Julie Shafer, an Erie, PA-based business development manager for Logistics Plus, recently attended the First Annual Women in Logistics Leadership (WiLL) Conference sponsored by the University of Houston and hosted by Fluor Corporation at their corporate office in Sugarland, TX.
The platform was founded by several women at logistics companies who have a passion for what they do. Logistics Plus, as a company that also has a Passion For Excellence™, provided additional support to the event by donating copies of its Logistics Careers Plus More For Dummies® books for its students and to use as door prizes for attendees. Julie has also been recommended to champion a new “Northeast” chapter for WiLL. Congratulations Julie!
Here is a copy of the thank you letter provided by Diana Davila, the Founder of Women in Logistics Leadership:
On behalf of the 130 women that had the opportunity to attend our First Annual Women in Logistics Leadership Conference, we thank you for sponsoring our event.
Your contribution (two dozen copies of the Logistics Careers Plus More For Dummies® books) has enabled the members in our Industry being that of Past, Current & Future to participate in a fabulous personal empowerment experience. As you can imagine, there are many expenses in these types of events and by assisting us with your contribution, we were able to minimize the cost tremendously and reach many more.
Our members that received your books will use them to understand the possibilities of career forward. With the assistance, you have provided we will now be able to share additional funds and opportunity of continuing education to students that will be attending the University of Houston Campus within the Supply Chain Management degree and transferring from a local Lonestar College Campus.
Without the support of companies as yourself and others, we would not be able to reach our goal. Thank you once again for your generous support of our Mission.
The 2020 24th Annual Third-Party Logistics Study, which was released last week at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Edge Conference in Anaheim, Calif. by Infosys Consulting, Penn State University, and Penske Logistics. Dr. C. John Langley initiated this study in the mid-nineties as to capture the evolution of the third-party logistics providers as they worked to transition from vendors of individual services to logistics partners offering integrated services and building meaningful, collaborative relationships with their customers.
Today, the capabilities of both shippers and 3PLs have improved significantly. The Annual 3PL Study has grown as well, becoming a widely anticipated, heavily referenced index on the state of the 3PL industry. In addition to expanding to become a year-round process, the study’s evolution includes steadily expanding global reach, increased accessibility, expansion to include perspectives from both shippers and 3PLs, and the addition of supporting sponsors. The study now includes four streams of research: surveys, desk research, focus interviews and intensive, one-day facilitated shipper workshops. Each year the study examines special topics more closely.
Key trends in the 2020 study include:
Total logistics expenditures as a percentage of sales revenues are a reported 11% in the current year, which is equal to the results reported in the previous two years’ studies.
The percentage of transportation spend managed by third parties was 55%, and the percentage of warehouse operations spend managed by third parties was 43%.
Shippers outsource a wide range of logistics services (see chart), with the most prevalent being domestic transportation (73%), warehousing (73%), international transportation (65%), customs brokerage (54%) and freight forwarding (52%).
Current study results document the percentages of shippers outsourcing the following activities: order management and fulfillment (21%), information technology services (15%), LLP (lead logistics provider)/4PL services (15%) and customer service (11%).
Recent history suggests that the use of analytics—the scientific process of transforming data into insight for making better decisions—is gaining significantly in terms of frequency of use, levels of sophistication and utilization of available computational capabilities.
The study also identified some key challenges facing shippers and 3PLs in today’s business world:
Growth of e-commerce. Closely related to the “Amazon effect,” the introduction and expansion of multi-channels for distribution has been a game-changing factor in the planning and operations of many supply chains.
Economic uncertainty. Domestic and global economic changes have resulted in heavy pressure on supply chains to adapt to new economic circumstances.
Driver availability. Of great concern, but not unique to the U.S., is the lack of trained and capable truck drivers.
Disruptive technologies. Some of the disruptive technologies impacting supply chains include use of drones, autonomous vehicles, cloud-based capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI), internet-of-things (IOT), etc.
Relationship necessities. Examples include: effective collaboration of people, processes and technologies in shipper-3PL relationships; structured approaches to achieving alignment between these organizations; effective use of techniques such as gain-sharing; and the development of joint strategies that can be of value to both parties and also to the overall supply chain.
Competitive challenges. In addition to the factors included above, shipper and 3PL organizations recognize the need to deal with new entrants into their lines of business.
You can visit www.3plstudy.com to download and read the complete report. Need help with your own logistics challenges? Logistics Plus is always here to help.
In case you missed it, Gretchen Blough and Adam Mook, Managers of the Customs and Compliance division at Logistics Plus, were 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, Gretchen and Adam discuss the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, how tariffs effect consumers, the services that Logistics Plus offers, and more. You can listen to a replay of the interview on the Logistics Plus YouTube Channel below.
Logistics Plus was one of four finalists in the top “Commitment to Erie, more than 50 employees” category at the 8th Annual Commitment to Erie Awards held on Thursday, September 19 at the Bayfront Convention Center. We are proud to have been considered for another award in recognition of the commitment that Jim Berlin, and the employees of Logistics Plus, have to the Erie community. Although we didn’t win the top spot, we’d like to congratulate our academic partner, Penn State Behrend, for earning the final award. Also, congratulations to our neighbor, The BrewErie at Union Station, for being a finalist in the “Commitment to Erie, 50 or fewer employees” category.
Shown here is a video that was produced by Erie Time-News, the event host, and played at the event. Also included below is a copy of the nomination submission that earned Logistics Plus a spot among the finalists.
“Commitment is an act, not a word.” –Jean Paul Sartre (French philosopher)
Logistics Plus Commitment to Erie Nomination Entry (click to view)
