Transportation Forum strengthens supply chain relationships

by Cheryl Garcia, regional vice president, Global Transportation Relationship Management, U.S. Bank Freight Payment

   Nissan North America’s Smyrna, Tennessee assembly plant just south of Nashville is a sight to behold – more than 5 million square feet dedicated to building some of the best cars on the road. It also represents a supply chain working in perfect harmony. From the initial stamping of the steel to the moment the finished car arrives at the dealer, it’s a study in different teams working in concert toward a single goal.
   I recently had the privilege of touring the facility as part of a U.S. Bank Transportation Forum. These regional U.S. Bank customer events are designed to stoke dialogue, facilitate best-practice discussions and ultimately improve our customers’ experiences. The event, held at Nissan, brought together 35 shippers and carriers, along with U.S. Bank’s transportation payments team.
   As I watched Nissan’s assembly line in action, I saw a parallel between the coordination required to build thousands of cars a day and what’s required to build a successful payment relationship between shippers and carriers. In our neck of the freight transportation woods, it’s vital that our customers be as coordinated as that assembly line. Our goal is to be the engine behind that coordination. 
   The plant visit was inspirational, and the Forum itself yielded great insights and feedback. Here are some highlights of what we learned:
   The day started with a presentation on global transportation market trends, which provided a critical look at the current state of modes and markets and how technology is impacting supply chains. Getting that high-level view of global transportation markets was important because it helps us understand how broader trends are affecting the business decisions of our customers.
   Despite less-than-optimistic economic projections, supply chains are becoming more global by the day, involving more modes and more countries. All the while, external risk factors are driving more uncertainty in those supply chains. There are rising fuel prices, a potential driver shortage in the trucking industry, and elections or leadership transitions this year in countries that account for half of the world’s GDP. It’s a lot for organizations to manage, and we’re striving to simplify invoice management and payment processes for our customers so they can focus their time and resources on those tasks.
   Our customers told us about ways we could expand our freight payment tool to serve their businesses better. Truckload carrier J.B. Hunt explained what constitutes a perfect invoice and how shippers can help to eliminate many of the invoice exceptions that hinder the payment process. And our host Nissan described how U.S. Bank’s freight payment system has enabled it to reduce costs. 
   In the afternoon, we broke into smaller groups to engage in what I call “café dialogue,” where shippers, carriers and my colleagues could talk through best practices while overhearing the discussions of other smaller groups, as happens in a café’s close setting. Richer conversations emerge when focused small groups can link ideas with those of similar small groups. Together they form a three-dimensional discussion that’s more productive and insightful for everyone.
   At U.S. Bank, we see ourselves as solution providers, consultants, advisors, and so much more. We want to join our expertise with our customers’ best practices. So the memory of that Nissan plant tour will linger with me as I envision how we can strengthen our relationship with customers. 
   The Transportation Forum at Nissan was a perfect platform to begin this dialogue, but it won’t be the last. I want to personally thank Nissan for opening its facility to our guests and for sharing its experiences as a supply chain management leader. Transportation Forums are a great way for our customers to leverage the expertise within their local transportation community. We’d love to hear from other customers and invite you to show us what you do.

Cheryl Garcia leads the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Global Relationship Management team, providing international payment solution expertise to both public and private sector customers. Cheryl combines more than 25 years of global transportation and supply chain optimization experience with MBA and BBA Finance degrees, and is a CPA and a Project Management Professional (PMP). Thoughts to share? Email cheryl.garcia@usbank.com.