by logisticsplus | May 5, 2016 | News
The Amazon effect, ecommerce growth, multichannel/omnichannel retailing: These are all trends pushing retailers and distributors to rethink their global supply chains. If you’re among this group, one of the considerations you may be weighing is whether or not to outsource some or all of your fulfillment operations to a third-party logistics (3PL) company. Here are a few benefits that third-party fulfillment could provide to your operations:
- Reduced Cost Per Order. A 3PL can often provide a lower cost per order when compared to internally managed operations, particularly for small-to-midsized companies.
- Time and Resource Allocation. A 3PL allows companies to concentrate management time on marketing, merchandising, and ecommerce. If transportation, logistics and fulfillment are not core competencies for your company, having a 3PL manage these activities allows you to focus your limited internal time and resources where they can provide the greatest value.
- Scalability for Peak Seasons. During holidays or peak seasons, a 3PL can allow companies to successfully process customer orders without hiring additional staff or requiring greater internal capacity.
- Lower Capital Investment. A 3PL can help reduce the capital outlays for things like new warehouse and fulfillment facilities, order and warehouse management systems, and telephone and communication technologies.
- Faster Fulfillment Times. A 3PL can provide regional distribution across the country so that you can deliver orders more quickly to your customers.
- Lower Transportation Costs. An experienced 3PL will be able to help you reduce your transportation costs by using their expertise to negotiate better rates and find truck capacity in your critical shipping lanes.
- International Imports and Exports. Many multichannel companies use 3PL partners to more effectively source products from overseas, or to distribute orders to customers in foreign countries.
- Direct-to-Customer Shipping. Store-based retailers sometimes contract with 3PL partners to ship direct orders from their ecommerce marketplaces, rather than bring small-order pick/pack/ship into their DCs. Online retailers can also use 3PL partners to manage dual inventories for both Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) and direct-to-customer orders.
Do you have questions or need help with your fulfillment challenges? Logistics Plus specializes in a variety third-party warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment solutions. We invite you to click the button below and contact our fulfillment experts to get started.
by logisticsplus | May 3, 2016 | News
At Logistics Plus (LP), we are serious about helping our customers, delivering phenomenal services, growing our business, and building our brand recognition as the company with a passion for excellence in all aspects of transportation and logistics. Like most world-class companies, we have brand guidelines in place to ensure proper logo usage, brand consistency, and to set a tone for our go-to-market activities. That said, we’re also a fun company; and we don’t want to be caught in the trap of taking ourselves too seriously all of the time. Case in point. Over the past couple of years, we have been known to showcase fun and whimsical variations of the Logistics Plus logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and special events. These logos are occasionally used at special events, in advertisements, or posted to our various social media sites.
As part of our 20th anniversary celebration, we’d like to invite you to submit your favorite “fun LP logo” from the selections below. Click the button at the bottom of this page to submit your entry before June 1, 2016 and you’ll be automatically entered into a random drawing to win your choice of “LP swag” from our online company store (one item per winner)! We’ll randomly select six lucky winners (three employees and three non-employees) on June 2.
OFFICIAL RULES:
No purchase necessary. Logistics Plus (i.e., Sponsor) is not responsible for late, lost or misdirected emails. Winner will be drawn at random from eligible entries. Five (5) winners will receive a prize. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Drawing open to all entrants who are 18 years or older. The winner releases the Sponsor and each of its affiliates, officers, agents and employees from any responsibility or liability in connection with any loss, accident or death incurred in connection with the giveaway. Sponsor is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate entry of information. All federal, state, local, municipal and provincial laws and regulations apply. Sponsor shall be deemed sole interpreter of the rules and conditions. By participating, entrants acknowledge and agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the Sponsor are final. Void where prohibited by law. Notification will be made to verify shipping address. All entries become the property of the sponsor and will not be returned. Any taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner(s).
by logisticsplus | Apr 27, 2016 | News
International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day in some places, is an international celebration of laborers and the working classes. The May 1st date (which falls on a Sunday this year) is celebrated as May Day in most countries around the world. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the holiday isn’t fixed at May 1st, but instead is observed on the first Monday of May. Curiously (given the origin of the May 1st date), the United States celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday of September (May 1st is Loyalty Day, a legal but not widely recognized holiday in the United States). Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands also celebrate Labour Day on different dates; though that has to do with how the holiday originated in those countries.
