Logistics Plus Inc., a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to confirm that its founder and CEO, Jim Berlin, continues his 10th year as a member of the Business Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. As one of the twelve members representing the Erie metro area, Mr. Berlin continues to provide the Federal Reserve with valuable data and insights on current economic conditions for the region. Information provided by council members helps Federal Reserve officials keep their fingers on the pulse of the Fourth District’s economic environment and understand public perceptions of the Federal Reserve and its actions.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Business Advisory Councils (BACs) comprise thought leaders from diverse industries and community development, consumer, and labor organizations throughout the Fourth Federal Reserve District. Members are identified through Bank and community-sponsored events, referrals from current council members and directors, civically engaged Bank employees, and regional outreach. Council members are selected to serve a two-year term and may serve more than one term
Council members are individuals who contribute to discussions on the business and economic conditions in their regions. Each participant is senior in his or her organization and conversant about his or her firm and the broader industry or environment in which the firm operates. All members are active and engaged in their communities, and they understand and are able to articulate how economic conditions affect their regions and communities. Members are selected without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 Reserve Banks that together with the Board of Governors in Washington DC and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) comprise the Federal Reserve System, which was created by Congress to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. As the US central bank, the Federal Reserve formulates and implements monetary policy—the actions undertaken by a central bank to influence the availability and cost of money and credit to help promote national economic goals—provides payment services to financial institutions and the US government, and supervises banking and other financial institutions.
Logistics Plus Inc. is a leading worldwide provider of transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, logistics, and supply chain solutions. This video provides a quick look at “8 Keys to eCommerce Success.” If you are an eCommerce retailer or merchant looking for logistics, warehousing, and fulfillment expertise – we can help! Logistics Plus was named a 2018 Top 3PL Provider by Multichannel Merchant, and we are an approved third-party provider on the Amazon Solutions Provider Network for international shipping, Amazon prep, storage, and customs brokerage solutions. We have the experience, resources and capabilities to help you implement a successful eCommerce program for your business.
Jim Berlin, founder and CEO of Logistics Plus, was featured alongside other successful entrepreneurs in the Ninth Annual State of Entrepreneurship Address presented by the Kauffman Foundation. You can watch a replay of the video here (Jim appears around the 12:00 mark in a showcase video shown at the event).
“Too many are left out of our economy. The long-term decline in entrepreneurship has dragged down productivity, wages and living standards for all Americans. Put simply—fewer startups mean a lower quality of life. We need to eliminate barriers for anyone who has an idea to start and grow a business, and we need to redefine the meaning of “entrepreneur.” This is how we work toward a new, inclusive and empowering economy.”
The 2018 State of Entrepreneurship Address featured speeches by:
Wendy Guillies, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Victor W. Hwang, vice president of Entrepreneurship at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Logistics Plus Project Cargo team in Turkey continues to handle some interesting cargo projects for clients around the world. Here are more cargo projects and photographs we were able to confiscate from our global projects director’s LinkedIn page.
Safely loaded a 45 Ton Boiler to Alexandria, Egypt:
Thruster Gears safely delivered (LP Turkey has been serving the shipbuilding industry since 2009):
Safely delivered a 52 Ton (H: 3.8m) Mobile Crane from Kobe, Japan to Garabogaz, Turkmenistan:
Safely loaded 4 x Grabs to South America:
Need help with your unique, big, bad, or ugly project cargo? Let us know.
Amazon has introduced a new program called Supply Chain Connect for merchants using Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) services. This new program is designed to enhance seller-supplier efficiencies and increase control of inbound shipping to Amazon fulfillment centers (FCs). Logistics Plus, being an approved third-party Amazon solutions provider, is a full participant in this new program.
Sellers currently have two methods to deliver inventory from suppliers to Amazon FCs. One is to have the merchandise delivered to their own facilities and then prepare and ship the items to Amazon FCs themselves. Another is to have a third-party supplier ship the merchandise directly to Amazon FCs on their behalf, in which case the seller would have to coordinate between the supplier and Amazon. With Amazon Supply Chain Connect, FBA sellers can choose to have their third-party suppliers (such as Logistics Plus) send items to Amazon FCs using the same Seller Central portal they already use for all of their Amazon-related shipments.
Click here for PDF flyer
Program Advantages
New Supplier Portal: A central supplier gateway where designated suppliers can develop your FBA shipments.
Reduced Lead Time: Suppliers can enter box content information and instantly download FBA shipment and item labels removing the need for back and forth communication, following a decrease in lead time.
Streamlined Process: Suppliers have the resources needed to carry out shipments with greater precision and become more mindful of the Amazon shipping processes.
Fulfillment Flexibility: By having streamlined communications with suppliers regarding your Amazon shipments, eCommerce merchants can continue to use third-party logistics companies to support all of their omni-channel fulfillment needs.
