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Item Upon - Reverse Logistics in Supply Chain Management
Source: Business-Standard.comWhen Control Solutions, one of USA’s biggest accounting firms dealing with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) accounting compliance procedures, wanted to recruit accountants for its expanding practice, it looked at Enabilizer, a New Delhi-based accounting outsourcing firm. That look has led to the two signing a joint venture agreement that allows Control Solutions to outsource its SOX work to the Indian JV.And, it was not the only global firm to look to Indian accountants for help, Rain, a mid-sized South African accounting firm has also chosen to hire for two years, six experienced senior staff from its network partner in India, the Mumbai-based accounting firm Chokshi and Chokshi.Facing an annual attrition rate of nearly 50%, Rain and Control Solutions are among the growing breed of accounting firms that are beginning to look India wards for outsourcing their work, both on-shore and off-shore. The reason, just when accounting regulations are becoming more stringent in USA and Europe, there is a looming global shortage of accounting professionals.Akshay Bhalla, CEO of Enabilizer estimates as much as 60% of the F1 visas to USA in the next few years would be cornered by the financial & accounting (F&A) segment, especially as the quantum of on-shore work goes up. James Mendelsohn, CEO of MSI, a global network on accounting firms that boasts of 250-members, adds: “In the US, the number of students going into a
Manufacturers have the ability to gather data on activities that drive demand. Contributors to demand planning include failure rate or rate of repairs that require spare parts. At the very front end, potential return trends and potential repair trends can be identified by customer technical support or customer care phone calls. Quality analysis of returns and defective products can also be used to identify demands for spare parts planning. Resale value trends for refurbished products and seasonal sa
A great Business Coach can help a business owner or manager make significant advances in their business in a relatively short period of time. However, not every Business Coach is right for your business or organisation. This article will highlight a few key questions that you should ask your prospective coach before your hire them!A Coach Is A Coach Is A Coach…Not all coaches are created equally. The first and most obvious assessment of a Business Coach should be a close examination of their coaching credentials. While there are many great business people who can be great advisors and mentors they are not to be confused with those who have trained, studied and have been certified as a qualified coach.In my experience there are two key categories of Business Coaches. Those that have invested in a Coaching Franchise, and have been certified as a coach by their franchising organisation, and those that have trained as coaches and then combined their coach training with their prior business experience.The former typically have an short "intensive" coaching training process, typically as short as 10 days in a plush resort while the latter group will have studied for many months before they graduate as a coach.Given only this criteria, which coach would you trust the future success of your company to? Someone who has paid to be certified by the same organisation that has sold them a franchise or someone who has paid to learn
This is a case of modern Darwinism. It is survival of the fittest. It requires collaboration an integration within Supply Chain Logistics, or appear on the endangered species list. Even the mighty predator, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, was doomed to extinction by the constant progress of evolution. Today, technology drives evolution at an astounding pace. The ability to capture, migrate, integrate and facilitate the intelligent analysis of data is akin to the invention of fire. This is what will separate the companies who can walk upright from the ones that will be stuck in the tar pits of slow response.
The early days of Reverse Logistics were measured by convenience and customer accommodations. The focus was on the front end of the return process, the ability for consumers to be able to return unwanted or defective merchandise. The ability to facilitate a consumer return was a courtesy that turned into a compelling competitive differentiator in retail. The companies that did not support consumer returns found themselves at a strategic disadvantage to those that did, and were eventually forced to adopt the same consumer conveniences or lose those customers to the competition.
It did not take long for retail merchants to seek the same concessions from manufacturers and distribution channels. Stock rotation became a normal condition of business, and processes for returning defective merchandise became standard practice. Although this is accepted as commonplace today, it has not always been this way. Even today there are cultural differences with regards to consumer returns, especially for product that is not defective and returned because of 'customer remorse'.
As the cost of Reverse Logistics continued to increase, and as the methods of transportation became more sophisticated, manufacturers and distributors began to look for alternatives in transportation for savings. Planning and consolidating freight for return products was identified as a way to reduce expenses related to fuel and labor. This also led to detailed analysis of transportation options, like truck, air and railway. In Supply Chain Logistics business you are either the one driving the truck, the one pumping the gas, or the one paying the other two.
The next step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics was the experimentation and cost comparison between multiple local hubs and single consolidated returns centers. The simple analysis for savings contrasted the costs of warehouse space and manpower to the amount of freight and transportation fees for handling the back end of the Supply Chain. Other factors also played a significant role in the financial analysis, including volume, material costs and inventory controls.
