GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN PROCESS STANDARDIZATION AND OPTIMIZATION
Compliance...that thing that gums up your supply chain time and time again. Many organizations recognize when bottlenecks occur, preventing effective movement of trade globally, as a compliance related constraint. In the haste of attempting to resolve compliance-based constraints, often due to a lack of knowledge and communication, compliance gets the blame. Compliance with import and export regulations is vital. However; much to leadership’s surprise, often the root cause is found to be the business process itself where compliance is a piece of the big picture. Taking a look at the material flows and the functional alignment that exists and then looking at a means to implement a cleaner, more efficient model often reduces significant process cost and saves customer relationships before they go bad. Not to mention achieving your financial goals. FerniaCreek applies business models and process flow methodologies to your business that uncovers non-value-added complexity that in turn gets your organization on its way to creating competitive advantage.
International Trade Policy & Compliance
It’s all about Company Governance and Reasonable Care. There is much to learn about and ensure that your company and its employees, contractors and suppliers have the right processes, policies and procedures in place when trading globally. This is especially true of your Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders when acting on your behalf with government officials globally. Plain and simple. From trade finance, classification, valuation, anti-corruption, tariff shift, license determination to documentation to policy to duty drawback management to process alignment…Although very complex in nature, FerniaCreek can help you evaluate current processes, policies and standard operating procedures and build or enhance where gaps may exist. We begin our partnership by using an extensive model that evaluates your company’s current state of global trade export and import operations & compliance globally. We want to understand you and your company first and foremost. Then apply that to how we will address the global – regional – country requirements lifting your ability to adhere to those requirements. Our business model incorporates baseline requirements and best practice development to ensure your company learns what it takes to lead in this very important supply chain segment. FerniaCreek will also evaluate organization performance through assessments and internal audits. Oh, and just a little food for thought…it is your adherence to the requirements that matters most and the care which you apply to the process…but what is equally important to note here is that most export and import government agencies can track your behaviors today through digitally based customs and export control software systems! My free advice here…don’t postpone that which you ought to do now. You will add speed to your supply chain by getting this right.
International Trade Operations (Import and Export Execution)
Different yet closely integrated with global trade compliance is the business of executing the order to cash process. How businesses are set up to manage the customer order or purchase order through ultimate cash collection processes matter. In fact, this is the primary reason companies succeed or fail…how are we organized? What functions are involved and at what step in the process? Why should other supply chain functions like HR, finance, credit, sales, procurement, engineering, R&D, administrative support be involved? After all, it’s the international customer service or logistics teams that handle that, right? Nope! Organizations who are plagued by extensive delays often find that improving organizational alignment and employee training significantly improves a company’s compliance health and supply chain speed to market. FerniaCreek looks at your current organization and how functions align to improve work processes and reduce compliance and delivery risk of loss.
International Logistics
It’s all about the shipment itself, right? Well, not exactly but almost. FerniaCreek looks at your global planning, sourcing, manufacturing and delivery model to understand opportunities to improve your overall delivery capability. From global to regional to country specific business models, we take the current state of your organization’s ability to “deliver” and develop solutions to improve your current footprint by mapping your existing product flows from your team’s perspectives and developing alternative solutions to improve. Knowing how to approach the global market and the potential suppliers to include in your assessments matters to you and your ability to sustain high delivery performance.
Global Supply Chain Security
Industry partnerships with key government agencies truly matter in the overall approach to mitigate potential proliferation and human harm worldwide. Companies that demonstrate sincere efforts to engage effective supply chain security processes and controls are better positioned than those who aren’t. Partnering in these programs can provide attractive benefits to your organization. However; to prepare for and maintain your certified or acknowledged status in these programs is becoming increasingly more complex. The likelihood of enjoying the benefits can easily become reduced when sustaining qualified work processes and the ongoing risk assessments needed to ensure compliance with the programs become burdensome to the organization or missed in the process. FerniaCreek can help you in the management and oversight of your supply chain security program by assessing the work and identifying opportunities to improve across your international supply chain.
Supplier RFP / Onboarding / Performance Management (SRM)
1 RFP, 3 bids, 1 selection and we’re done. If it feels like your team’s approach to sourcing logistics capability begins and ends like that, we can help you. There is much to do in this important supply chain segment. So much, in fact, that this is often the hidden advantage or disadvantage to your ability to win in the global supply chain space. And, often a hidden downside to your business when it comes to global trade compliance and adhering to compliance requirements. I am in no way saying that suppliers are not compliant. Quite the contrary as a many can help you achieve your goals. I am saying that your ability to effectively operate a global supply chain comes from value-added supplier partnerships and relationships that must be managed well after the RFP is completed. FerniaCreek is able to help you establish supplier governance and performance management in the logistics, 3PL, Broker and manufacturing space.
Global Trade Automation / Digitization
The ability to effectively implement a digital global trade & compliance solution is directly proportional to the organization’s ability to operate under standardized business processes and practices. No IT systems-based solution, no matter how glamorous and cool they may be, will solve your business process miss-alignment problems. Unless, of course, you have an open checkbook to pay for your project team to undo broken business processes while they also work to implement the IT base solution! I’m personally and forever aware how challenging such an implementation can be when attempting to digitize most internal and external global trade business processes. Yet, so very rewarding on a number of levels. FerniaCreek will help you recognize and prepare for your next digitization project right down to the supplier selection process, including evaluating organizational readiness & capability. From event management, control tower, to restricted party screening to automating your order to delivery or even cash processes, FerniaCreek is prepared to help you succeed.
Talent & Organizational Development
Your competitive advantage rests with your people. Having the right skill sets in the right role with the right talent profile is something every organization struggles with at some point. Getting this as close to “right” as you can when it comes to managing your international trade operations and compliance while supporting your team’s development is vital to your success. As your relationship is established with FerniaCreek and time moves forward, we are in a unique position to support team members with their development needs while providing senior management with an unbiased opinion regarding future talent needs across the organization.
Corporate Social Responsibility & the Supply Chain
FerniaCreek is in a unique position in the industry to help you achieve your CSR / Sustainability and Inclusion & Diversity goals. Mark is also uniquely qualified to help you evaluate and identify opportunities through his career experience in this space. Looking to develop your company supplier code of conduct, assisting in your anti-corruption & FCPA policy, embedding these and other social responsibility elements such as GHG management or enabling a powerful supplier diversity process FerniaCreek is here to take you and your organization to the next level of performance.