Managing Forward Logistics and Distribution

So your company has this killer product and is looking for a better way to get it to your customers. How you package it for installation or store shelves and for shipping is important. The ability to track its progress from inventory to loading docks, to your customer and make sure the right package arrives at the right place is crucial. In short, supply chain logistics must support operational imperatives of the business.

So how is this challenge overcome? Well, you could spend a lot of your hard earned capital in building and staffing a packaging department. You could even install a state of the art shipping and receiving function. You could additionally incur the expense of installing and maintaining a cutting edge software program and then develop all the required performance metrics to measure the results. But the amount of research, capital and risk factors may not make it seem worth the investment. As your business expands and contracts your delivery capabilities need to expand and contract as well. This may lead to more fixed expense that you absolutely don’t need or want.

This is where Extron’s forward logistics and distribution expertise comes in. With our already existing system of forward logistics and distribution, backed by 25 years of experience and a sophisticated in-house IT capability, we can have you up and operating utilizing your Routing Guide in a matter of days.

Like all of Extron’s capabilities, our logistics and distribution services for your product are facile and expandable, capable of growing and contracting with your business cycles without you having to pay for infrastructure and facilities. The outsourced cost is entirely variable and tied directly to demand.

Additionally Extron’s forward logistics and distribution network is designed to seamlessly dovetail into Extron’s Systems Integration and Test services and other manufacturing postponement models including Extron’s cutting edge Glocal Postponement.

Manufacturing and distribution hubs are strategically placed geographically to reduce shipping and delivery costs and the entire process is visible on-line 24x7. Simply place the order on-line via flatfile, XML or EDI and watch it go.

In the past delivery was written off as the cost of doing business, but with energy and fuel costs spiraling upward eliminating redundancy and increasing efficiency in your supply chain is a must to preserve profits. Efficiency is what you get when you partner with Extron.

Benefit from Extron’s Forward Logistics and Distribution Services. They include:

• Order Management
• Warehousing
• Inventory Control
• EDI
• Custom Packaging
• Routing Guide Management
• Serial Number Capture
• Barcode Order Verification
• Retail Packaging (hardware and software pack out: retail box, RF sealing clamshell packaging, blister pack, shrink wrap, etc.)
• Direct to Store or Distribution Center
• Lot Control
• POP (point of purchase) Display Manufacturing
• Freight Management
• Freight Tracking
• Returns Management
• On-line Inquiry and Reporting