Sales Force Automation White Papers

Logical Logistics: Benefits of Business Intelligence Applications

• Tags:
• sales force automation,
• supply chain,
• supply,
• chain

Overview To effectively manage the supply chains of their customers, 3PLs need to constantly analyze data collected from various sources and convert it into actionable information. Business Intelligence (BI) tools like data warehousing and OLAP can significantly help 3PLs in achieving this objective. By providing a unified view of the entire supply chain, these tools can help improve the functioning of basic 3PL services like transportation management, warehousing, and inventory management. 3PLs can leverage BI tools to provide their clients with information specific to their supply chain, thereby increasing their market responsiveness. BI tools can also help 3PLs improve their own internal organizational functions like human resources and financial management.

Logistics came to be recognized as a distinct function with the rise of mass production systems. Production and distribution were viewed as a sequential chain of extremely specialized activities; the role of logistics was to ensure availability of all the requisite materials before each step in this chain. Obviously inventory of raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods was a must across this chain to ensure its smooth func-tioning. Business environment was relatively stable and the mass production system ensured huge economies of scale for the manufacturers. So far so good.

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