Exploit the undiscovered potential in your supply chain

Key evidence of inefficiency and therefore hidden potential in the supply chain:

• Lack of transparency and process stability
• High and inflexible supply chain costs
• Low flexibility and responsiveness in the supply chain

The causes of this are very varied and cannot be identified and resolved when considered in isolation.
The integrated Wassermann lean logistics approach therefore not only focuses on the special areas of the value-added chain but rather in particular puts the interfaces of the whole supply chain on the test stand. This applies both in classical terms to the functions in the planning, procurement, production and distribution departments and also to the integration of business requirements, processes and IT.

Only this interaction enables your supply chain transparency, cost structure and capital tie-up to be optimised throughout. In order to ensure a flexible reaction and that the supply chain can "breathe", the cost and inventory level is not only lowered overall, but rather it is also modified to match the market and business requirements.

The key factors in the lean logistics approach are:

• Defining the core competencies and focus areas in logistics
• Consistent application of the lean approach to the end-to-end logistics chain
• Complete integration of the supply chain levels
• System approach
• Consistent streamlining and standardisation of the IT structures based on the lean/system approach
• Optimising the interfaces of the logistics processes and integration of the logistics processes

Your benefit:

• Increasing transparency and process stability
• Lowering supply chain costs and making them more flexible
• Increasing the flexibility and responsiveness of the supply chain

Increasing transparency and process stability

A stable flow of costs and values is essential for the efficiency of your supply chain. The basic requirement is the essential system integration and support for all areas of your supply chain. Typical examples for weaknesses are a lack of transparency in the flow of goods in SAP, complexity associated with partners and outsourcing or posting breaks in heterogeneous IT environments. A lack of posting discipline is often an important cause.

It is precisely here that Wassermann applies the "SAP transparency and stability audit" to the flow of costs and values along the process chain. We can help to design robust and stable IT processes in particular at the interfaces to supply chain partners. The focus is also on the slim depiction of logistics processes in SAP and the cross-module development of best practice solutions. Here SAP and lean are not contradictions. We help you to close the design gap between classical lean methods and SAP requirements, e.g. in terms of inventory transparency.

Reducing supply chain costs and making them more flexible

In addition to efficient IT support, there are a range of other areas with high cost potential. These range from optimising your transport costs to redesigning your logistics network - both for complex distributions and for production in multiple plant structures. There is frequently also potential for savings by integrating suppliers and service providers in the best possible way. But the skilful design of delivery concepts, improving the flow of materials within a warehouse or production location or segmenting the supply chain depending on the requirements of particular markets, products and customers can also reveal significant potential. It is however important to consistently consider the corporate strategy and your individual company and market situation because it goes without saying that a generic overall concept may not result in your ideal fit.

Increasing the flexibility and responsiveness of the supply chain

Many companies have suffered as a result of the economic turbulence of recent years and not least due to the lack of flexibility in their supply chain: firstly on the way into the crisis with high inventories and over-capacity and then in the recovery phase due to drastically reduced inventories and delivery bottlenecks.

It is not rare for many companies to suffer dramatic over-stocks whilst at the same time missing parts result in losses of revenue. Fixed structures in the distribution network with out-of-date re-stocking concepts or inflexible supplier conditions also contribute to the company not being adequately able to respond to market requirements. This is complemented by a widespread lack of inventory transparency, which adds significant difficulty when it comes to targeted control.

The synchronised interaction of production, e.g. due to modified batch sizes and flexible working time models, and segmented distribution that can be modified may provide relief here. In addition to the option of reducing inventories by making suppliers more flexible, eliminating bottlenecks and optimising capacities create space to ensure secure supply. An integrated inventory transparency, e.g. in SAP BI, enables the inventory level, safety inventory and stocking levels to be checked and reassessed even after production.