Getting product where it needs to be for less, with service that holds up.

Five places the supply chain quietly costs you money.

These are questions you can ask of your own numbers. If you can't answer one from them, that is the place to start.

1. Landed costWhat does a product really cost by the time it is on your shelf, once freight, duty and handling are added to the supplier's price?
2. Lead timesHow long is it from order to stock on hand, and how much does that vary from one shipment to the next?
3. Freight spendWhen was freight last put out for quotes, and is it bought shipment by shipment or on a contract?
4. Stock held against late supplyHow much extra stock do you carry because supply is slow or unreliable, and what does it cost to hold?
5. Service against costWhere is a faster, dearer option paying for itself, and where is it just habit?

These can be answered from supplier invoices, freight bills and your receiving records.

What the first 45 minutes covers.

You tell me where your product comes from and how it gets to you, and I tell you where I'd look first. In supply chain the game is productivity: finding the quickest and most effective way of moving product. The goal is the fewest hands touching a product, and the shortest distance between where it starts and the customer. You get a one-page readback of where the money is most likely being lost. Any work after that is scoped with you before it starts.