The ITV Concept

Visibility is the ability to obtain information or data easily and accurately. Within a supply chain, visibility plays a vital role. There are three levels of visibility within an organization (collectively, usually called total asset visibility): in-stock, in-process, and in-transit. In-stock and in-process visibility are within the organization's walls. ITV refers to the ability to track items or goods moving within the supply chain logistics or at a 3PL provider location. ITV applications have the ability to manage products receiving value-added services such as custom packaging and re-packaging either through internal operations or by 3PL providers. ITV tools are commonly used in the transportation industry to bring efficiency and profitability into the transportation of goods. ITV applications have the ability to understand and track the status and location of inventory and shipments from their original destinations to delivery destination, which provides accurate visibility into the supply chain, thus eliminating fuel consumption, waste of time, and resources.

ITV can create value based on the capabilities of each contributor within the transportation network. ITV can provide real-time updates on assets which are in transit. This capability can be used by manufacturing and planning teams to run short-term forecasts, identify transportation bottle necks, and provide proof of delivery and compliance to customers in real time. It will also make the organization capable of invoicing or allocating shipments in transit to customer-specific orders. ITV will help an organization's customer service department provide an ETA to customer inquires as well as raise any alerts for late deliveries or road blocks caused by customs, traffic, etc.

With ITV, organizations can eliminate any risks and optimize tasks for truck drivers. By rerouting or expediting shipments, a delayed shipment can be resolved in real time because a dispatcher will be able to communicate with the truck driver.