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Yard management solutions are increasingly becoming critical in the logistics and supply chain sectors. A Yard Management System offers visibility and control over the movement of vehicles and trailers in the yard, a critical junction in supply chain management that's often overlooked. But how does this translate to real-world advantages?
We'll explore this by breaking down the key benefits of yard management systems, moving beyond a basic understanding of how they can be powerful assets in reducing inefficiencies and improving throughput.
What is yard management?
Yard management refers to the process of managing the movement, storage, and flow of trailers, trucks, and goods within a facility's yard or outdoor space. This is typically part of the broader supply chain and logistics operations, often linked to warehouses, distribution centers, or manufacturing plants.
What is a yard management system?
A yard management system is a software solution designed to optimize and automate the management of goods and vehicles within a company's yard or distribution center. This system helps businesses efficiently track and manage the movement, storage, and organization of trailers, containers, and other assets within a yard.
What are the benefits of yard management systems?
Real-time visibility in yard operations
One of the most significant advantages of a yard management system is providing real-time visibility into yard operations. This means having up-to-the-minute information on the location and status of trailers and vehicles across all yards and distribution centers.
Optimized yard space utilization
One of the more underrated yet crucial aspects of yard operations is making the most of your yard space. Yard space is like gold: you can't afford to waste it. A YMS gives you a bird's-eye view of your yard, where you can see which spots are in use and which aren't. This yard visibility is key to avoiding yard congestion, one of the biggest time sinks in yard operations.
During peak hours, your yard could quickly become a maze of trailers and trucks if you don’t manage it well. A YMS handles the complexity of this situation by efficiently routing vehicles, preventing bottlenecks, and ensuring smooth movement throughout your yard. This level of organization is crucial, especially when dealing with a high traffic volume.
Improvement in dock appointment scheduling
Traditionally, dock management has a lot of inefficiencies becuase it relies on manual processes and guesswork. A YMS transforms this by automating the scheduling process. The system considers factors like shipment size, type of cargo, and specific requirements of each load to optimize dock door assignments.
By monitoring dock availability in real-time, predicting shipment arrivals, and automatically assigning docks based on priorities, YMS ensures that every dock is utilized to its fullest potential when matched with a dock scheduling system. This combination of yard management and dock scheduling drastically minimizes downtime and provides a fluid, unconstrained movement of goods.
Dock scheduling becomes part of a seamless operation by integrating the YMS with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). As soon as a dock is scheduled, the warehouse team receives notifications, allowing them to prepare in advance for incoming shipments. This synchronization reduces wait times, minimizes manual tasks, and improves overall operational status.
This integration also means that warehouse operations can adapt more dynamically to changes in the yard. If a shipment is delayed or arrives early, the YMS can adjust dock assignments in real time and immediately update the warehouse team.
Improved operational efficiency
A yard management software is inevitable in the modern logistics industry. Traditional methods involve manual processes and a lot of paperwork. They also involve back-and-forth communication, manual yard checks, and guesswork about dock availability.
A well-implemented YMS also leads to better resource utilization. It helps schedule yard staff more effectively, ensuring enough hands on deck during peak times and reducing idle time during slower periods. This optimization means your staff is constantly engaged in productive work, contributing directly to faster operations and reduced labor costs.
Cost and time savings
Embracing a Yard Management System can translate to substantial business cost savings. With a YMS, you gain better control over scheduling and dock usage. The system can alert managers when a trailer is nearing its time limit, allowing them to take proactive steps to avoid demurrage charges.
Lower lead times
An essential benefit of implementing a Yard Management System in supply chain operations is the reduction in lead times. This efficiency boost, primarily driven by enhanced real-time visibility and streamlined workflows, directly contributes to quicker turnaround times and increased customer satisfaction.
For example, when trucks arrive at the distribution center, the YMS can automatically process their arrival, assign them to the appropriate dock, and notify the relevant stakeholders. This expedites check-in, reduces wait times, and ultimately shaves valuable minutes or even hours off the total lead time.
Reduced manual and human errors
Think about the last time a simple error threw a wrench in your operations. It could be a mislabeled trailer or a dock door assigned to the wrong truck. These mistakes happen, especially when things get hectic.
Better stakeholder communication
All successful companies have one thing in common: effective communication throughout the supply chain. A YMS can strengthen this communication, changing the supply chain's maturity and coordination among different teams and stakeholders.
Drivers receive real-time notifications on when to arrive, where to park, or when to load. Yard managers get instant updates about the arrivals and departures of the trucks and any potential issues that pop up when they are in the yard.
At the same time, warehouse teams are kept informed by YMS about inbound or outbound shipments, ensuring their timely readiness for smooth operations.
Increased security and accountability
Many yard solutions incorporate RFID technology, which enhances security. With RFID tags, you can track assets with precision and ease, ensuring that nothing goes missing. This technology also helps verify that the right goods are loaded onto the right trailers, adding an extra layer of security to your operations. Every action in the yard, from the arrival of a truck to the assignment of a dock door, is logged and traceable in a YMS. For shippers and other providers, this accountability builds trust.
Data analytics and reporting
A yard management system is also a robust data collection software for everything happening in the yard and warehouse. Managers can track important metrics and get all the details of why and when things went off track, as well as the trend of volumes, inflow, and outflow over time.
What are the challenges of yard management?
Yard management is a critical part of logistics, but it comes with several challenges that can disrupt operations and increase costs. Here’s a breakdown of the common hurdles:
- Limited asset visibility
Managing the time assets spend in the yard is a significant challenge. Without real-time visibility, trailers may remain idle or unaccounted for, leading to inefficiencies, prolonged turnaround times, and higher operational costs. Inefficient trailer searches compound the issue, wasting time and resources. - Manual yard management processes and communication
Relying on manual communication methods like phone calls, emails, and on-the-ground coordination with jockeys, drivers, and warehouse workers slows operations. This labor-intensive approach increases the risk of errors, delays, and missed opportunities for optimization. - Expensive detention fees
Poor yard coordination often results in trucks and trailers staying in the yard longer than necessary, incurring detention fees. This not only affects profitability but can also strain relationships with carriers. - Time-draining report creation
Without automated systems, creating and analyzing reports becomes a time-consuming process. This delay in accessing actionable insights can hinder decision-making and long-term planning. - Environmental impact
Inefficiencies in yard operations, such as prolonged idling times and unnecessary movements, contribute to increased emissions. As sustainability becomes a growing priority, addressing this challenge is crucial for meeting environmental goals. - Product loss and waste
Poor yard organization and limited oversight can lead to product mishandling, spoilage, or loss, impacting customer satisfaction and operational costs.
By addressing these challenges with modern yard management systems, businesses can achieve better visibility, reduce inefficiencies, and streamline their logistics performance with automation.
GoRamp for yard management automation
GoRamp's Yard Management software integrates effortlessly with our Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS). This seamless connection creates a unified workflow, eliminating manual processes and fostering real-time communication between shippers, logistics providers, and internal teams. The result is improved coordination, reduced operational bottlenecks, and a more efficient supply chain.
GoRamp is designed to tackle the core challenges of yard management, such as miscommunications, long wait times, manual data entry, and the lack of real-time operational visibility. It's a digital eagle-eye view of your yard, giving logistics managers, yard managers, and operational leaders the tools they need to oversee and coordinate activities effectively, regardless of business size.
It provides real-time visibility of yard assets, a digital scheduling calendar, dynamic yard mapping, and gate management. Its asset location tracking and internal fleet management features ensure that you always know where your resources are and how they're being utilized.
Book a quick demo to see how GoRamp can work for you.
