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Questions in which Geraedts Business Experts can advise!

Regularly, a variety of questions that are easier placed than answered come up within an organization; questions related to the unusual course of business or questions over exceeding the current horizon. In such occasions it is useful to be able to exchange ideas with someone from outside with a broader knowledge of the market and that comes in with a fresh look at your organization.

Advisors get things done quicker and often cheaper because they are in a position to work more efficiently: they have no other obligations such as appointments or meetings, they are not distracted by the hassles of the daily job and you as a customer do not have to take them in on permanent employment.

It is common knowledge that the larger the organizations are the more complex they internally are and the higher their internal transaction costs are, so the sooner it pays off to use external consultants.

Yet, it is also useful for smaller organizations to make use of external consultants, especially in relation to their productivity and knowledge it is very beneficial for these organizations too; not only cost wise but also in limitation of disruptions in the day to day business.

Market Research

A market survey is labor intensive and time consuming, both because it is not an everyday activity and because often there is detailed information required and looked at from different angles to come to a thorough answer.

Geraedts Business Experts provides answers to these questions based on years of experience and general knowledge of the market and by the continuous u0027sparringu0027 with its transport network. To do so it is essential for us to learn from you what you intend to achieve with the results and which of your needs and demands should be taken into account. It is clear that a market research needs such a customized approach that the outcome exclusively applies to your company and therefore cannot be used for other companies.

Geraedts Business Experts guarantees neutral, broad-based and solid market research which are initiated from your interests and concerns.

Business Succession

• How do I prepare for the next generation to lead my company?

• Where is the strength of my successor (s) and where not?

• How can I share my knowledge in a constructive way with my successors?

These are just some of the many questions you will ask yourself as owner when it comes to introducing the next generation in the family business. After all, transferring a family business to the next generation is one of the most risky activities when it comes to ensuring continuity of a company. This is not only a consequence of the required knowledge and skills that must be present but also by familial ties that may hinder the much needed two way and open communication.

Geraedts Business Experts offers you personal support in recognizing the challenges you will encounter on the path from proactive to reactive involvement in your company and hands you tools to come to a successful hand over. We do this by getting clear understanding on you and your successor (s) vision on how to ensure growth and continuity and to challenge that with the skills and ideas of your successor (s). We pay particular attention to the hurdles that must be taken to achieve the desired result, whether it concerns financial, economic, communicative or relational issues.

You are at the start of a new adventure and together we overcome the hurdles that you encounter on your path to the future.

Load and Route Optimization

• Where is the geographical center of gravity in collection and delivery of
your goods?

• In which areas can I as a carrier use additional cargo and where can I
create synergies with other consignors?

• Is it useful to expand or rearrange my activities in a specific region?

Questions whose answers should lead to significant cost savings, without creating additional work.

Obtaining these answers and making subsequent decisions are often based on the analysis of the problem from different starting points. This is not just associated with the capacity to be able to look beyond the current boundaries, it also takes a great deal of time to thoroughly analyze all anglesof incidence. Moreover, it is essential that we have a detailed picture of your products and comprehensive understanding of shipping profiles, volumes, service levels, etc., if we want to achieve an optimal result. As reliability of these data is essential, Geraedts Business Experts has a number of methods that can be used in providing insight into this important information.

Geraedts Business Experts works with specialists who have u0022out-of-the-boxu0022 thinking in their DNA and is therefore able to provide answers in a quick and customer-specific way by running your question over various u0022what ifu0022 scenarios. Thereto you can think of alternative carriers, consolidating shipments, converting existing service levels, re-arrange routes or scenarios that gradually develop into interesting options during the process of analysis.

The conclusions from the various scenarios offer insight into opportunities that lie ahead of you in terms of cost savings. u0022Opportunitiesu0022 we can implement jointly with your people and monitor on the results.

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Some questions to where the answer u0022yes, of courseu0022 seems quite obvious. However, practice shows that the answer often is u0022nou0022; the order is incomplete or the freight bill has the billing address on it instead of the physical delivery address and what about various additional charges which are not discussed beforehand and afterwards turn out to be billed? To retrieve the correct data or challenging bills takes a lot of time and energy and ultimately results in disproportionate costs compared to revenues.

