A major food and beverage company turned to aBCD Consulting for various needs, including the necessity to review its outsourcing model, which had been in place for over a decade (full outsourcing to a single 3PL). The goal was to make the model more responsive to the client’s new requirements in terms of strategic structure, cost management, and the ability to meet market performance needs, specifically in the Modern Trade/Wholesaler market and the Ho.Re.Ca. channel.
The challenge
The challenge was complex for several reasons and dynamics that needed to be carefully considered:
Complexity of the existing network,
which in some areas was no longer aligned with the ideal network design.
Ongoing contractual implications that needed to be addressed
Technological/IT implications that required careful integration
Recovery of specific logistics skills,
which had been lost over the past few years.
Evaluation of the risk associated with the change and its potential impact on operations
The solution
aBCD Consulting developed a project based on the analysis already carried out of the ideal network design, evaluating all the critical aspects of possible outsourcing models.
1. Evaluation of the dependence/independence of different operational areas:
Analysis of Supply Chain processes:
- Managerial and informational integration of processes throughout the supply chain (from sales to procurement).
- Identification of logistics processes with high specialization (territorial, technical, etc.).
- Identification of logistics processes that are highly synchronized and synchronizable, as well as those that are decoupled or decouplable.
2. Evaluation of the service offering in the logistics operator market:
Definition of the segmentation of logistics services to be sought in the market.
Economic, operational, and numerical sizing of potential contracts.
For each segment:
- Evaluation of the quantity and maturity of suppliers present in the logistics services market.
- Evaluation of the added value of a single 3PL compared to diversification or direct assignment to a 2PL.
- Internal competence requirements for managing a potentially increasing number of activities and supply contracts/relationships.
Valorizzazione del beneficio, del costo e del rischio delle diverse soluzioni di frammentazione del contratto di outsourcing.
3. Identification of the best outsourcing model and the development of an implementation plan that considers:
Internal and external
change management.
Timelines for consolidating each change
and the risks they pose to the level of service offered to the market.
Priorities properly evaluated
for both impact and complexity/ease of implementation.
Necessary formal steps
(contract expiration, tenders, etc.).
Results
Thanks to the intervention of aBCD Consulting, the company received clear guidance on the necessary steps to regain greater control over its logistics network and, consequently, regain the ability to act on decision-making levers more effectively and responsively.
Some direct assignment contracts for highly specialized services were activated, leading to an initial economic benefit with no impact on service quality.
The path identified has a multi-year horizon, driven by the need to make the disruptions during the change process invisible in terms of service, while maintaining a steady course toward a clear and defined goal of a different governance model for logistics services on a national scale.
Through our logistics outsourcing consulting, businesses can gain a significant competitive advantage and differentiate themselves from competitors.
