Throughout Penske’s relationship with the manufacturer, Penske has adapted its people and processes as changes occur at the facilities and on the production line.

Increased visibility also helps operators manage the workforce in the warehouse. Operators can log into the system to see what is headed for the warehouse and when it is expected to arrive so they can schedule the appropriate labor.

Penske’s local presence in Mexico adds to the service level, allowing its team to be more focused on local sourcing, quality and safety. Penske Logistics currently employs more than 4,500 associates in Mexico and has decades of cross-border operations experience. Penske Logistics maintains significant investments in the region, including strategic locations along the border.

As more organisations recognise the need to collaborate, a whole new culture is evolving. This is why collaboration has become such a familiar buzzword in the supply chain world. But true collaboration is not an easy state to arrive at. Boundaries of mistrust must be broken down and conflicting objectives must somehow be transformed into aligned goals.

In an ideal world, every agency involved in turning raw materials into goods, selling them, and distributing them to business customers or consumers would collaborate, thus maximising supply chain cost-effectiveness and reliability. As yet though, that degree of collaboration is more likely to be the exception than the rule.