In today’s demanding supply chain environment, SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) are facing unprecedented supply chain challenges. These are much like larger companies and, as a result, SMEs have been investing in their own fleets due to the lack of equipment available in the marketplace.
As Tom Martucci, VP & CTO of Consolidated Intermodal Technologies (CIT) says, equipment scarcity as well as the struggle to keep up with technology are fast becoming the key underlying obstacles affecting SMEs to maintain their competitive advantage in today’s bottlenecked supply chain reality.
The growing importance of technology for competitive advantage
Moreover, SMEs typically rely on modest IT budgets, making it even tougher to apply technology to gain efficiencies and supply chain cost savings. They are less able to upgrade capabilities frequently or invest in expensive processes, even though to do so could save significant sums of money over the longer term.
As time goes on, SMEs will require ever more access to technology services and solutions, as the rise of importance of the smaller enterprise has become ever more vital. Innovative asset management technology platforms such as those being offered by Consolidated Intermodal Technologies (CIT) help fleet managers optimise their assets, control costs, manage M&R (maintenance & repair) as well as reduce admin costs. These types of technology solutions are emerging as a source of supply chain competitive advantage.
Meanwhile, efficient asset management will provide the opportunity for SMEs and larger companies to outsource many back-office activities, enabling internal resources to be redirected to value-adding processes, including supply chain management. In fact, these services offer the possibility for SMEs to reduce labour costs, and the human capital necessary to manage their supply chain operations.
Never-ending equipment scarcity
With no end in sight with the current supply chain crunch, many SMEs are realising that equipment availability is becoming a long-term issue; they have been investing into their own fleets but have not been unable to add. With finite assets in play, how can they ensure that their assets are optimised, fully utilised and properly maintained in an on-going basis? Most assuredly, the supply chain challenges for SMEs will be tamed by technology.
Learn more about how SMEs can fully compete with larger companies and optimise their supply chain operations. Find out how asset management technology solutions such as those offered by CIT can help them meet today’s supply chain challenges and prime them for the future.
You can discuss this topic and more with Tom Martucci, chief technology officer at CIT. As a seasoned supply chain industry veteran, he can provide relevant insights on how technology can ensure proper maintenance and optimisation of critical supply chain assets such as fleet equipment. This is especially relevant as currently there are real challenges to augmenting fleet assets as well as even replacement existing.
For businesses of all sizes but especially SMEs, choosing the right asset management technology can help resolve supply chain fluidity concerns … now and into the future.
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The author is Tom Martucci, VP & CTO of Consolidated Intermodal Technologies (CIT)A
Tom Martucci has more than 30 years of experience in the transportation industry with responsibilities ranging from technical development of applications to developing IT strategies for several large corporations. Prior to CIT, Martucci held the position of CIO for Interpool, Inc. where he managed two separate IT departments; one department servicing their leasing business and the other department where he was responsible for the design and development of Trac’s Poolstat system.
For several years, Tom Martucci headed an IT consulting practice where he worked with firms to assess their IT capabilities and strategies for growing their computing platforms as well as designing their new systems. Further, he graduated IONA College with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a major in Management and a minor in Computer Science. Recently, he earned a certificate in Executive Training for High Performance at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
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