As the costs of Reverse Logistics continued to rise, the importance of returning refurbished merchandise to market also became more significant. Organizations began to place financial significance on the devaluation of product for every day lost in transportation, handling, processing or warehousing. As technology and features improved, price and demand for aging product diminished, as did the ability to recoup costs from returns. Speed to return to market could be measured in resale value.
In the next step of Reverse Logistics evolution, there was an awakening and realization that reverse logistics is only a portion of the entire back-end services solution. Consolidation meant more than merely consolidating returns, it meant consolidation of activities related to back-end support operations. Manufacturers began to consolidate spare parts and materials in the same warehouse as the returned merchandise, discovering that it is less expensive to move parts and packing materials across an aisle than across state lines. Spare parts used to refurbish returns were placed in the same building. Taking this concept one step further, manufacturers began to consolidate depot warranty repair operations inside the same facility to maximize the utilization of parts, labor, warehouse and materials. This activity often required collaboration between previously diverse management and operational groups within large organizations. The collaborative effort reduced expenses for all participating departments and groups within the organizations.
The next major step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics is collaboration with partners and external resources. It is a greater awakening and realization of integration with the entire Supply Chain by leveraging data exchange. It begins with an understanding of the value of the components that comprise a completed manufactured product, the Bill of Materials (BOM). The Bill of Materials is also used by manufacturers to forecast, procure and manage an inventory of spare parts that are used for repair. Frequently, the combined cost of the individual components exceeds the cost of the original retail product. Furthermore, due to price erosion, the cost to repair some products exceeds the cost of replacing the entire unit. Manufacturers must make quick financial decisions regarding the return on investment to refurbish returned products, repair or replace defective warranty products, and the potential resale value for refurbished products returned to market. Manufacturers must also weigh the potential cost if inventory for procuring spare parts to support warranty, extended warranty and out of warranty regulations. To be truly effective, manufacturers must make these decisions before the returned product enters the reverse logistics supply chain, not after it is in it.
Manufacturers have the ability to gather data on activities that drive demand. Contributors to demand planning include failure rate or rate of repairs that require spare parts. At the very front end, potential return trends and potential repair trends can be identified by customer technical support or customer care phone calls. Quality analysis of returns and defective products can also be used to identify demands for spare parts planning. Resale value trends for refurbished products and seasonal sal
American companies historically are driven to look at the bottom line. This is in contrast to German companies, which tend to focus on technology; or Japanese companies, which tend to focus on geography. While the bottom line focus does show a snapshot of company performance, it reveals nothing of what generated that final number OR what can be done to improve it. BUT we use it anyway to make many decisions, and we can be fooled by what it seems to be telling us.MORE THAN THE BOTTOM LINEHow’s that…you ask? Well, let’s get really simple. Why do people buy from us in the first place? It can be for a number of reasons, among them quality of the product, friendliness of the service, alignment to particular requirements, responsiveness to needs, ability to deliver to a schedule, and…oh yes! Cost of the product!Now our purpose here is to find ways to be more competitive, so let’s bust up that list and look at it systematically.QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTIf you come right down to it, what IS quality? It could mean that the product will last a long time. It could be that it is particularly suited to the job it’s supposed to do. It could mean that it really looks good and is pleasing to handle. Putting all of these in a nutshell: quality means the product is well made. The customer buying your product is really the one who makes the final judgment on the quality of your product, even though he may have initially heard
It did not take long for retail merchants to seek the same concessions from manufacturers and distribution channels. Stock rotation became a normal condition of business, and processes for returning defective merchandise became standard practice. Although this is accepted as commonplace today, it has not always been this way. Even today there are cultural differences with regards to consumer returns, especially for product that is not defective and returned because of 'customer remorse'.
As the cost of Reverse Logistics continued to increase, and as the methods of transportation became more sophisticated, manufacturers and distributors began to look for alternatives in transportation for savings. Planning and consolidating freight for return products was identified as a way to reduce expenses related to fuel and labor. This also led to detailed analysis of transportation options, like truck, air and railway. In Supply Chain Logistics business you are either the one driving the truck, the one pumping the gas, or the one paying the other two.
The next step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics was the experimentation and cost comparison between multiple local hubs and single consolidated returns centers. The simple analysis for savings contrasted the costs of warehouse space and manpower to the amount of freight and transportation fees for handling the back end of the Supply Chain. Other factors also played a significant role in the financial analysis, including volume, material costs and inventory controls.
