Unrelenting supply chain issues have propelled inbound freight into the spotlight. From surging shipping prices, congested ports, skilled labour shortages, and ever-changing customs regulations, what was previously unprecedented has become the norm.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen inbound management move from being a headache logistics managers had to deal with to a pressing topic within the boardroom. In our latest research, 67% of ‘C-Level’ Executives stated that ‘Inbound disruption’ is one of the biggest risks facing their supply chains over the next three years. This isn’t surprising given the impact of ineffective inbound management on a company’s performance by inhibiting revenue growth, reducing margins and restricting cash flow.
As a result, more and more organisations are rethinking how they approach inbound management, moving from a tactical and reactive mindset (focused on operational firefighting managing problems as and when they arise) to a more strategic and proactive attitude (focused on alleviating operating pressures and providing wider value to the business to support long-term vision).
With an ever more volatile and uncertain world, organisations that adopt technology can differentiate themselves and develop a competitive advantage. So, it’s no wonder that 79% of organisations have already invested or plan to invest in their logistics operations over the next three years – a key focus area is inbound management systems.
Inbound management systems can provide real-time location visibility into shipments across all modes, legs, and regions to enable supply chain leaders to identify potential disruptions, understand their impact on downstream operations and quickly execute remedial actions. More advanced systems can also identify relevant duty, tax, and tariff reduction programmes, streamline multi-country customs declarations and filings, and automate freight invoice audits and payments.
To help organisations on their inbound management transformation journey, we’ve developed a free digital assessment to help set your operations up for success. In less than five minutes, you can receive a customised summary report that benchmarks your current inbound process against best practice across five critical dimensions – visibility, agility, customs, data, and cost.
So, is your inbound management process future-ready?
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