There are many online sources where you can learn more about this international holiday. The website OfficeHolidays.com has a good overview with links to the various countries that observe this holiday. Depending upon the country, local observance may impact your shipping schedules if operations are closed. As an example, the Logistics Plus China offices will be closed May 1 and May 2. If you have any questions, please contact your local Logistics Plus office or representative for more details.
by logisticsplus | Apr 26, 2016 | News
Are you curious about drayage and transloading services for your imported goods? Do you need drayage service for your imports? What is transloading and how can it help you save money on transportation? Logistics Plus drayage and port services help address these questions and any many more.
What is drayage? The word drayage is specifically used for trucking short distances. Without being a part of the transportation and logistics industry, the word drayage might be a foreign word. The term is most often used in the container shipping industry. For those of us in international shipping, the term means the trucking of containerized cargo. This may be trucking from one port to another port, it may be trucking from a port to the rail yard for further transport, it could be trucking to the final destination, or it could be trucking from a port to a transloading facility.
What is transloading? Transloading refers to the transfer of container cargo from one load unit to another. When a container is transloaded, it usually occurs at a facility that is close to a port terminal. A container will be taken into a facility and transferred to a domestic container or truckload. During the transload process, the product is often palletized at the facility since many of the 20-foot or 40-foot ocean containers are floor loaded. Inventory and transportation cost savings are achieved by switching to a truck from a container because containers must always be returned to the ports no matter how far your shipment must deliver. That means without transloading, you could be paying for the additional truck miles it takes to return your empty container to the origin port.
Speed to market is a key ingredient to an efficient supply chain. Transloading services deliver this benefit by consolidating products and shipping directly to the final customer, without incurring the costs and delays associated with storing product at a warehouse. Some product customization, such as labeling and kitting, can also occur, if needed, at the transloading facility.
Drayage, transloading and other port services all play a critical role in international moves, and selecting the right logistics partner for this domestic trucking portion of the puzzle goes well beyond the lowest rate. Once you move past monetary considerations, examine the total service offering to ensure your drayage and port services provider is the perfect fit. Here are a few good tips to consider.
- Seek out a safe, experienced partner. Ensure you are working with an experienced logistics partner that works with, and monitors, the most reliable and safe truckers.
- Ensure your partner has capacity to cover your loads. If you assign hundreds of loads, you should know your logistics partner has a network of drayage providers at all of the major ports of entry.
- Make sure you have a responsive partner. You will need a logistics partner who will answer your call, whether you are submitting a rate request, confirming receipt of a work order, or checking shipment status.
- Expect accurate billing. Invoices should be accurate, with no surprises. On-the-fly drayage changes are inevitable, but a good logistics partner will communicate them as quickly as possible.
- Require knowledge of the local market. Find an experienced partner who understands facility procedures and roadways at all of the major ports so you can get cargo moving quickly.
- Choose a partner that can provide you with cost-saving solutions. Find a domestic freight specialist that works with you to develop a complete port-to-door delivery solution that will optimize speed and reduce your overall transportation expense.
To learn more about Logistics Plus drayage and port services, or to request more information or a quote, please click the button below. You can also email us at drayage@logisticsplus.com for more information.
by logisticsplus | Apr 25, 2016 | News
As in past years, Logistics Plus global HQ employees will Bowl for Kids Sake this Friday, April 29, at 8:00 pm. Logistics Plus will have two teams this year, and each needs to raise $250.00, through local pledges, for the community Big Brothers Big Sisters Program.
This is a wonderful program. The funds are used to create mentoring opportunities that will have a positive impact on the children they serve by offering a professionally supported relationship between a caring adult and a child. They also provide monthly activities, education, supplies, and much more for the children in the program. All kids need a positive support system in their lives – especially when so many of them aren’t getting it from their homes as they should. Logistics Plus employees love doing this event and they always have a great time. Local support is encouraged and appreciated!
Click the image to the right to visit the event website.
