BIFA Awards
tracking so that stock levels are properly managed.” Killick Martin is looking to widen the use of KM Insight and, as customers share their feedback, he is confident that new features will develop. “We want to make the system more customisable, really easily, so that it can be a perfect fit with no effort on the part of the customer,” he said. “We are looking at ways to use existing technology from other fields to achieve this.” Most importantly, he said: “You have to ask yourself what a development means for the person doing the job – and for their customer, which is who we are ultimately serving.” Clearly, Gallagher sees digitalisation as the way forward for the freight industry, but he feels there is a need for more people with traditional knowledge of logistics to be involved “at the front end” to accelerate progress. Environmental ethos Back to the leisurewear brand, for whom sustainability is a core value – and this extends to its logistics processes. Killick Martin helped the client to “work smartly” between different modes of transport, not just to control costs and inventory “Seafreight could mean you are behind if a product is selling fast; rail, taking just a few days longer than air, is more sustainable and cheaper, which makes it a compelling option. Or you might use a mix of modes to ensure stock is there when needed, airfreighting some products and sending the rest by rail. “We lean a lot on rail – although the war in Ukraine made it much harder to source things from China via rail, and the customer has found other routeings,” Gallagher said. The client looks set for much more sales growth, and now has the supply chain visibility and control to support it. Gallagher was keen to give due credit to Killick Martin’s Bristol team, who “did all the work, innovation and customer care” for the leisurewear brand. “With experienced people and good systems you can do a lot – and that is inspiring,” he said. but also as part of its environmental ethos.
Paul Gallagher, Killick Martin
KM Insight allows Killick Martin and its clients to oversee all aspects of the supply chain
Killick Martin has all the answers with data tool
Killick Martin scooped the 2022 BIFA Supply Chain Management Award based on its work for an online leisurewear retailer. The company’s KM Insight software played a key role in enabling the client to scale up its business while improving ef fi ciency
“ There is not a lot of stock sitting around... KM Insight allows tracking so that stock levels are properly managed
that data and harvests it for the customer. Customers can also control their supply chain, for instance by slowing down or speeding up shipments in response to sales.” Through KM Insight, Killick Martin helped its client to control costs, meet deadlines and increase supply chain efficiency. The retailer was able to improve stock management, for instance, both by finding additional vendors and by controlling deliveries. “Our customer’s products sell very quickly,” Gallagher said, “so there is not a lot of stock sitting around. This used to be a problem; without visibility of transactional movements, you cannot track things. KM Insight allows that
K illick Martin has a history of helping small customers grow by managing their logistics needs – such as a particular online leisurewear retailer that had outgrown its existing logistics set-up. Key to the client’s successful future growth was Killick Martin’s KM Insight software, a cloud-based platform that integrates with the company’s existing freight system and allows both Killick Martin and its clients to oversee all aspects of the supply chain. Key features One of the key features of the platform is its simple integration process. It has been designed to work out of the box, and can be set up in less than 15 minutes. Paul Gallagher, Killick Martin managing director, explained: “All the data is in our operating system already. KM Insight simply mines
Supply Chain Management Award
BoxTop Technologies has been successfully delivering freight management software solutions to international freight forwarders and logistics providers for over 20 years. BoxTop puts you in control of a smarter, more efficient organisation and enables your team to free up time to focus on developing other areas of your business.
16 | May 2023
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