-- Improved VISIBILITY of transportation information across departments -- Enhanced COLLABORATION with carriers and suppliers -- Continued REDUCTION in freight spendFor most companies, however, these goals are never realized. Transportation initiatives continually get pushed to the back burner, and freight spend increases year after year, while companies still struggle to meet customer service goals. The new report, titled, "Integrated Transportation Management -- How Best-in-Class Companies View the World Differently," reveals how Best-in-Class companies understand that effective transportation management doesn't just reduce freight spend. It has a broad affect on overall supply chain performance, and can contribute to reduced inventory carrying costs and improved warehouse productivity. It is precisely because of this broader view that Best-in-Class companies often have more success winning executive level support for transportation initiatives, and enjoy much greater ROI on these projects. The report discusses the integrated role of transportation management in overall supply chain performance. Based on survey data from hundreds of shippers, the report explores how the use of carrier and supplier collaboration tools can be a key component to reducing freight spend. It discusses how improved internal visibility to transportation data can improve warehouse efficiency and affect inventory policy. It examines the role of private fleet/common carrier optimization tools in effective fleet management. "You don't have to have a seven-figure budget to improve transportation management," says Ian Hobkirk, Senior Analyst with Aberdeen's logistics group. "For many companies, excellence can begin with the realization of the many areas of the supply chain budget that can be positively affected by better visibility into transportation information." This study is made available to the public through the underwriting of: LeanLogistics, Infor, Sterling Commerce, Mercury Gate and Agile Network. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4017 About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions. As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Ian Hobkirk Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5228 Ian.hobkirk@aberdeen.com