Supply chain services
Supply chain services for small and mid-size companies
Supply chain services are outside help with planning, buying, stocking and moving goods. Statadventure, based in Burlington, Massachusetts, helps US manufacturers, distributors and growing businesses on the planning, purchasing and cost side. Every job starts with a short conversation, and the scope is agreed before work begins.
What are supply chain services?
The term covers two very different kinds of company. Logistics providers physically store and move your goods. Advisory and planning providers help you decide what to buy, how much to hold and who to buy from. Knowing which problem you have saves a lot of time when you start looking.
The main types of supply chain services
| Service | What you get | From Statadventure? |
|---|---|---|
| Supply chain consulting | A problem diagnosed, a fix designed and handed over to your team | Yes: supply chain consulting |
| Demand and inventory planning | Forecast review, safety stock and reorder points, and a monthly planning routine | Yes: demand planning |
| Fractional management | A part-time leader who owns planning and purchasing | Yes: fractional manager |
| Procurement and sourcing | Spend analysis, supplier scorecards, RFQ support and negotiation preparation | Yes: procurement |
| Supplier risk | Single-source parts and country concentration ranked, with backup options | Yes: supplier risk |
| Tariff and landed cost analysis | Cost per part with duty and freight, and what-if cases | Yes: landed cost |
| Systems selection and MRP | Requirements, a shortlist, and cleaner BOMs, lead times and lot sizes | Yes: selection and MRP |
| AI and data | A data foundation, forecasting models and automated workflows | Yes: AI supply chain services |
| Plant and warehouse flow | Layout and flow reviews, Lean, OEE and capacity planning | Yes: operations |
| 3PL, warehousing and fulfillment | A provider stores, picks and ships your goods | No |
| Freight forwarding and customs brokerage | A provider moves your goods and files customs entries | No |
We do not store goods, move freight or file customs entries. For those you need a 3PL, a forwarder or a licensed customs broker, and we can work alongside them.
Our supply chain services
Demand and inventory planning
We review how forecasts, stock and orders connect today, then set stock targets by item from demand variation and lead time. You get: a findings memo, a forecast-versus-actual check, reorder points by item and a review routine. Related: dead stock and working capital release and inventory optimization consulting.
Procurement and supplier risk
We show where the money goes, score suppliers on real delivery data and rank the parts that depend on one source. You get: a risk ranking, a shortlist of backup options and an action list with owners.
Tariffs and landed cost
We show what duty, freight and supplier choices do to cost per part. You get: a landed-cost model, tariff what-if cases and exposure by part and country. Assumptions are flagged for your customs broker or counsel to confirm. Related: tariff refund readiness.
Sales and operations planning
We set up a simple monthly planning cycle with owners and decisions, sized for a small team. You get: a meeting cadence, a one-page planning template and role definitions. Read more on S&OP for small manufacturers.
Fractional supply chain management
A fractional supply chain manager gives you part-time planning and purchasing leadership. Your team keeps doing the work, and the days are agreed in the scope and reviewed each quarter.
Systems and AI
We help you choose an ERP or planning system, implement or clean up MRP, and build AI into planning and purchasing with a person approving every decision.
Signs you need outside help
- Forecast, backlog, purchasing and production plans do not reconcile.
- Planning runs on one person’s spreadsheet, and nobody else understands it.
- A price or tariff change arrives before anyone can explain the exposure by product.
- Supplier risk is discussed often but never ranked.
- You run out of the items that matter while cash sits in items that do not move.
- Meetings produce updates, but not decisions, owners or follow-through.
Consultant, fractional manager or full-time hire?
| Option | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Project consultant | You have a defined problem and want a fix and a handover | Someone inside must keep it going afterward |
| Fractional manager | You need ownership, but not a full-time salary | Hours are limited, so priorities must be clear |
| Managed service | You want routine work done for you on a continuing basis | Knowledge sits outside, so check who owns the data and how you exit |
| Full-time hire | The work fills a full role for the long term | Hiring takes time, and one person can become a single point of failure |
| Software only | Someone has time to run it and the data is reasonably clean | Software nobody owns quickly goes stale |
For more detail, read consultant or full-time hire, what to outsource and what to keep, and the 12 questions to ask a consultant.
How an engagement works
- A short conversation. We talk about the problem, who owns the decision and what you already know. A perfect data set is not required.
- Scope agreed in writing. Cost depends on the scope, and you see it before work begins.
- Assess, design and build. We review your documents and data, work with your team and build something practical, such as a risk map, a planning cadence or a reorder model.
- Handover. We walk your team through the work, document how to run and update it, and leave owners, priorities and open questions.
Focused engagements typically run two to five weeks once the scope and core inputs are confirmed. See how we work.
We do not guarantee savings. We provide analysis, working tools and a practical roadmap. Outcomes depend on your data, your choices, implementation and outside decisions.
Who we work with
We work with US small and mid-size manufacturers, distributors and growing businesses, and we right-size the work around a product family, facility area or supplier set. We also have pages for aerospace and defense suppliers, food and beverage manufacturers, medical device makers, machine shops and companies in Massachusetts and New England.
Services and software together
Some companies want the work done with them, and others want a tool their own team can run. Statadventure offers both. The Optimization Lab is our own planning software, so if we suggest it, we will tell you that and explain why. Read our guide to supply chain software to see how the options compare.
Tell us what you want to plan better
Start with a short conversation. We will reply by email with a suggested next step.
Frequently asked questions
What do supply chain services include?
It depends on the provider. Logistics companies store and move goods. Advisory firms such as Statadventure help with demand and inventory planning, purchasing, supplier risk, tariffs and landed cost, and choosing or fixing systems.
How much do supply chain services cost?
It depends on the scope. We discuss it in the first conversation, once we understand the products, data, people and decision involved, and we agree the scope with you in writing before work begins.
How long does a supply chain project take?
Focused engagements typically run two to five weeks once the scope and core inputs are confirmed. Fractional management runs month to month, with the days agreed in the scope and reviewed each quarter.
Is Statadventure a 3PL or freight company?
No. We do not store goods, move freight or file customs entries. We help you plan and decide, and we can work alongside your 3PL, forwarder or customs broker.
Do you provide customs or legal advice?
No. We organize operational information and questions for review with your customs broker or counsel. Specialist advice stays with them.
Do we need clean data before we start?
No. A perfect data set is not required, and we can start with what is available. Cleaning up the core records is often part of the work.
Is the work remote or on site?
Mostly remote, using video calls and your ERP exports. On-site days can be added when they help, for example to walk the warehouse or run the first planning meeting in person.