real challenges can be overcome when we see and prioritize them.

A tactical process, the supply chain tower — akin to a control tower at an airport — visualizes the exceptions that data provides to enable humans to make decisions to resolve them. This capability exists right now, but the data is not collected or presented in a usable format. Supply chain visibility requires working with logistics providers, your own shipping, inventory and order management systems (ERP), and your supplier shipping and customer receiving functions to create that real-time visibility.

Once you recognize a problem you can prioritize and resolve it.

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