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Simplifying the complex
Digitize the entire shipment lifecycle and gain access to the right information, at the right time.
The logistics required to move manufactured goods, such as finished vehicles, from factory to dealers can be a big challenge for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and third-party logistics providers (3PLs)—particularly when movement through an extensive, multi-modal transportation network is involved. An inefficient outbound logistics infrastructure inevitably leads to delayed deliveries and high inventory or stock-out costs.
Cognizant’s Outbound Logistics Suite uses the latest digital technologies to help turn outbound logistics (OBL) strategy into a competitive advantage. By leveraging our deep consulting expertise in logistics business processes and modeling, you’ll be able to monitor your OBL network in real time and meet or exceed key performance targets.
Cognizant’s knowledge of 3PL service providers covers the wide range of issues that the logistics industry faces today—from transportation to warehousing to postponement services. With the advancement of new digital technology, 3PL service providers are expected today to provide real-time visibility into cargo and vehicle movement status. More OEMs are now using advanced shipping notices (ASNs) and electronic data interchange (EDI) communications with 3PLs and ports to track their goods using unique identifiers. This change is driving the emergence of fourth-party logistics providers, or 4PLs, to manage your transportation and freight in a global supply chain.
At Cognizant, we understand these forces of change and provide proven information solutions around them. We work extensively with leading 3PLs from the U.S. and Europe.
Our range of expertise includes RFID-enabled inventory tracking, along with mobility solutions, transportation strategy consulting and implementation. We also provide application maintenance for warehouse management systmes (WMS) and transportation management systems (TMS). For example, one of the top cold storage chains in the U.S. utilizes Cognizant to manage its TMS and WMS applications.
Rail and road transporters play a major role in moving finished goods from manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe to their destinations. Cognizant’s digital solutions for rail and road transport service providers focus on both core and non-core processes using the latest information technologies.
We work with two of the top five U.S.-based less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload and intermodal service providers and two of the top 10 U.S.-based Class 1 railroad companies. The scope of our work includes transportation planning and strategy consulting, customer relationship management (CRM), business intelligence (BI) and asset management.
Yard management is one of the core areas of focus within outbound logistics for the automotive industry today. It is increasingly seen as not only a lever for operational efficiency but also key to the successful execution of postponement strategy for automotive OEMs.
Yardelligent, Cognizant’s yard and port management digital solution, is specially designed for automating and optimizing the operations of finished vehicle yards and seaports. Yardelligent enables yard and port planning, storage, retrieval and maintenance of finished vehicles, as well as visibility of their status in the transportation network.
With Yardelligent, yard operators have the desired level of real-time visibility and control of vehicles in the yard, thereby making their automotive distribution chain streamlined and efficient
Our Connected Fleet program provides advanced telematics and geographic information system (GIS) solutions for fleet managers and vehicle owners worldwide. In our digital solutions, we use GPS and other asset tracking devices from trusted partners for tracking the movement of vehicles, trailers and containers anywhere in the world. Cognizant iGeoLocus is our proprietary cloud-based GIS services platform for monitoring, tracking and visualizing these transportation assets.
Cognizant’s Connected Fleet applications and services provide the following benefits:
The importance of roll on-roll off (Ro Ro) and pure car carriers (PCCs) in finished vehicle logistics has grown significantly in recent times. Ro-Ro or PCCs facilitate movement of vehicles across international borders. Ro Ro is often the most reasonably priced option for vehicle transportation, even though premium automobiles may also be transported using containers on commercial ocean liners.
Cognizant works with leading Ro-Ro ocean carriers of finished vehicles from the U.S. and Europe by helping support their core ocean transport management systems. We also work with world leaders in container and supply vessel operations in the areas of CRM and master data management (MDM). Our range of services span transportation strategy consulting, application development, and maintenance and digital infrastructure services.
In addition to our range of cross-industry business process services, Cognizant provides specialized services to run back-office processes in vehicle logistics. Our service offerings include the management of documentation at ports and processing of the custom clearance of vehicles. We help our clients focus on their core business while our teams manage day-to-day services such as:
Cognizant offers statistical modeling tools for predictive analytics and data visualization solutions that help decision-makers in OEM companies and logistics service provider organizations. Taking advantage of the large amount of data that is available from logistics applications, we use our analytics, industry and digital expertise to turn insight into actionable planning and execution.
Among the areas where our predictive analytics can make a significant difference are:
As social media continues to advance, manufacturers stand to benefit from the analysis and understanding that social media behavior can provide about their customers. Insight gained from social media is helping industry leaders make better decisions related to product design, buyer behavior profiling, sales process design, branding, promotions, quality assurance and after-sales service. In addition, social media monitoring can be an effective way to track disruptions in supply chains around the world.
By analyzing structured data from logistics applications in combination with unstructured data from social media, manufacturing and logistics managers can make better decisions and allow for dynamic course correction as needed.
Cognizant offers on-demand services for regular and event-based social media monitoring. We help our clients gather and leverage social media data for competitor intelligence, lead generation, supply chain disruptions, product performance feedback and a better understanding of the customer experience. This type of insight is made available through our social media sentiment listening and analysis tools, which are closely tailored to the specific needs of our manufacturing customers.
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