Logistics is becoming increasing complex. Product ranges are getting larger, the delivery areas are growing and the delivery service is being increasingly tailored to the customer, the country and the product.

It is also worth noting the technical complexity of large logistics centres. It may indeed be the cause of higher costs and lower productivity.

And last but not least, the complexity of the IT system in use can the Achilles’ heel of the company, as subsidiaries may employ different warehouse management systems.

viaLog offers many building blocks in the move towards standardisation:

• Harmonisation of material flows in Europe, e.g., coordination of delivery policies, containers, packing units
• The possibility to bid internationally for transport services
• European or worldwide standardisation of storage techniques/conclusion of delivery contracts
• Centralisation of inventory, e.g., for selected goods or the entire range
• Analysis of performance losses due to increased complexity, bottlenecks, higher costs
• Design and implementation of a standard company warehouse management system, including initial installation and roll out
• Cost calculation for services beyond standard logistics services

The list is not complete. When it comes to standardisation and complexity management, there are many different approaches rather than a single, fundamental solution.