Break free of silos for agile transportation planning
Planners who use the Kinaxis RapidResponse® platform know the benefits of concurrent planning. Now they can use the platform to optimize transportation loads, as well.
The Kinaxis Transportation Load Optimizer by 4flow (TLO) is an embedded certified RapidResponse® application that enables Kinaxis customers to integrate transportation constraints earlier into S&OP processes.
Until now, transportation has been part of operational execution planning, and important transportation factors from other planning stages were not considered. Accounting for transportation factors at an earlier stage is critical to agile and more profitable supply chain planning processes.
Make confident, profitable, and sustainable decisions
The Transportation Load Optimizer automatically runs an additional optimization in the demand planning calculation. It prepones and postpones orders to consolidate demand and create fuller, more efficient loads.
Transportation and S&OP constraints are considered simultaneously, ensuring optimal planning: the results are feasible and cost-efficient, and material arrives on time.
Planners can make confident, profitable supply chain decisions, knowing the TLO improves efficiency and significantly reduces freight spend and carbon emissions.
Drastically reduce manual adjustments
Reliably create executable shipments with the TLO’s optimization algorithms. The applied algorithms are based on real-world constraints, including freight rates and current transportation capacities, providing users with actionable planning results. This drastically reduces the need for manual adjustments when creating shipments.
Key TLO features provide planners with full visibility and control of results
1. See and review the most important KPIs
- Get a complete overview of the most relevant KPIs for a given transportation lane
- Visualize and analyze metrics like transportation costs, average utilization, and optimization potential
- Get notified in case of errors and review the root cause to troubleshoot
2. Prepare and adjust data before planning
- Control and prepare data in one go with error notification and handling functionalities
- Adjust data with manual or automatic data maintenance capabilities
- Review the impact of the proposed plan on demand fulfillment and inventory supply
3. Plan orders with concurrent transportation optimization
- Optimize and plan orders into physical loads while automatically considering real supply network constraints like capacity, material availability and planning horizon
- Make confident decisions knowing you have full transparency over the results and the ability to make manual adjustments
- Ensure feasibility, on-time availability, and cost savings
4. Reduce and track carbon emissions
- Optimize shipments to reduce the number of trucks on the road and carbon emissions
- Calculate, track and review carbon emissions over time
Benefits of adding the TLO to your usual S&OP processes
Lower transport costs
Assure on-time delivery at minimum cost
The TLO reduces transportation costs up to 10% while maximizing asset utilization. Thanks to the seamless integration of transportation optimization into material planning, users can forecast transportation execution and plan more efficiently. Silos are eliminated, making way for greater end-to-end visibility. This ensures fewer last-minute exception costs, more flexibility, and higher planning efficiency.
Save time
Automate and optimize supply chain planning processes
In just one click, the TLO optimizes big data in complex transportation network scenarios.
The TLO ensures execution feasibility in the transportation planning phase. Critical transportation constraints like capacity, plant schedules, material availability and inventory levels are considered simultaneously.
Assure on-time delivery, reduce manual effort and streamline communication.
Reduce emissions
Build a sustainable supply chain
Track and review carbon emissions with the TLO’s automatic calculations and models.
To reduce carbon emissions, the TLO automatically bundles shipments together, requiring fewer trucks. Users maximize asset utilization and reduce carbon emissions by more than 20%.
Further reading
Access download area
- Access our on-demand webinar recordings on most common use cases
- Download industry-specific case studies showing how 4flow solutions supported customers from various industries