Rewiring operations: the shift from reactive to real-time in finished vehicle logistics With disruption now the norm across automotive supply chains, reactive operations are no longer viable. The next phase of operational excellence will be defined by real-time visibility – combining data, processes and people to enable faster, smarter decisions across the network. The finished vehicle logistics industry is no stranger to pressure, but this decade has seen a number of disruptions that have exposed structural weaknesses. Capacity constraints, labour shortages, volatile production schedules and rising costs have continued to challenge the sector’s ability to deliver vehicles efficiently and on time. Against this backdrop, the industry is being forced to modernise operations that have historically lagged behind upstream supply chain in terms of digitalisation. The urgency with which finished vehicle logistics operations must modernise was reflected on stage at Automotive Logistics' recent Finished Vehicle Logistics conference in California, where industry leaders repeatedly highlighted the limitations of traditional, reactive models. Real-time visibility To truly move away from a reactive model towards more dynamic operations, real-time visibility is essential. There are so many different handoffs within finished vehicle logistics – across plant yards, rail stations, ports, vessels, compounds and dealerships – that can cause fragmentation in the network, so having a end-to-end view in real time ensures any issues can be addressed before they disrupt operations. "The supply chain is very complex – there are lots of touches on a vehicle from plant release to delivery to the final destination," stated Nathan Lawson, vice president of customer success at Overhaul. "So what we focused on is how to get a more proactive, real-time view of when damage takes place." He explained that this level of visibility not allows Overhaul to address issues immediately rather than waiting until a claim is made by