Supply chains in nearly any industry, including the steel and metals industry, are under pressure and weakening. However, the problem may not be what you may expect.
An increase in customer expectations—namely faster, more accurate service—is challenging businesses and many simply can’t keep up. Poor technology, manual practices and outdated information prevent businesses from meeting customer expectations and the problems only get worse from there. Don’t let your supply chain succumb to these pressures. Fortify your systems by replacing manual processes with modern supply chain software.
Changing Expectations
As discussed in “Supply Chain Tested by Customer Expectations,” posted on MetalCenterNews.com, customers are becoming more demanding because they have pressures of their own. Similar to suppliers in the steel and metals industry, customers have thinning profit margins, tighter deadlines and precise specifications that leave little to no room for error. T
Their pressures become your pressures and without the right supply chain technology in place, you can’t live up to customer expectations while protecting your own profit margins. As noted in the article, businesses are challenged by these four technology obstacles:
1. Not fully utilizing available technology: Businesses that do deploy modern business management systems don’t often fully utilize features and still rely on manual processes. This is often a symptom of choosing the wrong system.
2. Outdated data: Manual and disparate systems create bottlenecks and delays. Managers can’t easily access reliable, real-time data and are stuck using old information to make business decisions.
3. Siloed data: When data is separated in different systems and spreadsheets, you can’t see or predict how actions in one area can influence another.
4. Too many systems: Business leaders can’t get a 360-degree view of operations when financial, inventory, supplier, production, logistics, sales and other core data is separated in different systems.
Strengthen Your Supply Chain and Drive Growth with RealSTEEL
Strengthen your supply chain and satisfy increasing customer demands by deploying technology specifically designed for this business sector. RealSTEEL is a fully-integrated solution capable of supporting the unique operations of steel service centers and manufacturers.
Manage finances, inventory, purchasing, production, sales and warehouse data within this single, centralized solution. Real-time data is within easy reach, enabling leaders to respond faster to customer demands, marketplace fluctuations and other challenges.
Contact us for more information about using RealSTEEL to gain control and insight throughout your business, improving your ability to live up to customer expectations.
By The Wolcott Group, providers of RealSTEEL, a ‘real world’ solution for the steel and metals industry.