As the costs of Reverse Logistics continued to rise, the importance of returning refurbished merchandise to market also became more significant. Organizations began to place financial significance on the devaluation of product for every day lost in transportation, handling, processing or warehousing. As technology and features improved, price and demand for aging product diminished, as did the ability to recoup costs from returns. Speed to return to market could be measured in resale value.
In the next step of Reverse Logistics evolution, there was an awakening and realization that reverse logistics is only a portion of the entire back-end services solution. Consolidation meant more than merely consolidating returns, it meant consolidation of activities related to back-end support operations. Manufacturers began to consolidate spare parts and materials in the same warehouse as the returned merchandise, discovering that it is less expensive to move parts and packing materials across an aisle than across state lines. Spare parts used to refurbish returns were placed in the same building. Taking this concept one step further, manufacturers began to consolidate depot warranty repair operations inside the same facility to maximize the utilization of parts, labor, warehouse and materials. This activity often required collaboration between previously diverse management and operational groups within large organizations. The collaborative effort reduced expenses for all participating departments and groups within the organizations.
The next major step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics is collaboration with partners and external resources. It is a greater awakening and realization of integration with the entire Supply Chain by leveraging data exchange. It begins with an understanding of the value of the components that comprise a completed manufactured product, the Bill of Materials (BOM). The Bill of Materials is also used by manufacturers to forecast, procure and manage an inventory of spare parts that are used for repair. Frequently, the combined cost of the individual components exceeds the cost of the original retail product. Furthermore, due to price erosion, the cost to repair some products exceeds the cost of replacing the entire unit. Manufacturers must make quick financial decisions regarding the return on investment to refurbish returned products, repair or replace defective warranty products, and the potential resale value for refurbished products returned to market. Manufacturers must also weigh the potential cost if inventory for procuring spare parts to support warranty, extended warranty and out of warranty regulations. To be truly effective, manufacturers must make these decisions before the returned product enters the reverse logistics supply chain, not after it is in it.
Manufacturers have the ability to gather data on activities that drive demand. Contributors to demand planning include failure rate or rate of repairs that require spare parts. At the very front end, potential return trends and potential repair trends can be identified by customer technical support or customer care phone calls. Quality analysis of returns and defective products can also be used to identify demands for spare parts planning. Resale value trends for refurbished products and seasonal sa
Distribution packaging provides the first and most important line of defense against the hazards of the distribution environment. A well-designed distribution package can make an immediate and significant contribution to a company’s bottom line by reducing or eliminating product damage and decreasing transportation costs. A properly designed package will also enhance company image.The packaging design mission is to achieve optimum cost by balancing the sensitivity of the product with the protection provided by the packaging to match the hazards existing in the distribution environment.The science of distribution packaging is more sophisticated and complex than most people expect. There are dozens of methods, techniques and systems for improving distribution packaging and reducing total cost.Let’s take a look at the distribution environment and examine the hazards cargo will encounter.Consider the AirplaneShipping product via airfreight presents a variety of challenges. There is no faster way to get your shipment from point “a” to point “b”, but the additional cost and the potential for damage creates a problem.Let’s first consider the handling. A shipment that travels via airfreight will be handled many times by numerous people with a variety of material handling equipment and a diversity of care levels. Each stage of the journey creates its own tribulations.Shock and vibration are concerns within an aircraft’s
The next step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics was the experimentation and cost comparison between multiple local hubs and single consolidated returns centers. The simple analysis for savings contrasted the costs of warehouse space and manpower to the amount of freight and transportation fees for handling the back end of the Supply Chain. Other factors also played a significant role in the financial analysis, including volume, material costs and inventory controls.
As the costs of Reverse Logistics continued to rise, the importance of returning refurbished merchandise to market also became more significant. Organizations began to place financial significance on the devaluation of product for every day lost in transportation, handling, processing or warehousing. As technology and features improved, price and demand for aging product diminished, as did the ability to recoup costs from returns. Speed to return to market could be measured in resale value.
In the next step of Reverse Logistics evolution, there was an awakening and realization that reverse logistics is only a portion of the entire back-end services solution. Consolidation meant more than merely consolidating returns, it meant consolidation of activities related to back-end support operations. Manufacturers began to consolidate spare parts and materials in the same warehouse as the returned merchandise, discovering that it is less expensive to move parts and packing materials across an aisle than across state lines. Spare parts used to refurbish returns were placed in the same building. Taking this concept one step further, manufacturers began to consolidate depot warranty repair operations inside the same facility to maximize the utilization of parts, labor, warehouse and materials. This activity often required collaboration between previously diverse management and operational groups within large organizations. The collaborative effort reduced expenses for all participating departments and groups within the organizations.
