Supply Chain / Logistics Consulting

Service description

Supply chain consulting reviews how a business sources materials, holds inventory and moves products to customers. A consultant maps the network, finds where cost, delays or single points of failure sit, and recommends changes to suppliers, stocking levels, warehouses or carriers. Some engagements also trace where goods are made, which matters for imported inputs.

Common industries

Applies to manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other product businesses.

ROI

Targeted at margin — even modest logistics and inventory improvements drop straight to the bottom line.

Benefit

Optimize sourcing, inventory, and distribution to cut cost and improve resilience across your supply chain.

Why get it

Sourcing, inventory and shipping costs add up, and a disruption at one supplier can stop sales. Mapping the chain shows where the business is exposed. For goods from abroad, it also shows whether a supplier's sourcing could cause a shipment to be refused at the border.

When you benefit

Often a project, followed by periodic reviews as suppliers, products and demand change.

What it costs

Typically a project fee.

When you pay

Providers usually charge a fixed fee for an assessment, and hourly or retainer fees for implementation support. Price depends on how many products, suppliers and locations are in scope and on whether the consultant also helps carry out the changes.

Other costs

Staff time to share data, software or system changes, and the costs of switching suppliers, moving inventory or renegotiating carrier contracts.

Risks to know

Recommendations that look good on paper can raise costs elsewhere, such as higher inventory or slower delivery. Imported goods can be held or refused if any part was made with forced labor, so supplier tracing matters. Changing suppliers can also create quality and continuity problems.

When risks arise

Cost savings appear as changes take effect. A border hold on imported goods can occur with any shipment, and supplier weaknesses often surface during a disruption rather than before it.

The process

The provider gathers data and maps suppliers, inventory and flows to customers. It finds the biggest sources of cost and risk, models alternatives and recommends changes. The business chooses what to adopt, and the provider may help carry the changes out.

Your commitment

The business provides data on products, suppliers, inventory, orders and shipping costs, and access to operations staff. For imports, it should be able to name its suppliers and where goods and their inputs are made. Management decides which recommendations to carry out.

Documents to gather

• List of suppliers with locations and the inputs each provides
• Inventory levels and order history by product
• Freight, warehousing and carrier contracts and costs
• For imports, entry records and supplier sourcing documentation

Helpful reading

• Supply chain — National Institute of Standards and Technology
• About Us — MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics

Further research

• 19 U.S.C. § 1307 — Goods made by convict, forced or indentured labor may not be imported (federal)
• 19 CFR § 12.42 — Findings of the CBP Commissioner on forced-labor goods (federal)
• Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act — U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance (federal)