Every thriving industry is a busy one, but the supply chain industry is the busiest of them all. This is, of course, due to the fact that unlike other industries which are limited to their respective segments, the supply chain industry caters to each and every level and sector of product-driven business.
Therefore, it can be stated with confidence that saving time and energy while trying to make it in the supply chain business is not only ideal, it is perhaps to a great degree, even mandatory.
With that perspective in mind, today we will explore the three most undervalued and underappreciated resources/materials within the supply chain industry that can make things turn around for any company, if only they are given the due attention which they rightly deserve.
Plastic
There are four primary, and numerous secondary, sectors that can benefit from paying more attention to reusable transport packaging materials These are:
- Agriculture
- Food processing
- Moving and storage
- Automotive
The packaging and transportation equipment which these industries use on a daily basis in their respective supply chains can be categorized broadly as pallets and containers. As Reusable Transport Packaging rightly points out, using wooden pallets can lead to loss of productivity and unnecessary energy within the supply chain, as they do break eventually, and often without prior signs. This can lead to anything from workplace injuries to massive financial losses.
Reusable Transport Packaging is a leading manufacturer of plastic pallets, handheld plastic containers, plastic carts, bulk containers, liquid containers and pretty much everything else that any supply chain/manufacturing/packaging facility could possibly need.
Reusable Transport Packaging has already showcased how much productivity can be gained by making this small shift to reusable and recyclable plastic pallets and/or containers, by successfully working with the likes of Walmart.
Metal
There is a limit to how much plastic pellets alone can carry, although that limit is getting higher these days. However, by reinforcing plastic pallets and containers with metal, their carrying capacity and durability can be raised to unprecedented standards. In the supply chain, this can be revolutionary for any company that has not yet used such products, even though they stand to benefit from them.
The need to buy fewer pallets and containers less frequently can be tremendous in terms of saving money and time. On top of that, stainless steel is a much more eco-friendly option than wood, given that it does not lead to deforestation and can easily be recycled.
Software
Software is not even tangible, so it’s definitely not a material! However, it is one of the key resources for saving time, money and energy today for the supply chain industry and its various subsectors.
For example, even the most basic supply chain management software solution will let you monitor the position of your shipments, determine the fastest possible routes for supply trucks to take, and allow support personnel to provide instant help to a supply truck driver, as and when needed.
Similarly, an inventory management software helps in keeping a retailer on top of their available and even desirable inventory items. Despite the world going digital, smaller delivery chains often fail to realize the potential of software solutions today, which is why it remains an underappreciated resource for that segment.
