Ceva Logistics has created a new organization called Supply Chain Solutions, which it says will more effectively respond to the global demands of its customers. It has also announced the latest offering in its SMART Solutions portfolio with the addition of SMART End to End, which the new division will use to enhance inbound and aftermarket parts supply for its automotive customers.
Jan Martin Witbreuk, Ceva’s executive vice president of the new organization, said SMART End to End had two focus areas.
“One is on the inbound to manufacturing side, involving parts, which extends automatically into the aftermarket for spare parts; the other is in the area of finished goods, which involves other sectors. For automotive we tend to focus more on inbound to manufacturing,” he told Automotive Logistics News.
The company, which this week posted revenue growth in Q1 of more than 13% on the same period last year to €1.7m, is responding to more complex demands in the provision of multi-regional supply chain management.
Using its international network of control towers and supporting satellite feeds, Ceva said the Supply Chain Solutions team of 185 is now able to work from the same platform to provide customers, including those in automotive, with off-the-shelf solutions better tailored to their specific needs. This includes a closer collaboration with its customers’ suppliers to promote a greater understanding of how they should provide parts for consolidation and onward transport.
“We want to leverage best practices in a better way than we have in the past and make it more transparent to our customers what they can expect from such a solution,” said Witbreuk.
One of those customers, GM, is already benefiting from the greater visibility for inbound parts to its manufacturing facilities, according to the company.
“In the case of GM we link regions together, origins with destinations. It is by nature multi-regional and intercontinental, so involving air freight and ocean or combinations of the two,” confirmed Witbreuk.
According to the company the End to End solution has improved reliability through a greater ability to leverage the visibility afforded by its SCS organization.
“If for whatever reasons suppliers cannot deliver, we can come up with alternative ways to get the product delivered,” he added.
Ceva said it expects to average year-on-year savings of between 5-15% through productivity improvement programs within SMART End to End.
