Implementing Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) will position you for success in a hypercompetitive market.
The most critical challenges facing modern businesses today are twofold: how to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions and evolving consumer expectations. The strategy that worked last year — or even last month — may require an overhaul to meet current demands.
Weathering these changes requires flexibility—not only from systems such as your warehouse management system (WMS), but also from the people and processes supporting your supply chain. The issue is that achieving operational potential is a moving target. There’s no mountain top to summit. Rather, it’s an ongoing pursuit of lowering costs and moving inventory more efficiently to meet your customers’ rising expectations. The organizations that do this best don’t just buy new technology; they look for efficiencies in the day-to-day details.
Maximizing Efficiency With Continuous Process Improvement
Continuous Process Improvement (CPI), as the name indicates, is the pursuit of efficiency in all processes and systems through an iterative approach. When implemented in supply chain management, Continuous Process Improvement maximizes operational efficiency, generates higher productivity and yields energy- and cost-savings — thereby increasing profit margins.
The strategy is based on three key factors: people, processes, and technology. All three must work in unison for Continuous Process Improvement to be effective in the long run. Aligning the people, processes, and technology of your supply chain around a CPI strategy enables more effective collaboration between your IT and operational teams, better utilization of complex supply chain systems, and higher productivity.
When employees are trained to work within predetermined operational structures and processes — and those processes are integrated with technology that streamlines the delivery of desired topline results — your entire business will benefit from new levels of precision and productivity.
For more tips on how your business can implement Continuous Process Improvement, download our how-to guide on executing Continuous Process Improvement. The guide provides a path to maximizing productivity, including how to:
- Lower operating expenses and improve top and bottom lines
- Mobilize a proactive workforce
- Identify opportunities for efficiencies, and more.
Integrated Supply Chain Solutions
Ultimately, CPI is only as good as the WMS that can execute desired improvements, just as your WMS is only as good as the processes you’ve implemented. Your strategic and operational approach to improving your supply chain is critical to achieving ongoing improvement. When implemented in tandem with sophisticated technical supply chain solutions, CPI can position your business to effectively clear the many hurdles posed by a dynamic, competitive market. As market conditions and consumer expectations continue to evolve at quantum speed, so too must your supply chain.
Prioritize Continual Process Improvement by investing in a supply chain solution that provides you with the flexibility to accommodate variable order volumes, a range of order types spanning channels, automated warehouse technology, and other elements critical to effective fulfillment.
Launch your Continuous Process Improvement plan today by downloading your copy of our comprehensive guide to help you get the most out of your supply chain.