BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - November 6, 2007) - The recent research study by Aberdeen, a
Harte-Hanks company (
NYSE:
HHS), titled, "The International Transportation
Management Report," revealed that over 200 companies found that of all the
major areas of supply chain, international transportation costs are the
most difficult to contain. Less than 10% of companies are able to reduce
year-over-year international freight spend. As companies attempt to
collaborate with a number of trading partners in various parts of the world
(ranging from suppliers, carriers, third-party logistics providers, and
government agencies) the challenges of international transportation
management are forcing companies to seek agility above all in their
international supply chains.
As globalization simultaneously increases the economic integration and
interdependence of countries, companies find themselves with a slew of new
challenges as they enter the strange new world of international commerce.
The challenge of receiving accurate supply chain data from a disparate
group of trading partners was identified by 44% of all survey respondents
as the biggest challenge companies face when trying to improve the
processes around international transportation management. Furthermore,
while Best-in-Class companies coincide with Industry Average and Laggard
companies that rising logistics costs are a top business pressure,
Best-in-Class companies view rising costs in their proper context, with 42%
citing the pressure to increase awareness of the cost and service impact of
transportation on overall supply chain performance as a top pressure. By
improving visibility to international shipments, Best-in-Class companies
hope to align various parts of the organization and reduce international
transportation costs.
"Companies often fall victim to thinking that they can have a greater
measure of control over international shipments than is really feasible
today," explains Ian Hobkirk, Aberdeen's Senior Analyst for Supply Chain
Execution. "While it is possible to achieve a measure of performance
improvement through service level agreements and 'strong-arming' carriers
and suppliers, there are limits to this strategy. Weather events, customs
delays, and bottlenecks at logistics hubs make unforeseen delays
inevitable. Best-in-Class companies recognize this reality, and have
adopted a strategy of agility and responsiveness in order to still meet
their supply chain goals."
The report highlights how Best-in-Class companies excel by adopting
capabilities like strategic bid allocation, dynamic hub routing, and
divert-in-transit as strategic supply chain weapons. Examples from
companies like Kraft Foods and Del Monte highlight real-life examples of
how companies have implemented these strategies.
The research educates readers on how to sufficiently contain the key
metrics of international freight spend, international contracted freight
rates, and high levels of on-time inbound international shipments by
blending tactical processes and data quality initiatives.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part to the
following underwriters: Management Dynamics Inc. and Precision. To obtain
a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4216.
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.
© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112
Telephone: (617) 723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Ian Hobkirk
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5228
Ian.hobkirk@aberdeen.com