It is the quest that all business owners are on: growth. You only have to start speaking to a small business owner to hear how they plan to grow their business. Behind those words are extreme passion and drive and yes sometimes exhaustion. But the one thing that causes many companies to fail is that they did not have the opportunity to learn from someone in their field that had succeeded before.
In the logistics industry competition is tough and operational expenses are high. South Africa is in need of logistics development and the sector needs to grow and innovate to ensure a resilient supply chain. For business owners, the only way to ensure growth is by ensuring that your supply chain is optimised which entails cost reductions and increased efficiencies.
Companies that have gone from Zero to Hero
South Africa is filled with examples of people who started small transport companies and then grew those businesses into multi-national corporations with multiple warehouses, fleets and thousands of employees. The logistics industry hosts vast opportunities as it is the backbone of the economy.
So how do you build a business from the ground up in the logistics industry? Logistics management.
From start to finish you need to be monitoring costs, implementing efficient IT infrastructure and ensuring that you have visibility over all aspects of your operational processes and supply chain.
Logistics software should be something you implement from the start. This does not necessarily mean you are going to implement the biggest system that is extremely costly for one day when you have a huge company. Start with what you need and implement a system that is affordable and catered to your requirements. However, make sure that your logistics software provider is in it for the long haul and will configure your system to grow with your company.
Find a Mentor or a Supplier-for-Life
Building a business can be scary, building a logistics company even more so. Whether your focus is transport, courier, warehousing or 3PL, you need people who will support and advise you. Believe it or not this responsibility also falls to your logistics software provider. Logistics management should greatly supported, optimised and streamlined through your logistics software.
Is your Logistics Software Provider in it for the Long Haul?