iVisibility Provides Key to Supply Chain Security

Knowing where your shipment or package is at any point in time, whether it's in safe hands, and the outlook for on-time delivery are key elements of the whole logistics process. Visibility through tracking is an important dimension of supply-chain security and operational efficiency, so it's no surprise that the issue is both an industry-wide focus and a vital component of the nVision Global Web Toolkit software suite.

Leaders in the field of logistics have been calling for international standards for governing the security of supply chains for some time. Long-term hopes lie with the widespread implementation of electronic tagging coupled with current tracking processes such as those offered by nVision.

A much-touted solution to the need for greater trackability is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a form of electronic tagging that allows manufacturers, shippers, vendors and customers to pinpoint the location of anything from a single item to a whole shipment. However, global adoption of RFID technology in shipping and logistics has been slow. (To learn why, see the article in the What's New section of this issue of iFocus.)

In addition, RFID implementation currently lacks standardization. The logistics industry has not agreed on a common direction or even which form of RFID technology should be adopted as a standard. The same goes for the use (more realistically, the non-use, at the moment) of a unified bar-coding scheme to flag corresponding shipment documentation that will support RFID.

Although progress toward a Supply Chain Technology Standard (SCTS) has been hesitant, the benefits to be had from greater trackability of shipments are clear: When you can track your shipments at every step,

• you need to hold less inventory,
• you see lower carrying costs and reduced theft,
• and your customers experience more timely deliveries.

The ability to track shipments closely also lets you know whether a shipment or delivery is likely to be delayed — and provide proactive customer service to deal with the change.

A Real-Time Solution

All this information is readily available now for users of the iVisibility module of nVision's Web Toolkit software suite. Using a series of predefined and custom alerts, this easy-to-use application not only identifies the current stage of the shipment process but can also flag any likely delays.

From a security perspective, these features potentially provide the highest possible visibility of a shipment throughout its entire journey — short of a webcam focused on it every minute of the day.

iVisibility, which is operated as a hosted service on nVision's servers, simplifies shipment tracking by providing a one-stop location where customers can access all currently available shipping information through a series of hyperlinks.

Rather than having to go to multiple individual carrier Web sites to track the progress of shipments, customers find all their carriers on a single page. They select and click the appropriate one, key in the pro number or tracking number and receive an instant update on shipping status.

"This particular application also allows us to bring in what is known in the industry as a 214 — a shipment status message — which carriers send on a predefined basis," explains nVision's Vice President of Sales North America, Keith Snavely. "For example, a carrier might send a 214 that says the shipment has reached the dock and is being loaded onto a truck. And then another shipment status message might be 'delivered package to such-and-such an address at such-and-such a time.' "

A variety of standard 214s can be transmitted electronically by using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technology. For example, if a carrier happens to get delayed in traffic, the customer can be informed immediately.

But even if the carrier does not use EDI or does not have access to it at a particular point, the carrier can access nVision's Web site and manually key in status messages.

"What we are offering is a single portal for customers to access all their transit information," says Snavely. The simplicity of this solution creates an unparalleled level of transportation security management.

For information on how you can enhance your transit security and improve productivity through iVisibility, contact nVision Global at www.nvisionglobal.com or call 770-474-4122.