The next major step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics is collaboration with partners and external resources. It is a greater awakening and realization of integration with the entire Supply Chain by leveraging data exchange. It begins with an understanding of the value of the components that comprise a completed manufactured product, the Bill of Materials (BOM). The Bill of Materials is also used by manufacturers to forecast, procure and manage an inventory of spare parts that are used for repair. Frequently, the combined cost of the individual components exceeds the cost of the original retail product. Furthermore, due to price erosion, the cost to repair some products exceeds the cost of replacing the entire unit. Manufacturers must make quick financial decisions regarding the return on investment to refurbish returned products, repair or replace defective warranty products, and the potential resale value for refurbished products returned to market. Manufacturers must also weigh the potential cost if inventory for procuring spare parts to support warranty, extended warranty and out of warranty regulations. To be truly effective, manufacturers must make these decisions before the returned product enters the reverse logistics supply chain, not after it is in it.
Manufacturers have the ability to gather data on activities that drive demand. Contributors to demand planning include failure rate or rate of repairs that require spare parts. At the very front end, potential return trends and potential repair trends can be identified by customer technical support or customer care phone calls. Quality analysis of returns and defective products can also be used to identify demands for spare parts planning. Resale value trends for refurbished products and seasonal sa
I once had a colleague that would roll his eyes at almost every idea that wasn’t his own. Additional facial expressions that complemented the eye-rolling were typically easy to spot as well: puffed cheeks then a release of air, sighs, furrowed brows, and other assorted expressions that gave everyone around the distinct impression that this individual thought he was way too smart to have to sit in meetings with the rest of us. One time someone called him out on it. The most interesting part of all of this was that he really didn’t have a clue that he was an eye-roller. He truly was not aware of the expressions he was making and even more importantly how they were negatively impacting the rest of the team.I’ve found two factors that can lead to problems with facial expressions. The first is the person being completely unaware of the face they are donning. Individuals who are not conscious of the picture they’ve painted on their face for others to see are usually also not fully aware of the impact they have on their group. The second factor that can lead to problems is in misreading the facial expressions in front of us. Concern may be misconstrued as disapproval. A lingering furrowed brow from a prior meeting may be taken as frustration around the topic you are putting on the table.Have you ever stopped and thought about the face you are wearing?The expression it holds during a team meeting.The signal it
The next major step in the evolution of Reverse Logistics is collaboration with partners and external resources. It is a greater awakening and realization of integration with the entire Supply Chain by leveraging data exchange. It begins with an understanding of the value of the components that comprise a completed manufactured product, the Bill of Materials (BOM). The Bill of Materials is also used by manufacturers to forecast, procure and manage an inventory of spare parts that are used for repair. Frequently, the combined cost of the individual components exceeds the cost of the original retail product. Furthermore, due to price erosion, the cost to repair some products exceeds the cost of replacing the entire unit. Manufacturers must make quick financial decisions regarding the return on investment to refurbish returned products, repair or replace defective warranty products, and the potential resale value for refurbished products returned to market. Manufacturers must also weigh the potential cost if inventory for procuring spare parts to support warranty, extended warranty and out of warranty regulations. To be truly effective, manufacturers must make these decisions before the returned product enters the reverse logistics supply chain, not after it is in it.
