How has JCB improved its logistics operations?
JCB has opened up about how it has improved its logistics operations at a Chartered Institute of Logistics event, to an audience of aftermarket professionals.
The event, hosted by technology management company 3T Logistics last month, saw Chris Buckler, Operations Director for JCB Service talk about the logistics challenges that the company faces as an aftermarket supplier, and how it has overcome them.
The talk was entitled ‘Aftermarket logistics and transport: trends for a global aftermarket business’, during which Buckler gave a presentation on how JCB has developed a global strategic transport plan and created new distribution models to support growth and fulfil customer demand.
“Transport costs are a necessary cost of servicing customers well and are influenced by all sorts of behaviours, both internal and external,” explained Buckler. “The speed and quality of product transportation is very important to us at JCB – the integral task of servicing customers doesn’t conclude until we make the delivery to them.”
Despite having a massive global network of customers and suppliers, JCB aims to service any dealer in the world for a VOR (Vehicle of Road) request within 24 hours. This has significant implications for transport management, and so JCB has been working with 3T since 2008 to streamline logistics processes using 3T’s sophisticated transport management technology, which uses advanced algorithms to optimise vehicle utilisation and more.
Buckler also talked about peoples’ increasing digital footprint, highlighting the importance of making effective use of the huge amounts of data that organisations now have access to.
“One thing you can be certain about the future is that life will be different to what we know today,” he commented. “Technology is changing at a dramatic and accelerating rate. We have to change and adapt how we do business and interface throughout the whole supply chain… those that don’t change and adapt will be left behind.”
3T’s Business Development Manager, Steve Holmes, was delighted with the way that the event went. “It was a really successful evening and the feedback we received from the audience was very positive with people commenting how useful and informative Chris’s talk was.”
3T will be joining forces with CILT again later in the year to run another free presentation for logistics professionals at their Leicester headquarters.