Jeremy Vick, Director of Worldwide Sales at Reverse Logistics Association, Recently Visited

Jeremy Vick, director of worldwide sales at Reverse Logistics Association, recently visited with executives at ClearOrbit Inc., a division of TAKE Solutions, Inc. Austin, TX- based ClearOrbit provides real-time supply chain execution and returns management software solutions that improve the speed, visibility, and control of extended manufacturing and distribution supply chains. Since 1994, ClearOrbit has helped more than 275 companies such as Cisco, GE, Motorola and Smith’s Medical automate and control process execution within their extended supply networks.

Dan Kubala, ClearOrbit director of marketing, gave Jeremy a tour of the company’s facility, along with a demonstration of the company’s web-based, end-to-end Enterprise Returns Management™ solution, ERM™. ERM automates returns processes for medical device, high-tech and industrial manufacturers. The solution manages the entire returns lifecycle from return merchandise authorization creation to final product disposition, enabling the recovery of inventory and dollars lost to inefficient returns management operations. With ERM, companies improve bottom-line performance by capitalizing on revenue-generating, cost-reducing opportunities never before realized within their returns operations.

After the tour, Vick met with several other ClearOrbit executives including ClearOrbit president John Reece, vice president of marketing and products Warren Sumner, and senior manager for reverse logistics Lee Norman. The team discussed industry developments in the management of today's global supply chain, including several key challenges and opportunities manufacturers face in improving reverse logistics.

One promising trend identified was the growing interest in reverse logistics across the industry. “We’ve seen increasing recognition of reverse logistics as a separate discipline within supply chain,” said Sumner. “Companies are making the investments in reverse logistics necessary to capture the value currently lost through process inefficiency and limited disposition options. The payoffs from these investments can be tremendous, similar to the type of ROI companies initially gained from investments in automation of forward logistics ten to fifteen years ago.”

“The implementation of an enabling technology such as ClearOrbit’s ERM is a key step in realizing this ROI,” added Reece. “But to be successful in the long term, companies must also define clear goals for reverse logistics process improvement and executive accountability for meeting those goals.”

Vick said an especially informative part of their discussion was that about a study recently commissioned by ClearOrbit identifying returns management as one of the top three issues facing medical device, high-tech and consumer product manufacturers today, and citing customer satisfaction as the primary reason to implement returns management processes.

Vick was impressed with ClearOrbit’s commitment to increasing the recognition of reverse logistics as a key strategic supply chain function within the enterprise. He noted, “ClearOrbit recognizes the importance of managing returns effectively, and understands how to enable companies to reduce costs and increase revenues by automating the returns process.”