Supply Chain

Supply Chain is the process of moving a product or service from the point of production to the delivery point. The purpose of the supply chain is to reduce the operational cost of transporting products and to increase customer satisfaction.

Supply Chain Management or Logistics

Logistics is a direction and organizational framework that results in the flow of products and information within the enterprise, or in a simpler way to deliver the right product at the right place at the right time and in the right quantity.

Supply Chain Management ensures the smooth operation and efficiency of the supply chain by focusing on (a) decision making on the supply chain structure, (b) coordinating the movement of goods and the provision of services, and (c) exchanging information between the parties in the supply chain.

Basic Supply Chain Functions

Basic functions of the supply chain management include:

  1. Supplies
  2. Production
  3. Transportation
  4. Storage
  5. Distribution
  6. Customer service

Transportation: this term refers to the means of transportation used to move the goods from the supplier to the place of production and from there to the warehouse, whether the warehouse is located at the production place or elsewhere. It is an important cost and requires (a) the appropriate choice of transportation means (according to the product type), (b) the right choice of the production facilities location and (c) the design of the production line (production phase).

Distribution: the rapid development of transportation means technology and transportation in general an international tendency to substitute many warehouses by a system of large regional warehouses alongside the development of a flexible distribution network has been shaped. Distribution networks are the arteries of a business to continuously and successfully feed the market with consumer products having taken great weight to business survival and profitability.

Terra, Mapping the Globe

In all supply chain functions, but especially in the transportation and distribution phases, geographic information systems play a key role, particularly in maximizing the productivity of a fleet of vehicles and in correctly designing the product delivering and receiving process.

Terra has developed two GIS based Tools (software) targeted to the above functions:

  • Mobile Resource Management Suite (in cooperation with G4S Telematix and OnLine Data) an operational solution to increase the productivity of a fleet of vehicles and
  • VRP System a software for calculating the best routes between delivering and receiving points aiming to the minimize the cost of routing for the specific fleet of vehicles

Furthermore, our company can help you improve your logistics management planning, keep costs under control, increase your customer base and expand your business with the ArcGIS tools that our company uses as a GIS application development platform:

  • Route Planning and Analysis: Maximize the use of your resources and create optimal paths based on specific parameters, including vehicle capabilities, driver skills, road constraints and time limits
  • Asset Tracking: see equipment, personnel and events on a map and receive notification of possible problems during delivery
  • Navigation: helps drivers stay on route and on schedule following dispatched routes via the on-board navigation system that automatically reprograms the route should they go off course
  • Operations Dashboard: control panels help you visually to identify deficiencies that can be analyzed to improve performance
  • Business Development and Location Analysis: Determine precisely the location of your distribution network warehouses using demographic data, business reports, customer shop locations and accurate navigable road data