Logistics service providers, retailers, and manufacturers all face the problem of how to achieve full visibility across their supply chains without a massive investment and perhaps multi-year implementation.

In this session, Jim O’Leary, vice president of product management for Extol, and John Bryant, CEO of AGI Worldwide, examined the keys to solving this problem and gave attendees advice on how to realize end-to-end supply chain visibility within just 90 days.

Acknowledging that non-integrated supply chains are common among shippers, Bryant singled out business impacts, such as high labor costs associated with vendor management and data collection/reporting; inability to make timely decisions; poor collaborative decision making; difficult vendor coordination; high costs; decreased sales; and poor service.

By pulling the necessary components into one common point and creating an integrated supply chain that includes sales and customer service, IT, procurement, supply chain planning, customs compliance, and transportation, Bryant said, companies can build connected supply chains within a short time frame.

Bryant broke down the process into five steps: integrate, relate, present, optimize, and enable. “This requires a straightforward and realistic initial approach, enabled by flexible and capable technology platforms that allow for integration of information and a high degree of domain knowledge from the service provider,” he said.

To reach that point, companies should focus on gaining maximum advantage within a short period of time, and they should also avoid “biting off more than they can chew,” Bryant recommended. “Simplify integration activities with the most relevant data necessary to obtain the performance that you need.”