Common Despatch Checklist Toolkit aids supply chain

In an attempt to encourage greater efficiencies in the supply chain, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has released a Common Despatch Checklist (CDC) Toolkit.

Consisting of a suite of simple tools, the toolkit aims to support suppliers and ensure that deliveries to retailers have the best chance of being quickly and easily receipted in to distribution centres.

“The toolkit contains a poster which serves as a visual aid for checking product prior to despatch; a one-page reference guide providing more detail in relation to basic requirements associated with pallet quality, utilisation and wrapping, carton integrity and SSCC labelling; and an operational document which despatch staff can utilise prior to despatching goods to a retailer DC to record any issues identified,” said project director John Cawley.

Cawley explained that, rather than creating new standards, it aims to facilitate alignment across Coles, Metcash and Woolworths.

Developed by the AFGC’s Trading Partner Forum (TPF), the toolkit is a product of The Perfect Delivery Project which promotes ‘right first time’ delivery into retail distribution centres. Some of the goals of the project include reducing errors and preventing costly re-work and corrective action.

“This toolkit is the result of the TPF identifying an opportunity to deliver clarity and a common approach to optimising the supplier to retailer delivery process, with a focus on the physical flow of goods, called The Perfect Delivery Project,” he said. “This project will continue to develop ways of improving supply chain efficiencies and will continue to deliver member services by developing toolkits and advice to achieve this objective.”

While it is useful for manual operations, the TPF predicts the toolkit will be increasingly important as automation becomes a bigger part of the industry.

The CDC toolkit documents can be accessed here.

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