Editor’s note: PartsSource is a leading B2B marketplace and software provider specializing in the management of health care equipment. In addition to its robust software solutions, the company offers repair, maintenance, and consulting services. As a prime example of a B2B company that has transformed its order management, logistics, and last-mile delivery operations, PartsSource demonstrates how embracing innovative strategies can address the multifaceted challenges of today’s distribution environment.
In part two of this Q&A series, a trio of PartsSource executives — Kier Selinsky (Senior Director, Product Management); Kaitlin LaPlante (Vice President of Operations and Transformation, Parts); and Janet Michel (Vice President and General Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Operations) — discuss the challenges they faced and the solutions they implemented to enhance both operations and customer experience. Read part one here.
Digital Commerce 360: What new initiatives have been launched, are in progress, or are recently completed to improve order management, logistics, and last mile delivery?
PartsSource: PartsSource has launched several key initiatives aimed at improving order management, logistics, and last-mile delivery. These initiatives focus on enhancing supplier performance, increasing shipping reliability, and optimizing our inventory management to meet the growing demands of our customers.
PartsSource has established a resolute Supplier Performance Management Team whose primary focus is to enhance on-time shipping and improve overall supplier performance. This team collaborates closely with our suppliers to ensure they meet our ambitious standards for delivery times, quality, and consistency. By closely monitoring and managing supplier relationships, we can drive better outcomes and ensure that our customers receive their orders on time.
To improve visibility and oversight of our supplier relationships, we are upgrading our vendor management tools. These enhancements will provide better insights into supplier performance, order status, and potential delays, allowing us to take initiative-taking steps to prevent issues before they arise. The upgraded tools will also help us track performance more effectively, ensuring that we can maintain prominent levels of reliability and on-time shipping.
In recent months, we have also successfully increased our on-time shipping accuracy by more than 10 percent. This improvement means that our customers can rely on us for timely deliveries more than ever before. By enhancing our internal processes and collaborating closely with suppliers and carriers, we have been able to deliver shipments more consistently, which is critical for maintaining customer trust and satisfaction.
We have also made significant strides in improving our Estimated Ship Date (ESD) coverage, increasing it by over 10 percentage points. This improvement means that we are providing our customers with more reliable and accurate delivery timelines. Better ESD coverage helps our customers plan more effectively and ensures that they can rely on PartsSource to deliver parts when promised, which is especially important in healthcare settings where timing is crucial.
Recognizing the growing need for faster availability of high-demand, long lead time parts, we are executing a warehouse strategy to ensure availability of these items. By utilizing our warehouse space for storing parts with longer lead times, we are reducing waiting times and improving supply chain reliability. This strategy ensures that critical components are readily accessible, helping us meet urgent needs and reducing the time it takes for customers to receive essential parts.
PartsSource is actively improving its order management, logistics, and last-mile delivery processes through these targeted initiatives. From strengthening supplier performance with a resolute team to enhancing visibility with upgraded vendor management tools, we are continuously striving to provide our customers with more dependable, timely, and efficient services. These improvements will not only help us meet current customer expectations but also position us to better handle future demands.