When you think of boosting supply chain efficiency, the first thing that comes to your mind is streamlining transportation and warehousing processes. However, a minor but vital link unites these two key characteristics, a link frequently neglected and undervalued - the yard.
Improving your yard management can significantly impact the efficiency of your supply chain operations. According to the 2020 State of Yard Management Report, more than half of respondents said using a yard management system might help them save at least 5% on their expenses.
In this article, you will learn how technology may assist in addressing them, streamlining operations and maximising freight transportation.
What is a Yard Management System?
A yard management system, or YMS, is a software solution that automates operations. Instead of manually organising and tracking your daily yard activities, a YMS may help you schedule, monitor equipment and items, and provide real-time information for more effective decision-making.
To gain company-wide visibility and control, YMSs can be integrated into or linked to other pieces of software like enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management system (WMS), or transportation management system (TMS).
YMS Implementation Provides the Potential for Optimisation
The significant advantages of a YMS, like any other technology, are automation, synchronisation, and real-time visibility into activities. It aids in the organisation and control of yard processes beginning with entry through loading/unloading and ending with departure.
Gate Supervision
Security regulations and check-in/check-out procedures vary significantly between institutions. However, the YMS gate management capabilities help speed up the process and eliminate errors caused by human intervention.
The first step toward optimisation is to minimise the walking time between the guard shack and the truck cabin by employing portable mobile devices rather than stationary computers (or even paper journals).
Asset Management
YMS improves visibility by automating the tracking of assets (equipment and freight) and making it easier to locate and handle. Real-time location systems (RTLSs) based on RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology outperform GPS in terms of accuracy, security, and battery life.
In other words, when scanned by a reader, RFID tags and Bluetooth Low Energy beacons attached to goods retain information about the item and transmit it to your system. In addition, the reader can access multiple tags simultaneously, unlike barcodes, even when they are out of sight. Instead, the tags transmit their precise real-time location to the system.
Dock Administration
Organising dock operations can significantly boost your facility's throughput while avoiding congestion, delays, and costly detentions. Using efficient and dynamic programming is especially critical when working on a cross-docking model to reduce turnaround time.
The appointment management functionality is the first step in removing the need for endless, inefficient emails and phone conversations. Carriers and shippers should be able to see available time slots and self-schedule (and, if necessary, reschedule) appointments once the solution is in place.
Analytics and Reporting
We have a lot of articles that demonstrate the necessity of using data to make better decisions and achieve a competitive advantage. Yet, today, the reality is that the information that may be gathered in the yard is frequently ignored and underutilised.
The YMS, on the other hand, enables you to transform raw data into actionable insights. Custom reports can be created to provide information about your everyday operations in a single comprehensible interface.
GoBOLT's introduction of in-transit and in-yard visibility is changing yard management systems, much as real-time visibility altered supply chain management. In contrast to traditional dock and yard management software, which shows you what is in the yard, their Dynamic Yard combines industry-leading yard management system capabilities with in-transit predictive visibility and analytics, allowing you to manage every aspect of your yard operations proactively.
Connect with GoBOLT to grab the opportunity to get the best yard management system!
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