Transportation Planning in Consumer Goods Supply Chains

Explore the consumer goods supply chain from upstream raw material markets to downstream retail, focusing on demand volatility, regional distribution centers, safety stock, and transportation costs.

Explore strategic network design, demand planning, replenishment, distribution, production, and transportation planning for consumer goods, with emphasis on cross docking and coordination between retailers and manufacturers.

Explore transportation requirements across the consumer goods supply chain, from production to primary consolidation, regional distribution, and local delivery, ensuring high reliability, short lead times, and optimal on-shelf availability.

Trace the IT landscape of the consumer goods supply chain, from MRP and MRP II to ERP and advanced planning systems, highlighting forecasting, planning, and execution.

Explore how resource scarcity and rising prices influence demand in consumer goods; examine sustainability, demographics, product differentiation, and globalization’s impact on supply chains.

Explore cost saving opportunities in three 3pl operated consumer goods networks by analyzing freight rates, outsourcing ltl, and improving transportation efficiency to reduce total logistics costs.

Explore how freight rates respond to load size and distance, including fixed cost allocation. Understand utilization and risk in LTL and FTL networks, hub-and-spoke dynamics, demurrage, and cargo insurance considerations.

Discover the three levels of transportation planning, including strategic network design, tactical resource allocation, and operational scheduling, and how demand, planning horizons, and loading decisions shape control in consumer goods.

Learn how a transport management system (TMS) links ERP orders to six steps: order creation, load building, carrier selection, real-time execution, deviations with reason codes, and freight billing and settlement.

Examine the core functions of transportation management systems, including transportation order management, carrier selection, and load building. Learn how ERP interfaces, tracking, and billing support carrier performance and cost control.

Extend TMS capabilities by integrating GIS, routing, and mapping services to support location data, route planning, and shipment visibility, with tendering and track and trace add ons.

Examine how TMS technology functions as transaction-based systems with a central database. Compare deployment models—standalone, rich client, and web service—and how ERP integration and cross-system transactions are enabled.

Integrate the TMS into an existing IT environment by establishing external and internal interfaces for master data and transaction data, including transport orders, geo information services and telematics.

Assess TMS solutions for transportation management in the consumer goods industry, covering basic and extended functionalities, including order entry, interfaces to ERP systems, and efficiency-driven cost improvements.