Supply Chain Network Design - DAT

Supply Chain Network Design

Supply Chain Network Design

Support your supply chain network design decisions by leveraging insights derived from the most accurate and reliable industry data at your disposal.

DAT iQ provides transportation and procurement teams with customizable reports based on the industry’s most comprehensive and extensive data. This empowers them to design efficient supply chains that align with their core business goals and strategies, ensuring successful delivery and execution.

Make data-driven supply chain design decisions.

Our analytics engine processes information collected across all freight lanes — bringing you the most comprehensive and accurate freight data available.

Freight rates can be volatile, especially as global supply chains continue to shift. What is the best course of action in a changing industry full of uncertainty? The most robust and effective network design models in supply chain logistics are rooted in up-to-date information about market rates and capacity trends. DAT iQ’s database analyzes more than $1 trillion in freight transactions, giving us an unparalleled ability for deep market analysis.

Glean actionable supply chain insights.

Custom reporting and data visualizations make it clear how the market is trending and where the inconsistencies lie.

DAT iQ generates reports as well as intuitive visualizations using the data sets relevant to your business needs, challenges, and goals. These reports can provide the insights necessary to help you refine your pricing and routing strategies and improve your logistics supply chain network design. They also help to highlight emerging market patterns and allow you to examine historical lane rates and freight forecasts side-by-side for easy analysis of year-over-year performance.

Refine your supply chain network design strategies.

Our data combined with your supply chain network design and optimization strategies help you start optimizing your distribution network immediately.

DAT iQ provides many of the actionable insights you need to optimize your budget, contain operational costs, and refine your routing strategies. DAT iQ includes Benchmark Analytics, a rate benchmarking and network management solution that leverages proprietary algorithms to pinpoint which variables can impact — and possibly improve — your budget strategy and transportation procurement efforts.

What is the objective of supply chain network design?

Supply chain network design aims to help businesses understand the process of bringing goods to market by analyzing costs, time spent, resources and locations, and by connecting with the other vendors and companies involved.

The goal is to create the most efficient network possible, balancing the production of supply with the rate of consumer demand to minimize costs and give your business the greatest return.

Why is a supply chain network important?

Supply chain network design is a critical part of improving the efficiency of your systems, which is important for a few reasons. First, efficient systems are foundational to maintaining customer satisfaction. Second, creating a sustainable supply chain network design that positions your business for success requires taking stock of your long-term objectives, strategies, and opportunities, determining the scope of your operations, and establishing a practical set of steps to realize those goals.

What are the types of supply chain design?

There are a few widely recognized types of supply chain design networks:

  1. Continuous flow: For high-demand scenarios where a business continually produces the same product.
  2. Fast chain: For products with short life cycles.
  3. Efficient chain: Best for competitive markets.
  4. Agile: Good for specialty products.
  5. Flexible: A constantly changing strategy that gives businesses the freedom to switch gears.
  6. Custom configured: A mix of agile and continuous flow, where products are regularly customized during production.

Why does freight forecasting matter?

Every second counts in today’s digital, efficiency-driven market. This means that the most successful transportation logistics providers will prioritize designing a supply chain network capable of profitably meeting demand and anticipating market trends before they happen. Rate forecasting and supply chain network design software give logistics providers the tools to analyze market conditions, make better-informed decisions, and add further value to the service of their business.

How does DAT iQ help with procurement?

Transportation is expensive, so finding ways to limit your operating costs and keep efficiency high is essential to setting up your business to succeed. DAT iQ combines internal business analysis with market data and external research to provide insight into how best to allocate your resources and time so you can offer your customers maximum service value.

How does the Benchmark Analytics solution work?

Benchmark Analytics is a subscription-based supply chain network design solution that allows shippers to contribute anonymous transaction-level data at regular intervals. In return, DAT iQ processes that data and creates detailed reports and dashboards for shippers’ specific distribution networks. This provides the necessary information for benchmarking rates by lane, geography, carrier type, industry, and more, helping you stay on top of dynamic market conditions.

"In our experience, DAT is the most accurate and complete source of spot and contract rate data available.”

- Don Everhart, VP Technology & Analytics for Knight-Swift Logistics

“By integrating DAT’s forecasting data and analytics tools with our expertise and customized pricing, we can deliver fast, reliable rates using the most comprehensive data and market analysis available.”

- Ryan Ilges, Worldwide Express Vice President of Truckload

Understand your market needs on a deeper level.

Many factors influence supply chain network design, but our combination of tools and insights can help you get a handle on what matters most to your business. DAT iQ offers valuable data to guide decision-making on locating a warehouse or distribution center by providing historical data and forecasts on inbound and outbound freight rates from potential locations.