Manufacturers have the ability to gather data on activities that drive demand. Contributors to demand planning include failure rate or rate of repairs that require spare parts. At the very front end, potential return trends and potential repair trends can be identified by customer technical support or customer care phone calls. Quality analysis of returns and defective products can also be used to identify demands for spare parts planning. Resale value trends for refurbished products and seasonal sa
Transformer is an electrical machine so as to transfer power commencing one circuit to a different by transformer attractive combination through no affecting parts. Transformer comprise of two or supplementary attached windings otherwise a single tap windy and, in most cases, Transformer a magnet, the category of the magnet cover all method of strategy intended to create, conduct, straight, exchange otherwise defend the abuser from electrical liberation.Most important produce families contained by electrical and electronic mechanism consist of batteries, connectors, inactive electronic mechanism, electrical allocation and defense gear fuse, supremacy supplies and conditioners, relay and timers, switches, rush forward suppressors, and wires and lead. Batteries are strategy that exchange power into electrical current Batteries is worn in a broad range of engineering application to power electronic strategy.In attendance there are two main sequence types - chemical and physical Battery related trimmings and mechanism such as chargers, racks and cabinet are also enclosed in this segment Connectors consist of all method of plug, socket, cap, strips and conductors considered to connect and demeanor electrical energy throughout cords, wires, and appliance, over and above, whole electrical allocation system.Electrical supply and protection apparatus include items such since circuit breakers, surge suppressors, fuses and safety switches des
Manufacturers have the ability to gather data on activities that drive demand. Contributors to demand planning include failure rate or rate of repairs that require spare parts. At the very front end, potential return trends and potential repair trends can be identified by customer technical support or customer care phone calls. Quality analysis of returns and defective products can also be used to identify demands for spare parts planning. Resale value trends for refurbished products and seasonal sales cycles can be used to predict demand and resale value for refurbished products, and if the product is cost effective to refurbish or repair. In some cases the parts can actually be sold for more greater margin than the whole product. At the very least, parts can be harvested from return products to mix and match repair of other defective return products, avoiding expensive spare parts procurement when applicable. All of these factors contribute to planning the demand for a refurbished product or the component parts.
Once you know the demand and resale value for component parts and whole units, then it is only a matter of maintaining an intelligent planning engine that uses the input to analyze the Bill of Materials for returned products. Before the merchandise enters the Reverse Logistics Supply Chain, make an immediate and intelligent decision regarding the value and intended disposition of the whole unit or the component parts. In some cases the product will be scheduled for de-configuration to feed refurbishing activities or develop a spare parts inventory for warranty repairs. In other cases, the units may be expedited for refurbishing and resale. Some products may be scheduled to be environmentally scrapped for materials. Product may even be de-configured at the retail location to support local customer demands and thereby avoid freight entirely. Whatever the final result may be, the decision can be made before the product enters the Reverse Logistics Supply Chain cycle, as long as the intelligent engine is provided with continuously updated and accurate information. The new problem and the new solution is knowing what you sold, who wants to return it and what it is really worth, before you own it again.
It's hard to believe that there are still companies that invest millions of dollars each year in tools to forecast procurement and inventory management of spare parts, without accurately forecasting and managing the largest single source of surplus components that results from return merchandise. There are still organizations that struggle to achieve freight savings purely by negotiation or consolidation, without a achieving a balanced approach to freight avoidance, localization and intelligent de-configuration disposition. In the competitive landscape of rapidly evolving technology, mass production and eroding profit margins, managing the total cost of the supply chain and the composite value of the components is essential to cost reduction and financial survival. To ignore this aspect of reverse logistics can not only be costly, it can be fatal for an organization.
For Consumer Electronics and Computer products, the Reverse Logistics handling requirements are further complicated by compliance and regulations like RoHS, WEEE, controls on Lead based and Mercury materials, just to name a few. Recognizing these component parts is absolutely essential to the proper management of the intelligent engine that directs the disposition of returns immediately upon notification that merchandise may enter the returns cycle. Proper management is not only financially rewarding, but in the case of hazardous materials, it is the law.
In service, to be competitive is to be the first to provide the services that would otherwise put you out of business. If you can do this, you will place your competitors out of business, or at least have them working for you. Gathering the data that pertains to customer call centers, extended warranty services, spare parts, resale value, parts procurement costs and impending returns often requires extensive collaboration, integration and data exchange. To be successful, it is often necessary to partner with multiple organizations and experts to leverage best practices in a collaborative environment. The companies that collaborate, integrate and optimize date exchange will enjoy the competitive advantages of improved profit margins and precision management. The organizations that do not participate will be remembered as fabulous fossils.
Words of Wisdom
"In Supply Chain Logistics business you are either the one driving the truck, the one pumping the gas, or the one paying the other two." - John Mehrmann
"The old ways are dead. And you need people around you who concur. That means hanging out more with the creative people, the freaks, the real visionaries, than you're already doing. Thinking more about what their needs are, and responding accordingly. Avoid the dullards; avoid the folk who play it safe. They can't help you any more. Their stability model no longer offers that much stability. They are extinct, they are extinction." - Hugh Macleod
"In service, to be competitive is to be the first to provide the services that would otherwise put you out of business. If you can do this, you will place your competitors out of business, or at least have them working for you." - John Mehrmann
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