The Case For Logistics Auditing

An adage in The Art of War (that "amateurs study tactics, the professionals study logistics") applies to business and coordination of any large organization. End to end logistics management is one of the keys to running an efficient operation, and it's something that can always be improved on.

There are two ways to improve your logistics management: An audit of what you actually possess, and streamlining the flow of material from one location to another.

Logistics auditing has another name - inventory control. A dedicated inventory control system should be user transparent, and should automate the entry of data for items that are checked in and checked out as much as possible; the one thing you can be certain of is that when your business is humming along, the last thing that people want to do is stop their work flow to fill out paperwork to show what tools they have, what carton of what materials they have and so on.

There are great strides being made in logistics auditing, ranging from the hand scanners used in super markets to web based clients that can be assigned to track down the IP addresses and software licenses on all computers or electronic hardware that's present on a sub-network. Good logistics auditing software is often tailored to a company's specific business process, through custom modules. For many smaller companies, some off the shelf solutions are sufficient.

The key to making logistics auditing software work for you is making it as easy to use and as transparent to use as is possible; this has always been the goal in this software sector. The benefits of good logistics management software comes down to knowing where everything is, where it's being used, and whether or not you're running short on a vital component, with sufficient time to buy more of it.

Other uses of logistics and auditing software include analytical reports on sales trends, including timing of inventory levels to seasonal effects and corroboration of the success (or lack of success) in a marketing campaign. Logistics auditing is one of the key markers for success in a small business as it transitions from small, one-or-two person operation to a larger company with employees and a dedicated process with which to run.

What logistics auditing won't do is 'trigger startup growth' in your company. That sort of growth curve stems from innovations in the product space you're in. Logistics auditing is about improving efficiency in the processes you already use, or identifying a process that needs refinement or change.

One particular area where logistics auditing comes into its own is in freight handling and freight logistics. The threshold where an automated rate comparison program makes sense is surprisingly low. One of the best tools on the market for this sort of logistics audit is RateLinx, their popular ShipLinx system being an integrated technology platform that covers all aspects of shipping, from quote generation to fuel prices, even to integrating with any ERP or inventory control system.