How Working with A Material Handling Solutions Integrator Can Improve Your KPI Performance
If you run an operation then by now I’m sure you know the importance of measuring your operation’s KPIs—it’s the only way for you to really understand where you are hitting your goals, where you are missing the mark, and where you might want to consider a serious overhaul for your systems.
But channeling that analysis into an effective plan of action can be a challenge. For starters, prioritizing your goals isn’t always as easy as it might seem. If you want the biggest return on your investment, then it makes sense that you’ll want to target those areas that are more likely to directly impact your bottom line before you move onto improving other metrics. But what, exactly, will give you the biggest bang for your buck?
Free Guide: Top Order Fulfillment KPI Indicators
And then, of course, is the fact that you are busy: You’re running your operations, managing your personnel and inventory, and making sure your shipments get out on time. How much time do you really have to devote to creating a plan of action to get your operations to the next level?
If you find yourself in the position of knowing that you need to make improvements in your systems but don’t know where to start or how to create a game plan, then you might need to start thinking about bringing a material handling solutions integrator into the fold.
Benefits of Working with a Material Handling Solutions Integrator
A material handling solutions or systems integrator can be your secret weapon when you decide you want to bring your KPIs in line with the industry standard, or when you want to outpace the competition in your capabilities.
As experts in analysis, your solutions integrator will help you to weed through your KPI data so that you can truly understand what areas need your attention. By coming to understand how the various pieces of your operations are all interconnected, they can then help you to prioritize your improvement efforts so as to build a plan that fits your long-term operational goals.
On top of this, systems integrators work according to a big picture outlook. While an in-house team might look to treat the symptoms of an issue—say, worsening ecommerce numbers—a systems integrator will look to treat the root cause—for example, shortening your total order cycle time to better meet the needs to your customer. This focused, targeted approach ensures that capital and effort is applied correctly so that at the end of the day you will have clear-cut results—you won’t just be spinning your wheels.
And of course, whereas you only have so much time to devote to creating a game plan while juggling other tasks crucial to your operations, your systems integrator only has one task to complete: Coming up with a plan of action that will help you reach your goals. By leveraging the experiences of past projects, a systems integrator can implement solutions that have been tried and tested, customized to the needs of your operations.
But beyond simply being someone who you will hire to perform a task, a great systems integrator will want to be a partner in your success.
Some Projects Need a Helping Hand
As a point of pride, many people prefer to tackle their projects in-house. This can work perfectly well so long as you have the bandwidth, time, and correct KPI data to form your improvement plans. But if you find yourself overwhelmed by the data or stretched too thinly amongst your other responsibilities, a quality material handling solutions integrator may be just what you need to elevate your business to the next level.
