A truly great supply chain partner is one who knows precisely which ingredients we need to make our operations successful — and those we can skip. Some partners can tell us, for instance, what technologies we need to deploy, when to implement and how to upgrade.
Others can advise who to contract for manufacturing and transportation, where to source parts and raw materials — or how to dispose of tainted or defective goods. They can help us finance supply chain operations, mitigate risk and ultimately bring together these disparate components to streamline our businesses.
The interconnected nature of business today means leaders have to be careful when choosing each partner. Modern supply chains often resemble more of a web than a chain, and with so many partners involved — often in a single transaction — mutual trust and reliability are key. Relationships of any real vintage endure only when these qualities are baked in from the start.
Success is in sight, and probably guaranteed, when you know a partner's word is good: that they mean what they say and deliver on their promises. The best make streamlining your business look effortless. A pinch of this, a pinch of that — and voila!
About the "Great Supply Chain Partners"
SupplyChainBrain is a TMSA Affiliate member and Official TMSA Media Partner, and is part of Keller International Publishing Corp., one of the world's oldest privately held publishing companies. During its 136-year history, Keller International Publishing has successfully introduced and acquired business publications covering a wide range of products, services and practices for global manufacturing, processing, distribution and supply-chain management. Keller is the leader in Spanish-language Latin American business publications. Keller's publications have been circulated in more than 200 countries and traditionally have been published in the world's most commonly used business languages.
Each year, SupplyChainBrain readers tell us about thousands of these great partners, and we publish the top 100 most-nominated — along with select case studies. Here, companies can express their appreciation for their partners in logistics, technology or some other area of supply chain management.
This year, we received nominations for supply chain solutions companies of all sizes and industries — who not only solved real-world issues, but exceeded their contractual obligations. Many submissions expressed gratitude for partners that allowed companies to focus on core efforts. Results included new business gains, increased financial savings, improved operational efficiencies and more.
In the testimonials below, anonymous (and verified) leaders in supply chain management express more of what makes their partners great.
What Must a Partner Bring?
- Reliability. If your word isn't good, neither is your business model.
- Excellence. Second-best is second-rate.
- Value. Is your partner bringing the same-old, same-old that everybody else offers?
- Expertise. Your partner needs to know your business inside and out.
- Problem-solving skills. Is your partner looking to you for answers or is he or she providing them?
- Continuous improvement. Your partner must never stop learning.
- Support. After the sale or implementation, can you find your partner for support?
- Positive attitude. If your partner doesn't have a “can-do” attitude, you need a new partner.
- Global reach. Stay-at-home partners should stay at home.
- Strong leadership. Is your partner reading the manual on leadership — or writing one?
In 2018, there were 12 TMSA company members that were named to the "100 Great Supply Chain Partners." They are:
Averitt
“Their sustainability goals line up with ours.”
DHL
“We have found them experts in transportation areas we rely on.”
Estes
“We've benefited from their suite of services.”
FedEx
“They delivered our products and on their promises.”
Green Mountain
“They took the initiative to make us a better organization.”
J.B. Hunt
“They are great ambassadors for our brands.”
Kenco Logistics
“Their staff is experienced and focused on customer service.”
Llamasoft
“Now we can run continuous what-if scenarios.”
MercuryGate International
“We've fully automated the process where we have shipments being created automatically.”
Ryder
“They are flexible enough to help us adapt to changing business needs.”
UPS
“They enabled us to save a lot.”
YRC Worldwide
“The have met all of our logistics needs.”
Methodology
Each year, SupplyChainBrain readers submit nominations over a six-month polling period for partners whose products, services or solutions have made a significant impact on business efficiency, customer service and overall supply chain performance.
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