Geraedts Business Experts has the right resources to quickly and expertly analyze the information given or missing from the various documents so that you get control and specific insight into where and how improvements can be implemented in order to reduce cost, time and energy to a minimum.

Moreover, with our analysis we catch much more useful information than just the standard information such as bills that may or may not comply with orders and/or waybills. The additional information that is ‘captured’ is analyzed by means of measurements on the main features of your logistics network and contributes positively in identifying optimization initiatives. Think e.g. of understanding (at various levels) of:

• Average shipment sizes

• Product-segmentation

• Center of gravity

• Incomes

• Additional costs

Freight Bill Auditing

We validate the information for each document and can thus provide detailed insight into missing, incorrect or obsolete information. This results e.g. in general issues whereby the implementation of a relatively simple modification to systems or processes is often enough to eliminate a lot of extra work or it can result in customer specific concerns whereby the joint set up of an improvement plan will soonest lead to efficiency and so result in cost savings on both sides of the chain.

Invoice Auditing

Based on the legally permitted time frame within which erroneous billings may be corrected, our experts can quickly and thoroughly validate whether the invoices versus the orders / bills shows anomalies with respect to:

• Wrong rates

• Deviating volumes

• Double invoicing

• Additional costs and/or surcharges

Since these audits are carried out on information from previous handled shipments the operational and daily course of business is not disturbed and the improvements necessary to implement are summarized and limited to one-time optimizations. It goes without saying that also here we are at your side to assist and advise.

In Geraedts Business Experts you can rely on our control!

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How often do my service providers deliver as agreed? How flexible is my service provider in case of exceptions? How customer focused is my service provider towards my customers? Does my service provider has the right knowledge and resources in-house?

Indicators that determine the overall image of a service provider; quantifiable factors which often show surprising results. Quite often within an organization the image of a service provider strongly differs from the actual performance and that is not surprising since a negative experience remains much longer in our memory than a positive one.

Geraedts Business Experts collects and analyzes such data based on standardized processes including but not limited to periodic auditing and daily measurements on shipment level.

The results form the basis for improvement plans that result in more efficient processes, clearer communication and a higher quality of service and as supplier management is not an action on its own, we offer you some tools and methodologies that make it easy for you to control your service providers in order to ensure continuity in the quality for the long term.

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Project Progress

Geraedts Business Experts works with trained and experienced experts who manage, support and where necessary adjust steering in your project team from a helicopter point of view. They do this through a number of project management methodologies whereby clear lines of communication and constantly monitoring the progress and quality are priorities.

Process Mapping and -Optimization

Geraedts Business Experts maps and captures your processes in clear manuals and based on your current way of working. Along the way we also identify areas for improvement and implement these if requested. You can think of books that support you in selling your products and/or services but also instructions that need to be known by everyone in your company, or how about all the procedures that must be underpinned in writing for obtaining and maintaining certificates such as ISO and SQAS?

Operational Support

You could use some help in the operational handling of for example your orders or invoices? We are more than happy to offer temporary support in the form of experts who combine their u0027hands-onu0027 mentality with analytical skills.

That is, you have an extra pair of hands available in the daily operation who is also thinking with you and your staff in how to structural overcome such peak periods.

For you this means that:

√ On a regular basis you receive a report on the project progress and quality
which will be personally discussed and validated with you

√ You can immediately direct a change in the course of the project if this
proves to be eligible

√ You do not have to interfere in the daily management of the project team

√ Your employees are no longer burdened with additional extra work on top
of their daily core activities

In short: You save valuable time in the knowledge that your project is in good hands!

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To achieve an optimal result for each procurement service it is essential that we get a detailed picture of your products and comprehensive understanding of shipment profiles, volumes, service levels, etc. Since reliability of this data is crucial, Geraedts Business Experts has a number of methods that can be used to create clear insight in this vital information.

We analyze this information using a variety of features so that we get total clarity on which characteristics are related to your products and how the geographical distribution and volume flows look like.

Then, these findings allow us to gain for you the highest quality and the best commercially available prices from the market to compare with your current situation.

RFI – RFQ - RFP support

• What do we want to tender and what has changed compared to last time?

