Every employee at Logistics Plus prides themselves on finding solutions to the most difficult of transportation issues.
So, the Logistics Plus team didn’t hesitate to begin looking for solutions when a lack of PPE — or personal protective equipment — was putting frontline workers at risk during the first months of the COVID-19 crisis.
In the first uncertain days of the crisis, Logistics Plus Founder and CEO Jim Berlin created a COVID-19 Response Team. Their job was to find, buy, warehouse, and ship FDA-approved PPE to hospitals, care centers, nursing homes, fire departments, police departments, and schools throughout Pennsylvania and beyond. They even configured a warehouse facility in Erie to store and distribute PPE to essential organizations and businesses across the region.
The team faced challenges every step of the way, Berlin said. Soaring PPE demand meant last-minute canceled orders, quality control issues, and even attempted theft. In addition, the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation meant changing export rules in both China and the United States, and airport charters being overwhelmed by demand.
But the Logistics Plus team persevered, as it always does. And, as it always does, the Logistics Plus team delivered.
“I am so proud of my team,” Berlin said. “They successfully sourced, procured, transported, and delivered millions of pieces of PPE in record time. When no one could find and get these, we did.”
‘A beacon of light’
Customers, both new and old, were blown away by the ability Logistics Plus had to deliver PPE when they’d been unable to obtain it elsewhere. The company even delivered 1 million face-shields to the state of Pennsylvania.
“You are a beacon light during this time. On behalf of our team of caregivers, thank you for your kindness,” one hospital official emailed to the Logistics Plus team after obtaining PPE through the Erie-based logistics company.
Berlin is known for going above and beyond not just by his customers, but in his support of the city of Erie, where the company made its headquarters 24 years ago.
That’s why Erie Mayor Joe Schember knew Logistics Plus was the company to contact when the city was gifted 50,000 PPE masks from Erie’s sister city of Zibo, China. Logistics Plus facilitated the customs clearance and paperwork, took possession of the shipment, and then arranged complimentary transportation of the 23 cartons from Chicago to Erie at no extra cost to the city.
“Helping Mayor Schember and the city get these masks from Chicago to Erie and in the hands of our frontline government workers was an easy decision,” Berlin said. “Together we are ‘Erie Strong.’”
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In case you missed it, Yolanda Corrales, Project Cargo Manager, was featured in a recent airing of Business Spotlight on WPSE AM 1450/FM 107.1 Radio. Business Spotlight is a 30-minute program airing Fridays at noon. Each segment focuses on a business or organization that is making an impact across the region.
In this segment, Yolanda discusses her role with Logistics Plus, the culture and recent growth of the company, and more. You can listen to a replay of the interview on the Logistics Plus YouTube Channel below.
On behalf of our customer, the Logistics Plus Belgium team successfully delivered three generator engine sets from Finland to a shipyard in China. These generator sets measured to be 905cm long, 282 cm, wide, and 415 cm high. In total, the shipment weighed 180 tons.
In order to ensure a punctual delivery, the Belgium team cooperated with Wallenius for their brand new Wallenius-Sol service. The cargo was first transported from Vaasa to Antwerp, transhipped to the Wallenius-Eukor service for the course to China, before finally arranging it for door delivery. This is the first cargo of this size to take this route and we are delighted to reach another milestone in the cooperation between Logistics Plus and Wallenius.
Pictures from this project can be seen below.
For more updates, be sure to follow the new Logistics Plus Germany & Belgium LinkedIn page here.
With our Freight Agent Program dating back to our early beginnings in 1996, Logistics Plus now has 24 years of proven experience helping freight agents be successful. The Logistics Plus Freight Agent Program gives you the freedom and flexibility of running your own freight brokerage business while having access to the resources of an industry-leading third-party logistics (3PL) company. With our program, there are no limits to how much your business can grow.
Our partners are supported with a broad range of logistics services and technology solutions, including our eshipplus™ transportation management system (TMS) and eworldplus™ freight forwarding tools; full-service LTL and truckload brokerage services; full NVOCC freight forwarding services for cross-border and international shipments; IATA Certified air freight brokerage; and complete supply chain solutions.
About Logistics Plus Logistics Plus Inc. provides freight transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, global logistics, business intelligence technology, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. The company was founded over 23 years ago in Erie, PA by local entrepreneur, Jim Berlin. Today, Logistics Plus is a highly-regarded, fast-growing, and award-winning transportation and logistics company. With a strong passion for excellence, its 450 global employees put the “plus” in logistics by doing the big things properly, and the countless little things, that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on July 1, 2020. Parties wishing to import “originating goods” duty-free into the United States, Mexico, and Canada utilizing the preferential benefits of the USMCA free trade agreement must have a valid certificate of origin on file at the time of claim, completed by either the Exporter, the Producer, or the Importer.
They must be able to provide the certificate used to claim duty-free preferential benefits upon request of the relevant Customs authorities in the US, Mexico, or Canada. They must also be able to provide the support proving “originating goods” status that formed the basis of their certification. Penalties or fines can be issued by Customs authorities for failure to comply with these requirements.
There is currently no official, government-issued, or government-approved USMCA Certification of Origin. Per the text of the agreement, all certifications must contain a set of “minimum data elements.”
In case you missed it, 
On behalf of our customer, the Logistics Plus 
