In case you missed it, Jim Berlin, Founder and CEO of Logistics Plus, 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, Jim discusses the beginning days of Logistics Plus, the tremendous growth of the company, the successes of 2018, and more. You can listen to a replay of the interview on the Logistics Plus YouTube Channel below.
Maintaining order fulfillment as an in-house operation can cause major headaches. As a result, many companies are transitioning to outsourced order fulfillment services in order to expand and grow their business. An outsourced order fulfillment service includes a third-party logistics provider that fulfills orders on behalf of its clients. Typically, these clients include online retailers, e-commerce businesses, and physical store locations that don’t have access to their own warehouses or distribution centers. The order fulfillment service should provide the receiving, processing, and delivery of all orders for its clients. Fulfillment is a huge commitment for any company because it involves a lot of time and resources that could be used elsewhere. As your business starts to grow, a third-party order fulfillment service will grow with you.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons to use an order fulfillment service.
Reasons to Use an Order Fulfillment Service
1.)Reduce Operating Costs: Working with an order fulfillment service provider can reduce infrastructure and logistical costs. Most businesses experience seasonal fluctuations and this is especially true for order fulfillment. During peak seasons, additional workers may be needed and rent and storage prices tend to increase. Many businesses don’t have the ability to hire temporary workers or purchase new warehouses that are necessary for an order fulfillment operation. By using an order fulfillment service, you eliminate the need for new infrastructure, and this ultimately reduces operating costs.
2.)Lower Shipping Costs: Most order fulfillment companies have the ability to offer lower shipping costs because of contracts with regional, national, and international shipping companies. The discounts that an order fulfillment service can offer is something to take advantage of. Also, many order fulfillment services have locations across the country which allows for cheaper shipping due to location and delivery times. Be sure to choose a fulfillment service that complements your sales markets.
3.) Reliable Customer Service: Customer service improvements can greatly impact the efficiency of a business. A call center that maintains customer interaction is a huge benefit of an order fulfillment service. Customer support that is readily available and also deals with return and refund policies can save you the hassle. Order fulfillment companies give the peace of mind knowing that your customers are being taken care in a timely manner.
4.) Expand Your Market: Often, small or new retailers have trouble expanding their business nationally or globally. Global trade tariffs and compliance issues can be complex and daunting. An order fulfillment service should give your business the ability to ship anywhere in the world due to its’ distribution networks and global expertise. By using a fulfillment company’s platform, you can take your business to the next level and increase sales in new locations and markets, even selling on Amazon.
5.) Utilize Technology: Gaining access to a warehouse management system (WMS) that keeps track of inventory is an invaluable tool for order fulfillment. Being able to process, manage, handle, and integrate technology with a sales system is sure to drive growth. This type of technology can be very expensive to implement, making it an appealing feature of using an order fulfillment service.
6.) Scalability: Flexibility is one of the top reasons for using a fulfillment company. It will allow you to choose the location where inventory is stored, while only forcing you to pay for the portion of space you are using. It will also allow room for growth and won’t cost you extra if business picks up and you need to hire another employee. An order fulfillment service gives you the flexibility your business needs to run effectively.
7.) Time: By choosing to work with an order fulfillment service provider, focus can be put on growing the business. Other areas of business such as marketing, promotions, and sales will have more time to focus on specific goals, rather than being weighed down with fulfilling orders.
As customer shopping preferences continue to shift towards e-commerce, having an order fulfillment provider will help you keep up with demand. Outsourced fulfillment and warehousing has the potential to add tremendous value for any business looking to grow. If you believe an order fulfillment service can benefit you, contact Logistics Plus today. Our fulfillment and warehousing experts ensure that from start to finish, every order is executed successfully.
Please see the attached Disposition bulletin from the recent meeting of the Commodity Classification Standards Board. All subject items were approved as docketed or modified as reviewed by the CCSB with the exception to Subjects 5 and 6 which were deferred until the February 2019 meeting. The supplement with the changes to the NMFC will be published on November 29th, 2018 with an effective date of December 29th, 2018. Please review the entire disposition bulletin as many commodities have changed classification.
Among all of the changes, please make note the following changes for more common commodities that may impact many shipments/customers:
Subject 1: NMFC Item 28160; Boots, NOI, Footwear, NOI, other than hosiery, Shoes, NOI. Will change from a straight class 150 to a two-tier density break. Less than 6 pcf is class 200, 6 pcf or greater is class 125.
Subject 2: NMFC Item 123550; Machines, ice making. Will change from a straight class 92.5 to a three-tier density break. Less than 6 pcf is class 250, 6 but less than 10 pcf is class 150, 10 pcf or greater is class 92.5.
Subject 8: NMFC Items 61900; Fans, exhaust or ventilating and 61920; Fans, NOI are cancelled. New NMFC Item 61910 is created to encompass exhaust/ventilating fans and fans, NOI. This item will have a two-tier density break, less than 6 pcf is class 200, 6 pcf or greater is class 110.
The United States will hold off on raising China tariffs to 25 percent as President Trump and President Xi of China have agreed to a 90-day truce. The White House announced that “President Trump has agreed that on January 1, 2019, he will leave the tariffs on $200 billion worth of product at the 10 percent rate, and not raise it to 25 percent at this time.”
This Global Trade Alert is for the third tranche of China tariffs only. Tranches 1 and 2 will remain at 25 percent.
“Today started out like most days, but with a little more stress than usual. Folks were a bit on edge and I was trying to find a way to get everyone back on pace. We pulled out the burgers in the freezer and then John Allen said, ‘Just give me a few minutes and I will get everything back on track.’ As you can see, John has one arm, but is forklift certified and a tremendous people person. He loads and offloads trucks. He pulls freight and the customers love him, and he has one heck of a golf game. John has been a huge asset to our Dallas warehouse. All it took was a few minutes of John playing the guitar and the entire staff was back at it in full force- all thanks to him. John displays the true spirit of Logistics Plus and our employees’ shared Passion for Excellence.” – Sabrina Ragland
Thanks to Sabrina (our Dallas/Fort Worth Warehouse Manager) for sharing this amazing story.
As a certified Great Place to Work®, we have some of the best employees in the industry. One of those employees is Adrienne Sanders, WeWork Install Coordinator & Claims Management, who works from the Logistics Plus Global Headquarters in Erie, PA.
This video is included in a series of new “Employee Spotlight” interviews over the coming weeks and months that will showcase many of our diverse employees from around the world. We hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about us and the “people who power the plus” at Logistics Plus.
A special thanks to Adrienne for her participation in this interview. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to learn more about the employees at Logistics Plus.
In case you missed it, Jim Berlin, Founder and CEO of Logistics Plus, 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.
Maintaining order fulfillment as an in-house operation can cause major headaches. As a result, many companies are transitioning to outsourced 
