One of the ways of improving any supply
chain is to remove some of the links, to cut out stages (and delays) in the process. So
how would the ideal European supply scenario work?
Ordering by the customer would be done electronically, of course. For
smaller customers, PubEasy is a good answer – and PubEasy can boast of 308 users in
the European book trade who are able to order from publishers and distributors in the UK
representing more than 80% of the book output, as well as from Gardners. For the largest
customer, EDI using international EDIFACT standards can be entered into with MDL. And in
between, TeleOrdering will fit the bill.
Despatch of books, particularly for the book trader for whom speed is
more important than cost, is likely to be door-to-door by companies like UPS and
Securicor. MDL has more than 100 European customers routed via Securicor, and has been
carrying out meaningful trials using the UPS road service; these show that transit times
of a week or two can easily be shrunk to two to three days in near Europe. At medium-sized
parcel weights, UPS is now price competitive with bulk mailing into that area, and is
several days faster than airmail. Importantly they also provide track and trace
facilities.
From a survey carried out by MDL during visits to customers in Holland,
Belguim, France and Germany, it is clear that there is plenty of support for extra speed,
even at a cost above that of conventional consolidation services.
When it comes to documentation, technology is ready with a solution
again. There are e-commerce mailing schemes for taking invoices and statements by EDI,
printing them locally in the country of destination, then placing them straight into the
local mail system. Not necessary, perhaps, for customers with a full-scale EDI set-up but
a timesaver for others. There are also options available for sending batches of invoices
and statements by e-mail, with appropriate control and security for the recipient; such a
service is currently available from UPS.
