Initiative · Problem
Optimising the supply chain
Every link gets optimised. The chain rarely does.
Making supply more reliable, faster and cheaper: planning, suppliers, logistics, risks and transparency across all partners.
The situation
“Our supply chain is too slow, too expensive or too fragile.”
The warehouse holds too much of the wrong stock and too little of the right. Purchasing negotiates unit prices, logistics pays express surcharges, and in the end nobody knows the total cost of a delivery.
When a source of supply drops out, the search starts on the phone. Delivery dates sit in emails, stock levels in spreadsheets, shipments in portals. There's no overall picture, so each department decides from its own slice.
Where it often goes wrong.
-
Unit price over total cost
The contract goes to the cheapest offer. Freight, customs, rejects and delays are then paid out of another budget.
-
Stock as a comfort blanket
More inventory feels safe and ties up capital that's missing elsewhere. Against poor planning, it does little.
-
Everything on one source
A single supplier for a critical part is convenient and cheap until it fails. Backup sources are best built while everything is still running.
-
Delays spotted too late
Without a shared view of orders, stock and shipments, a delay only shows when the goods are missing. Then only expensive express freight helps.
-
Returns as an afterthought
Returns cost twice, in transport and in handling. If nobody analyses why they happen, you pay for the same mistakes every month.
Which disciplines work together here.
3 of 13 disciplines, one team, one point of contact. Every service has a clear role, and you decide which ones we take on.
-
D06 Procurement & Supply Chain
-
Examines the flow of goods from order to delivery and redesigns the chain.
-
Aligns sales, stock and purchasing in a fixed planning rhythm.
-
Identifies critical parts and sources and builds alternatives before anything fails.
-
Rates existing suppliers on punctuality and quality and agrees improvements.
-
Finds and qualifies additional suppliers when price, quality or dependency no longer fit.
-
Decides for each category where to bundle, switch or dual-source.
-
Tracks delivery dates day to day and steps in before goods run short.
-
-
D05 Operations & Fulfilment
-
Plans transport, negotiates freight rates and brings in forwarders from our partner network.
-
Steers partner warehouses from goods-in to dispatch and checks their performance continuously.
-
Finds out why goods come back and tackles avoidable returns.
-
-
D09 IT & Digital
-
Shows stock, dates and costs across all partners in one dashboard.
-
You decide the scope.
Often a single bottleneck is enough to start: freight costs, a critical part, an unreliable supplier. If you want the big picture, begin with a diagnosis of the whole chain.
If you're short of people day to day, hand over just the ongoing coordination.
Good questions. Straight answers.
Do you have your own warehouses and trucks?
No. Storage, transport and customs are handled by partners in our network. They're chosen with you, then negotiated and steered by us to agreed service levels.
You can keep existing providers if they do good work.
Will you replace our suppliers?
Only if it's necessary. Often the snag is in planning, agreements or contracts, not with the supplier itself. A switch is sometimes right, but rarely the first step.
New contracts are drafted by a law firm that we appoint on your behalf.
Can you step in if a supplier suddenly drops out?
Yes. Then overview and speed matter: which orders are affected, how long will stock last, where is there a replacement?
Once things are stable, we make sure the same failure hits less hard next time.
Is our data good enough for an analysis?
As a rule, yes, even if it's scattered. Orders, invoices and delivery notes reveal more than you'd think.
Where data is missing, we say so instead of guessing. We collect the missing values in a targeted way rather than holding up the whole analysis.
Do you involve our suppliers in planning?
Yes, especially the important ones. Share forecasts early, and you get more reliable delivery dates and sometimes better terms.
Which data you share and which you don't is something we agree together beforehand.
Proof first. Contract second.
In the free Initiative Check, we listen for 45 minutes and ask the questions that usually only come up after the contract is signed. Then you get a short written assessment: what we see, how we would go about it and roughly what it would take.
No obligation. And if we're not the right fit, we'll tell you.
Or write to us at hello@intoops.com.