Companies involved in moving inventory through the supply chain may not realize that delays often take place while assets are still in the yard at a manufacturing plant. The productivity of manufacturing businesses is affected by these problems that occur in the yard because they have an effect on the whole supply chain. Yard spotting can be a game-changer that promotes the smooth movement of assets in the yard and has a positive impact on the supply chain.
What happens in the yard
Once a carrier picks up a load from a warehouse and the driver checks in through the gate, he is directed to the parking lot. The guard notifies the dock team that the truck has arrived and when the dock is available, a spotter moves the trailer to the dock door where the cargo is prepared for loading.
Once the trailer is loaded the spotter takes it back to the parking lot where it is hooked to the truck and the truck driver exits the yard. This may seem like a simple process but there are many problems that can cause delays.
Yard problems
Manual gate operations can be too long and cause congestion. Phone or radio communication may be inefficient. Manual scheduling may be complex and inflexible making it difficult to react to any changes.
Assets could be mismanaged and hard to locate with little trailer visibility. If a trailer is loaded and idles in the yard due to information delays and inaccuracies, inventory is idle. Poorly managed inventory is often another pain point as is a lack of visibility.
How yard spotting services can help
Yard spotting services can help with locating assets and doing yard checks which are time-consuming and can result in losses for manufacturing businesses. Knowing which trucks are in the yard and where they are as well as being able to easily locate inventory can make a real difference.
Automation and real-time visibility into operations help with the organization and control of all the processes in the yard, preventing congestion, delays and costly detentions.
Reducing costs
In yard operations, the biggest costs come from managing yard trucks and the drivers that operate them. Yard spotting services offer solutions that can help increase the efficiency of spotters and optimize the moves each trailer makes.
For instance, automatic issuing of tasks to spotters when trailers or inventory need moving to dock doors is possible with the use of in-cabin mobile devices via which they can receive, accept and confirm commands.
Contact us
Late deliveries result in financial losses for manufacturing businesses. It is important for them to make sure their yard operations are streamlined so they are efficient and reduce costs. EGA Logistics is a third-party logistics provider that offers yard spotting and other services. Contact us at +1 (888) 496-1102 to request a quote or find out more.
