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Supply chain visibility

How Livingston identified process inefficiencies and uncovered hidden savings for PolyOne.

Visibility and accurate reporting are crucial to the success of any supply chain. By working closely with your logistics provider – from origin to destination – you benefit from the added value a true partnership brings.

When Livingston began working with PolyOne Corporation, a global provider of specialized polymer materials and services, the company had limited in-house resources overseeing their global supply chain.

We examined PolyOne’s supply chain from origin to destination, documenting gaps throughout each phase and identifying where efficiencies could be realized.

During our review, we found that PolyOne suppliers were using incorrect Incoterms®, which often exposed the company to unnecessary costs and compliance risks. Several suppliers, for example, were factoring freight costs into the value of the goods, resulting in excess payment on duties and taxes. Further analysis revealed that suppliers routinely routed shipments to their own preferred ports or utilized less efficient routing. This often resulted in containers needing to be moved either by road or rail over greater distances than needed, adding cost and time in transit.

Livingston designed a streamlined approach, acting as a control tower to manage both the physical movement of the goods and the accompanying flow of data. This allowed PolyOne to meet its strategic goal for an efficient, secure and compliant global supply chain.

With Livingston actively managing their shipments and proactively reviewing their processes for possible improvements, PolyOne knows their goods are being moved cost-efficiently and in full compliance with trade regulations.

“I had worked with Livingston previously and was really confident of the trade compliance knowledge they would bring to our relationship.”
– Lila Rose, Senior Manager of Global Trade, PolyOne

 

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