How to Improve On-Time Delivery in Manufacturing

As a manufacturer, you want to ensure the quickest, most efficient, and most secure delivery possible. There are a number of pitfalls to avoid and a number of strategies to implement when improving delivery times for manufacturing. 

We’re here to help you better understand supply chain delivery setbacks and get your started with streamlining techniques and efficient shipping methods. 

Why Delivery Time in Manufacturing is Important

Let's put you in the customers shoes: You want to order a custom baseball bat, so you go online and order it to be shipped to your house. You then get an email saying that your bat will arrive at your doorstep in three days. 

The day your bat is supposed to arrive, you get an email saying your bat has been delayed for two more days. This is not something you want to hear as a customer. The bat finally shows up two days later at 5:00pm. 

Sadly, this scenario is all too familiar. Delays are frustrating, and oftentimes the customer needs the product for something at a given time. As a manufacturer, there are many strategies that you can do to make sure that you are maximizing your deliveries.

Related Article: Last Mile Logistics Explained 

Penalties from Contractors

Most shipping contracts will have a penalty clause that outlines a fine for the manufacturer if the promised product is delivered late by a specified amount of time. Having timing contracts can actually be extremely helpful, as they enforce good delivery standards and help manufacturers hold themselves accountable. 

What Slows Down Delivery Times

Knowing what the primary causes of a slowed down delivery are vital for a manufacturer. Avoiding these mistakes and circumstances will improve your relationships with your clients, and create opportunities for your business.

Inventory Problems

Proper management of your inventory and supply chain avoids unexpected slowdowns. When you can forecast low inventory or excess inventory, you can make adjustments and get ahead of the problem.

Poor inventory forecasting is one of the largest problems in the supply chain. If you bring in too little of raw materials or send out too much or too little of your product, you’ll slow down the delivery. As a manufacturer, control over your inventory is one of the most important pieces of the logistics puzzle.

Poor Transportation Management

Another big flaw in the timely delivery process is the lack of efficient delivery strategies. Transportation management means being on top of the delivery process and procedures from when an item leaves your shop to when it arrives at its next destination. 

Manufacturers need to be on top of who is delivering their product, how long will the transportation process take, and any hiccups the delivery driver will encounter on the road.

Related Article: How to Utilize a Transportation Management System

Lack of Communication

If a delivery of manufactured goods is late, you have to be on top of communication with your customers. Let them know not only what is going on with their order, but the plan to remedy the situation.

The lack of communication with your customers can ruin your business relationships and your reputation. Even if everything is on time. It’s still good to be proactive about ensuring your customers’ satisfaction with the process. Check in to make sure they got the product and are happy with it.

Communication with employees and drivers is equally important. If anything changes during delivery, whoever is hauling the cargo needs to tell the manufacturer and their customer. 

Open Road is the small business shipping solution for manufacturers. Post jobs easily and stay in contact with the hotshot driver delivering your product. We specialize in LTL shipments across all industries. Contact us today! 

What Increases Delivery Times

Ready to fill the gaps and plug the holes that slow delivery times in manufacturing? Here are some of the best solutions to increase delivery times.

Streamline Your Supply Chain

Streamlining your supply chain requires attention to detail. It’s important to know the right inventory techniques when improving your supply chain. Practices like logging the exact times the processes take place will improve your delivery times exponentially. 

Taking charge of the manufacturing workflow—from procurement to delivery—will get your business to where it needs to be. You can do this by making accurate supply chain predictions and upgrading your inventory technologies. 

Set Realistic Deadlines

Accurate deadlines for the manufacturing process and deliveries are crucial. Failing to meet a promised deadline doesn't look good for anyone. That's why having an accurate and realistic deadline is beneficial. 

Having control over how your products are going to be shipped makes a huge difference in being able to predict deadlines. You may be able to manufacture goods at the right rate but not know how long a shipment will sit in a distribution center before it gets loaded into a semi for delivery. 

One way to overcome this is by using a delivery marketplace like Open Road, who utilizes independent hotshot drivers to haul  LTL cargo.

Quick and Effective Communication

As we said before, the ability to communicate with the people delivering your products and the customer receiving your products is very important. Maintain channels of communication between everyone involved in shipping.

Deliver With Open Road

Open Road acts as your transportation management system, a job board, and a communication channel—all in one easy-to-use platform.

Improve delivery time in manufacturing with Open Road. Manufacturers across all industries can fill the transportation gaps that traditional freight has left in the supply chain. Sign up today to get started.