• Only RFQ or also RFI? RFQ or RFP?

• Which information is essential to share and what do we ask for and in which
lay out to make sure that we receive the most optimal response?

• What do we expect from our providers?

What might be a 1, 2 or 3-yearly returning activity for you that requires a substantial number of days / weeks and sometimes months on top of your daily work, is for Geraedts Business Experts routine whereby integrity and neutrality are key.

Following a strict roadmap, we enter with you the process of tendering whereby the emphasis lies not only on price but also on processes and flexibility that the service provider applies to deliver your products against the most optimal conditions to your customers.

It goes without saying that the ultimate recommendation to you will be based on a like for like comparison and constructed from multiple scenarios. After that you are the one who decides which supplier fits you best over-all.

The following mplementation of the selected service providers within your organization is also part of our roadmap and of which we can take care of if desired and in close consultation with your employees.

Outsourcing or supporting your tender process will result in a high-quality service with substantial savings for you, not just visible in the costs but also in service to your customers.

Benchmarking

• Do you know whether the prices you pay your current service provider are
market conform?

• Does your provider delivers a service in line with the prevailing standard in
the market?

• Are your processes accurately, efficiently and accommodated with
appropriate time lines?

Benchmarking is a means to get well-founded answers to such questions.

Thanks to our extensive network and with support of our high quality systems we can identify this for you in a quick and clear way.

Our benchmark activity consists of several steps whereby drafting of a basic principle, the analysis of input and output and an objective final recommendation are the most remarkable ones.

For you regular benchmarking not only means that you keep track of your company’s position in comparison to other organizations but also in which specific areas improvements should be made to ensure that the service to your customers are brought to and maintained on a guaranteed and proven high level.

Benchmarking is also a support for other strategic processes within your organization; think of various planning and budgeting purposes.

Rate negotiations

• A meeting to ‘talk about the rates’; Can I accept an increase and if so, what
is realistic?

• How can I convince the service provider that rates need to be decreased
and how much can I ask for?

• When does the conversation changes from convenient to inconvenient?

Precarious discussions which unwittingly may put the often long and carefully constructed relationships with your service provider under a lot of tension. A relationship that is however crucial and invaluable for everyday communication and handling of your shipments and it is therefore unthinkable that it can be put at risk, not even for one second.

Geraedts Business Experts works with specialists in this field. Experts who can negotiate rates on an objective basis and in close consultation with you, whilst knowing how to ensure the valuable and long-term collaboration.

And you?

√ You get the right price / quality ratio

√ You maintain a neutral position in relation to your service provider

√ You have the reassurance that daily contacts and operational matters are not at any risk.

Contracts

How do I establish agreements with service providers in a solid way and what do I need to capture and for how long?

Geraedts Business Experts assists you in contracting all the arrangements you make with your service provider and does so by clearly identifying and enumerating all relevant information whereby the legal aspect also plays a major role. We ensure that not only the general terms and conditions are covered, but also specific items such as rates, additional cost components, lead times and service standards are guaranteed.

We take the administrative and legal u0022red tapeu0022 out of your hands by preparing the contracts in such a way that only your signature and that of the service provider is needed to write itt valid.

Ultimately you have a series of transparent and standardized contracts with clear agreements. Especially your employees responsible for the daily affairs will experience a lot of support and ease of this.

Cost Saving Recognition

Are the calculated savings achieved and if not, why is that? These are questions that often go unanswered for various reasons, whereby the u0027issues of the day u0022 frequently reigns.

Geraedts Business Experts can answer these questions for you by effectively analyzing your data based on predetermined parameters. This results for you in a clear and detailed insight into all areas that can impact the achievement of previously calculated savings.

Of course, the best part is when the result shows that the calculated savings are actually achieved. However, experience shows that theory and practice do not always agree and in that case we can offer specific improvement advice and support in its implementation.

After all, clear understanding of cost-increasing factors means a direct focus on problem areas and the ability to effectively and efficiently repulse these costs.

Geraedts Business Experts can execute this activity for you on a weekly or monthly basis whereby we prefer a period of at least 6 months to be able to provide you with stable and reliable analysis and advice.