A New Approach to Transportation Spend Management

A Recent Research Survey Reveals Best-in-Class Companies Are TWICE as Likely as Their Peers to Practice CLOSED-LOOP Transportation Spend Management

 | Source: Aberdeen Group Aberdeen Group

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - February 6, 2008) - A new report by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), reveals how top companies have greatly reduced their logistics costs through a new approach that is gaining ground in the marketplace. The report, "Closed-Loop Transportation Spend Management - New Approaches to Improving Procurement & Payment," outlines how companies like Unilever, Pinnacle Foods, and Papa John's have successfully reduced contracted freight rates, and cut invoice processing costs at the same time through this ground-breaking new method.

"For most companies, transportation spend management isn't really 'owned' by any one person or department," says Ian Hobkirk, Senior Analyst in Aberdeen's Supply Chain Execution practice, and author of the report. "As a result, it's very different to achieve end-to-end efficiencies since the data resides in different places, and no single person or department is incentivized to make it work. Some visionary executives are starting to drive 'closed loop' logistics processes from the top down, leading to double digit savings in freight spend and administrative costs."

Some key findings of the report include: 

--  Best-in-Class are TWICE as likely as their peers to practice closed-
    loop transportation spend management today
--  Best-in-Class companies are TWICE as likely as their peers to perform
    extensive analysis of historical freight spend data and convert it into a
    request for proposal
--  Best-in-Class companies are 27% more likely than their peers to allow
    expressive carrier bidding
--  Best-in-Class companies are 46% more likely than their peers to
    automatically audit freight invoices against electronic rate tables

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: MercuryGate, Manhattan Associates, LeanLogistics, BravoSolution/VerticalNet, CombineNet, and USBank/Powertrack. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4583.

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. 

© 2008 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

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