What are the most important value drivers you’re looking at when sourcing a product?
Price? Quality assurance? Key ingredient specifications? Certifications?
If you said “yes” to anyone (or even all of) the above, you’re right. Each one of these is a vital value driver that must be part of the sourcing journey.
But behind all that, there lies the services that connect the dots of the supply chain, logistics, warehousing, and inventory management. These services more often than not fall beyond the purview of most bulk importers and wholesale suppliers.
And with a bulk product list as vast as ours, paying attention to those behind-the-scenes factors becomes increasingly important.
So just how has Source86 incorporated these services into their services, making them the main value driver on offer? Let’s show you.
All the fingers in the pudding: The roleplayers of the sourcing supply chain
The ingredient supply chain is filled to the brim with roleplayers from across 10 countries who impact the efficiency of the journey, with each stage influencing the total delay of an order. Here are a few of the big players in the sourcing journey along with some of the challenges they face:
- Manufacturers and suppliers who have a shortage of raw materials or are facing production line challenges.
- Trucking companies face local transit issues, pick-up delays, and clashing schedules.
- Port terminals, where containers are loaded onto the vessel, face manpower shortages, equipment failures, customs delays, or simple port congestion.
- Vessel operators who go “rogue” and change the ship’s route or face unavoidable weather-related delays.
- Destination terminal ports and all the customs channels that need to be cleared.
So how does Source86 protect you against these delays and add value to the supply chain? By going beyond the deal and taking ownership of the supply chain as far as possible.
The Source86 value-add: Where the real magic happens
Our value-added services allow us to take ownership of each order, overseeing the journey from production to delivery. By doing this, we get to ensure the integrity of each stage, working with only reliable logistics partners from our network, and retaining full visibility throughout the journey.
So how do we go above the call of duty when it comes to the behind-the-scenes element of sourcing?
Transportation
We rely on custom systems that track containers throughout the complex supply chain.
Through custom KPIs, we’ve created smoke detectors along the supply journey that help us address possible risks proactively. Through our third-party vendor agreements with trucking companies, we help you save costs of product movement and ultimately decrease costs by automating logistics processes and minimizing delays through stringent planning.
But that only covers the journey. What about the destination?
Warehousing
Our Accem warehouses allow us to simplify cross-docking, where containers can be palletized according to custom specifications and bulk inventory can be stored. Through the FIFO method applied at Accem warehouses, we make sure your inventory never expires. Accem’s systems also allow us to monitor stock levels in real-time at all times easily.
Inspections are done of all containers and the goods they contain, cross-checked with receiving reports to ensure product accuracy while bonded and isolation areas are available that safeguard the integrity of products that can easily be contaminated or their consistency altered.
Now the only question is how do we know when the journey should start and how to prepare for it, which is where Source86’ biggest value-add comes in.
Inventory Management
The inventory management that increases the efficiency of the entire logistics journey is made possible through intricate monitoring in-depth, client-specific analysis, and ongoing protocol improvement.
Your inventory is tracked and monitored through a centralized Airtable setup, making tracking as accurate as possible in real-time thanks to automated syncing. As part of this system, quality control checks provide reliable oversight of stock quality and quantity levels at all times. The results of this system are paramount.
Demand foresight and planning are made more efficient, as we incorporate seasonality, market trends, sales data, and other variables into our counsel. Stock errors associated with defective inventory are eliminated as quality checks are performed immediately upon receipt of goods. Stockouts are avoided through our automated Airtable reordering system that triggers purchase orders in response to demand projections or predetermined thresholds.
We also keep an eye on inventory turnover to evaluate inventory efficiency, spot slow-moving or obsolete material, and make appropriate purchase and stocking adjustments. To find areas for improvement, we constantly assess and enhance inventory management procedures.
This proactive inventory sourcing approach is made possible because we have continuous oversight of stock levels. At its core, information sharing and transparent communication make inventory and supply collaborative instead of a one-sided affair.
How to keep the journey from falling flat in the oven
Bulk importers and wholesale suppliers are a dime a dozen in the trade industry. So what sets our inventory management services apart from competitors in the market?
It’s the customer-centric, flexible nature of our solutions, catered to the unique requirements and preferences of each customer.
On the other side of things, Source86 keeps solid ties with our suppliers to guarantee prompt delivery and dependable supply chain performance. We collaborate with vendors to exchange demand projections and synchronize production schedules to avoid shortages or delays.
We’ll leave you with a question: When last did you get a knot in your stomach when you thought about inventory?
Get in touch with us to make sure the answer is, “Well you know what, not in years.”
