Supply Chain Finance-A New Trucking and Logistics Way To Think About Credit

Introduction

Supply chain finance is a growing market that can help businesses source and manage their working capital. It's a way for companies to get short-term loan funding to cover their purchase orders, and it's often used by trucking companies in the form of fleet financing.

Supply chain finance solutions can be thought of as the opposite of factoring: instead of using an outside party such as a bank or financial institution to collect payments on your receivables, you use them to fund your purchases (or other expenses). Your business repays these funds through deductions from your future sales receipts and payments received under contract terms established with suppliers.

Supply chain finance (SCF) is a term describing the financing of purchasing and supply activities.

Supply chain finance (SCF) is a term describing the financing of purchasing and supply activities. It encompasses any type of transaction where there is an asset being transferred from one party to another, in exchange for money or credit. SCF treats these assets as collateral for the loan. This can include:

• Cash flow financing through suppliers and vendors

• Loans to customers with accounts receivable (A/R) collections

• Financing against inventory orders with manufacturers and distributors

Supply chain finance can also be called "reverse factoring" or "dynamic discounting"

Supply chain finance can also be called "reverse factoring" or "dynamic discounting".

Supply chain finance is a type of financing that is provided to companies that sell to other companies. The buyer gets the products they need, and the seller gets paid early. This allows both parties to have more liquidity and flexibility in their cash flow. In most cases, supply chain finance solutions involves a third party such as banks or leasing companies that provide funds against invoices generated by your company's customers (the buyers).

Supply chain finance is distinct in several ways from traditional credit

Supply chain finance solutions is distinct in several ways from traditional credit. While it has many similarities to traditional lending, it also contains several key distinctions that make it a useful tool for trucking and logistics companies.

• Supply chain financing is generally short-term, with terms lasting only 90 days or less. This makes supply chain financing ideal for companies that need a cash infusion but can't afford the long-term interest rates of a more traditional loan.

• Supply chain financing is not technically a loan; instead, it's more akin to an invoice factoring service where the trucking company sells its invoices at a discount (usually about 85%) of their face value to be repaid by the buyer over time. The company that buys this debt from your business then collects on those invoices and pays you back your money plus interest when they're paid off by customers.

Sources of supply chain finance include banks, non-bank financial institutions, and software providers

• Banks and non-bank financial institutions

• Software providers

• Supply chain finance solutions is a growing market, with an estimated $150 billion in global capital available. It’s also flexible and cost-effective, allowing businesses to make purchases with more certainty while taking advantage of the latest advances in technology.

Supply chain financing is a growing market

Supply chain finance solutions, also called supply chain lending, is quickly becoming a popular way to help businesses manage their working capital needs. This type of financing has many benefits that make it a good fit for small to medium-sized businesses as well as companies with seasonal or cyclical working capital needs.

SCF might be the solution for your company's working capital needs

SCF is a financing solution available to businesses that need short-term cash. It's a way for companies to borrow money against their accounts receivable, inventory or other purchased assets.

Companies that use SCF typically have low credit ratings or don't want to borrow at the high interest rates of traditional banks. With SCF, you can draw down on your account balance and pay it back in installments over time. You'll also get the benefit of not having to report your debt on your company's balance sheet—good news if you're trying to secure funding from investors or lenders later on!

SCF works similarly to invoice factoring: A third party pays you immediately for an invoice (or invoices), then collects payments from the buyer over time until the entire loan is paid off with interest charges added onto each payment made by them (an "Invoice Discounting" model).

There are some key differences between SCF and invoice factoring: invoices can be used as collateral only once they are approved by a lender; there are no penalties associated with late payments under most contracts; and these contracts often come with varying terms depending upon how long they last before being terminated early due too nonpayment issues or other reasons beyond anyone's control (such as natural disasters).

Conclusion

Supply chain finance solutions is growing rapidly and has become an important tool for companies in the trucking and logistics industry. For those who have not yet explored it, this article provides a brief overview of how supply chain financing works and some of its benefits.