Transportation Management Software (TMS)

TMS – Transportation Management That Transforms Supply Chains

In a world where volatility, speed, and sustainability define competitive advantage, Transportation Management Systems (TMS) have emerged as pivotal enablers of modern logistics. Miebach Consulting empowers organizations to rethink and optimize transportation management across strategy, operations, and technology - unlocking value at every mile.

From inbound supply flows to last-mile delivery, we bring deep process know-how and industry insight to transform challenges into strategic opportunities. Our approach is technology-agnostic, data-driven, and focused on value creation through measurable outcomes.

Transportation today is under pressure like never before: freight costs continue to rise, capacity is scarce, regulations on carbon emissions are tightening, and customers expect real-time transparency and accurate delivery. At the same time, fragmented systems and manual workarounds make it difficult to react quickly and efficiently.

A well-designed Transportation Management System (TMS) helps to overcome these challenges, but only if it fits your strategy, processes and objectives. At Miebach, we support companies in defining the right strategy, selecting the right system, and ensuring successful implementation and operation.

Transportation today is confronted by growing complexities:

• Escalating freight spend
  due to limited capacity and lack of transparency in rates
  
  
• Operational inefficiencies
  from manual processes and poor truck utilization
  
  
• Service risks
  through delayed deliveries, missing visibility, or insufficient exception handling
  
  
• Administrative burden
  in freight cost auditing and invoice settlement
  
  
• Compliance pressure
  to track and report carbon emissions reliably
  
  
• Fragmented systems
  and operating models that struggle to scale

Miebach addresses these challenges with sophisticated approaches, designed not only to streamline processes but also to significantly enhance resource utilization, reduce operational costs, and deliver robust, data-driven decision-making capabilities.

Our transportation management services span strategic sourcing, operational planning, execution, and settlement, ensuring comprehensive optimization across all transportation activities:

• Strategic Freight Procurement:
  Enable effective carrier selection, bid management, and robust contract oversight, reducing costs by 3-7%.
  
  
• Operational Planning & Execution:
  Leverage advanced route and load optimization tools, achieving 5-10% higher truck utilization rates and nsuring on-time, in-full (OTIF) deliveries.
  
  
• Real-Time Visibility & Exception Management:
  Gain complete transparency with advanced tracking and analytics, improving OTIF performance by up to 10%.
  
  
• Freight Audit and Settlement:
  Automate and validate billing processes, drastically cutting manual workload by 30-50%.

TMS solutions are no longer optional. They are the backbone of an integrated supply chain — orchestrating planning, execution, visibility, and settlement seamlessly across geographies, modes, and partners.

Transportation Management Assessment

At the start of every TMS initiative, we conduct a structured assessment based on our Target Operating Model (TOM). This provides a clear picture of your current transport processes, systems, and organizational setup, and benchmarks them against best practices. Together, we identify improvement potentials, define the target architecture, and outline a pragmatic roadmap with costs, benefits, and timelines - giving you a solid foundation for all further decisions.

Our proven Target Operating Model (TOM) ensures that technology is embedded in clear roles, processes, KPIs, and governance - across six critical dimensions: Organization, People, Processes, Technology, Visibility, and External Partners.

Strategic Roadmapping & TMS Study

We start with a clear assessment of your current TMS setup and future requirements. For many SAP-centric companies, the phase-out of SAP LE-TRA by 2027 creates an urgent need for action. The key decision is whether to move toward SAP TM (basic or advanced), select a non-SAP solution, or design a best-of-breed TMS landscape. In this stage, we work with you to develop specific TMS scenarios, evaluate TCO and implementation timelines, and prepare structured decision templates. You will benefit from our deep market knowledge of both SAP and independent TMS providers, ensuring a fact-based and future-proof choice.

This early clarity ensures the selected TMS ecosystem aligns with your business goals, IT strategy, and organizational context.

TMS vendor Selection

The TMS market is fragmented: large suites with an ERP bias (e.g., SAP TM, Oracle TM), best-of-breed players, and innovative add-on providers. We guide you objectively through the selection process, from RFI to negotiation, evaluating TMS and vendors against functionality, ability to integrate, carrier network size, scalability, and cost of ownership. In addition, we also evaluate important soft factors, such as the partnership quality and team performance, knowing that the choice of a TMS partner is a long-term commitment.

Our methodology balances technical detail with pragmatic decision support - helping you make future-proof investments

Implementation & Enablement

We guide you through every phase of TMS implementation and make sure the solution is firmly embedded in your operating model with defined roles, processes, KPIs, and governance. Our Target Operating Model approach aligns technology and organization to deliver lasting results. This includes project management and PMO support, quality assurance during blueprinting, test design and execution, process training, and ongoing change management. Where needed, we can also set up a transport control tower and coordinate all partners involved to ensure a smooth and successful rollout.

Clients have seen:

• 30–50%
  reduction in administrative workload
  
  
• 5–10%
  increase in OTIF
  
  
• 20–30%
  reduction in claims
  
  
• 3–7%
  savings on freight costs

There is no one-size-fits-all TMS. Some companies benefit from a deeply integrated SAP TM stack, others from agile best-of-breed solutions, or a hybrid setup. Miebach is technology-agnostic: we tailor the approach to your business model, transport network, and maturity level.

We combine strategic perspective (procurement, operating model) with deep process know-how (planning, execution, freight settlement) and technical expertise in leading TMS solutions.

With dedicated supply chain experts across regions, Miebach supports TMS transformation at scale - from concept to rollout. Our project experience includes global manufacturers, 3PLs, retail and FMCG giants, and construction sector leaders. These engagements range from process redesign to full deployment, often resulting in:

• Double-digit cost savings
• Stronger SLA compliance
• Greater system integration and visibility

A well-implemented TMS does more than optimize transport, it empowers resilient, data-driven, and agile supply chains. Let Miebach help you realize this transformation.

Contact us to learn how we can support your TMS journey – from strategy to success.

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