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:
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)
Logistics Plus Renews with the U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport® Partnership
It’s the ninth consecutive year that Logistics Plus successfully completes its SmartWay emissions reporting.
ERIE, PA (September 17, 2019) – Logistics Plus Inc., a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to announce that it has submitted and received approval for its current data submission to the SmartWay® Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the industry. The SmartWay Transport Partnership provides a framework to assess the environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement supply chains.
Logistics Plus will continue to contribute to the Partnership’s savings of 248.9 million barrels of oil, $33.4 billion in fuel costs and 119 million tons of air pollutants. This is the equivalent of the annual electricity use in 16 million homes. Each year, performance data is submitted and reviewed to qualify as a SmartWay partner. The EPA recently approved the Logistics Plus annual submission of Partnership reporting requirements for the ninth consecutive year.
“Logistics Plus is committed to the most efficient and clean transportation practices,” said Steve Srnka, compliance attorney for Logistics Plus. “Our continued SmartWay approval confirms to our customers and partners that Logistics Plus is doing its part for environmental sustainability.”
About SmartWay Developed jointly in early 2003 by EPA and Charter Partners represented by industry stakeholders, environmental groups, American Trucking Associations, and Business for Social Responsibility, this innovative program celebrated its 10 year anniversary in 2014. Partners rely upon SmartWay tools and approaches to track and reduce emissions and fuel use from goods movement. The Partnership currently has over 3,000 Partners including shipper, logistics companies, truck, rail, barge, and multimodal carriers. For information about the SmartWay Transport Partnership visit www.epa.gov/smartway.
About Logistics Plus Inc. 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 500+ 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 Logistics Plus® network includes offices located in Erie, PA; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Riverside, CA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Visalia, CA; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Lexington, NC; Buffalo, NY; New York, NY; Olean, NY; Akron, OH; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, SC; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX; Laredo, TX; Winchester, VA; Madison, WI; Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; Colombia; Czech Republic; Egypt; France; Germany; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Libya; Mexico; Netherlands; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Taiwan; Turkey; UAE; Uganda; and United Kingdom; with additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.
China announced this week the first exclusions from its additional 25% tariff on imports of U.S. goods. After the announcement, President Trump delayed the increase of Section 301 tariffs from 25% to 30% until October 15th on $250 billion worth of goods imported from China.
The China tariff exclusions will take effect on September 17th and remain valid for one year. Chinese importers are eligible for refunds on the additional tariffs paid on these goods and will have six months to apply. The goods include, but aren’t limited too, cold water shrimp, alfala meal, fish meals, lubricating oils and grease, pesticides, and more.
