New Transplace report provides key delivery data for retail shippers

With an eye on helping shippers meet delivery requirements set forth by retailers, non asset-based third-party logistics services provider Transplace said this week it has rolled out a new offering, entitled the “Weekly Supplier Performance Benchmarking Report.”

Company officials said that this report is comprised of data culled from 28 suppliers of major retailers, and identifies delivery performance statistics, including late, early, and in-full shipment percentages, adding that this data is anonymous for shippers in the program.

A main driver for this type of offering, according to Transplace, comes from efforts made by large retailers, in recent years, to implement mandates focused on effectively delivering shipments to augment the delivery flow, reduce inventory costs, and ensure products are always available in order to meet the heightened needs and demands of their customers. And while the conditions of retailer programs vary, one common theme cited by Transplace is that they usually penalize customers for early or late deliveries, as well as the shipment not being filled in the requested order and leave non-compliant deliveries subject to fines.

Mark McEntire, senior vice president of operations, Transplace, told LM that the genesis for the Weekly Supplier Performance Benchmarking Report originated at the company’s 2017 CPG Summit, when many of its customers requested additional data to better understand their delivery performance with large retailers.

“As part of this request, these CPG companies wanted to understand how their performance compared to their peers and use this information to address performance gaps in their delivery operations and be a resource when meeting with their retail customers,” McEntire explained. “This type of benchmarking has been valuable to the shipping community in the past and we are continuously looking was ways to provide greater value to our customers.”

When asked what he viewed were the main benefits of this new offering, he pointed to its ability to help shippers identify leaders and laggards and open up the lines of communication across shippers to share best practices and collaborate, where possible.  And he also noted that these weekly reports are helping educate a wider audience about the delivery requirements of these programs, truly understand how they compare to other suppliers and better navigate conversations with retailers.

Transplace has been providing the information found in the Weekly Supplier Performance Benchmarking Report to its customers for years, but it was on a more ad hoc basis, according to McEntire.

“In order to provide greater value to the shipping community, we have moved to a more standardized approach over the last few years as we have seen more interest from both Transplace customers and noncustomers,” he said. “This has led to the formal release of Transplace’s Weekly Supplier Performance Benchmarking Report.”

Transplace CEO Frank McGuigan commented in a statement that as retailers have encountered intensifying consumer demands for better product variety and greater availability at the lowest possible cost, they have put more stringent delivery requirements on their suppliers – enhancing pressure on supply chains.

“To meet these growing demands and help deliver high levels of service to their retail customers, companies must have the right strategies and processes in place that enable them to consistently maintain a smooth, efficient supply chain,” he said. “Analyzing market trends, monitoring KPIs and providing in-depth industry insights allows Transplace to work collaboratively with shippers to improve their supply chains and their overall business.”