Providing practical and professional advice on logistics, including transportation, the marketing of services and strategic planning.
Logistics
Inventory accuracy is a common challenge amongst both 3PL and in-house warehouse operations. There are legal implications for 3PL operators implied in any contract of service, where the contractor is both liable and responsible for holding the goods in good order and condition on behalf of the owner.
By contrast for a company-owned warehouse, the goods remain internally controlled and there are generally a different set of protocols for loss or damage within the company operation.
The economic significance of loss or damage to goods in both situations is not inconsiderable- the opportunity cost of a potential lost sale, including the interest and working capital, not to mention the time-related hassle of having to sort out a claim and replacement of the goods, is sufficiently large to warrant a management technique or process to minimise and eliminate such waste.
Marketing
Part of the challenge in dealing with the group of mentees who we currently look after is understanding the wide range of technical or trade skills required to run the various businesses they operate.
There always weaknesses in any small business operation, however one of the most common is the lack of marketing competence.
Marketing is everything to a business, especially a small one – in fact because if it is not being marketed constantly, chances are that the business will be underdeveloped and failing to grow.
Strategic Planning
In a similar vein to marketing (refer to the Marketing page of this site), New Zealand small and medium businesses are less likely to have a Strategic Plan in place that is fully developed, current and is being implemented.
Without this critical building block, owners have no reference point upon which to take their businesses forward to the next stages. As a result, they frequently flounder and get stuck in a” rut”, with nowhere to go.
