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If asked, what would you say sets UPS apart from its competitors? Your first response will likely be that you can track your shipment and trace its progress through the delivery process: track and trace. While all logistics providers provide this service now, UPS set itself apart years ago by being the first to promote this capability when consumers flocked to the Internet. Savvy manufacturers now recognize that they can distinguish themselves in the same way with their customers.

We see a lot of interest from prospects in using an RFID tracking system for inventory control. As we wrote in How Technology Serves Lean Manufacturingproduct tracking solutions provide the means for improved productivity and provide a critical underpinning for lean manufacturing practices. This same system can be utilized to provide more customer value with track and trace capabilities.

With a web-based product ID system, your customer can log on to see the location and status of the product at the last time it was scanned... just like you can with UPS. With one click, the customer knows the exact status of the order and your company can eliminate:

  • Customer calls seeking status updates
  • Searches in the yard to provide status reports
  • Dispatch records searches
  • Shipment errors

Manufacturers that are quick to offer product tracking will benefit from a competitive advantage from positive branding that will remain with them long after product tracking becomes standard... just like UPS has in logistics. However, the window of opportunity will not be open for long since product tracking will quickly become standard. Consumers who have been treated to this in retail for years will carry this expectation into their businesses.

Consider this: Dominos Pizza offers a tracking service for delivery of its pizzas.

 

If Dominos believes that consumers will experience extra value from being able to track their $15 pizza, how valuable will tracking be for infrastructure products?

 

If you would like to learn how your company can offer product tracking to customers without capital investment, download our Idencia Primer ebook by clicking below:

 

Idencia Primer  

Jeff Pollock
Post by Jeff Pollock
Apr 28, 2015 3:06:16 PM
Jeff Pollock is CEO of Idencia, Inc. He has been in the precast concrete industry since joining Idencia in 2015. Jeff is knowledgeable in smart infrastructure and lean manufacturing principles and also authors his own newsletter on LinkedIn called: Connected Concrete.

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