When a merchant chooses an Amazon Partnered Carrier, the results are lower costs and greater visibility for Amazon. Throughout the months leading up to Christmas, FBA sellers often describe complications of shipments to Amazon FCs that end up in limbo. Supply Chain Connect could likely clear up these issues for sellers, enhancing the fulfillment process. Here are two scenarios in which sellers can use the Supply Chain Connect program in conjunction with Logistics Plus Fulfillment Solutions and their Amazon Seller Central accounts:
Process for Merchants that utilize Seller Central and Logistics Plus manages the process
The client emails to let us know what they want sent into Amazon.
We log into their Seller Central account, create the shipment, confirm the PO and print all necessary ASIN labels.
We prepare the shipment and enter the details back into Seller Central.
We then print the shipping labels/BOL and complete the PO.
Process for Merchants that handle their own Seller Central account:
Client will set up the shipment in Seller Central themselves and then email the details to us, including the template for the labels.
We prepare the shipment, label, pack and send the details back to the client via email.
When the shipping labels/BOL are available they are sent back to us via email.
The fulfillment experts at Logistics Plus stay up to date on Amazon guidelines and information so that our clients don’t have to. We guarantee that our work is up to their requirements. We can do simple shipments, or we can handle very detailed assembly work prior to shipping. Let us know if we can help you address your Amazon or eCommerce fulfillment challenges.
Over the span of 10 years, the ocean freight transportation industry has been challenged by global supply and demand disparity throughout the market, affecting both carriers and shippers. On occasion, there is overcapacity in the market, causing a major decline in the rates. There are also occurrences in which demand quickly increases, causing the rates to spike. Ocean carriers have benefited from these periods of increased demand, triggering rates to shoot up and become more unstable and challenging for shippers to allocate and purchase space.
One of the driving variables of this global supply and demand imbalance was Maersk’s fleet venture initiative: Maersk sought to control the worldwide container market and drive existing industry rates. They started building more vessels to achieve this goal. However, this plan was interrupted by the Great Recession of 2007-2009, when supply decreased rapidly for container shipping.
The recession instigated a chain reaction for ocean carriers, making it vital to ensure that freight rates didn’t tumble too far. In response, ocean carriers began forming new alliances and incorporating the following strategies:
Slow steaming: conserve fuel and increase transit times
Vessel idling: remove vessels from the rotation during slow periods
Organizational cost-cutting: layoffs within the company
IT modernization: large investments into technology and creating a more automated system
The Main Three
What used to be four main alliances has recently changed into three larger unions. The current state of the three-carrier alliance takes into account almost 80% of the container trade in the world and nearly 90% of container volume on primary trade lanes.
2M Alliance (MSC, Maersk, Hamburg Sud, Hyundai)
Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, APL, COSCO, China Shipping, OOCL, Evergreen)
The Alliance (NYK Group, “K” Line, MOL, Yang Ming, Hapag-Lloyd, UASC)
The absence of competition that has been created due to these major unions has permitted carriers to recapture productivity, control rate changes, and space accessibility. As a shipper looking for other possibilities, it can be troubling that five or six worldwide carriers control all major international trade routes.
New Carrier Alliance
Three Japan-based container shipping carriers are paring up to create a new joint venture, entitled Ocean Network Express (ONE). These carriers are comprised of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K-Line), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). The development of the joint venture is said to merge the companies’ container shipping business, including global terminal operation business. By offering high-quality, competitive services through the enhancement and alliance of the three companies’ global network and service structures, Ocean Network Express will be capable of better meeting customers’ needs. The company has also been working towards its goal of launching the new JV. Once all anti-trust reviews are finalized, the establishment of the new JV will officially be publicized. The start date for Ocean Network Express is set for April 1, 2018.
Benefits:
Provide service across 90 countries
Fleet size of 1.4 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)
Represents around 7% of the global share
The Power of Carrier Alliances Advantages of the carrier alliances include:
Less competition, while at the same time greater control of vessels
Better management of ship capacity
More effective coordination of future ship orders with forecasted demand
A lowering in operating costs by more effective collaboration with service providers, such as ports, terminal operators, stevedores, tugboat providers, and container lessors
Enhanced reach, that will allow alliance partners to service new ports and maximize the potential of new routes
Concerns due to the alliances include:
Terminal congestion
Chassis dislocations: raises concerns that the shipper or importer may be bearing the brunt of that impact and paying any associated dislocation fees.
Delays in spotting and releasing intermodal trains: intermodal trains have been delayed or had other challenges due to increased congestion and ship bunching
The history of the maritime industry has traditionally been one of feast or famine. Large swings in vessel capacity and shipper demand have made for a turbulent environment in terms of financing and planning for the future. The formation of shipping alliances has helped to mitigate these issues and serve as a strong incentive to continue and strengthen them.
Logistics Plus can be your trusted partner in navigating the challenges of dealing with and arranging your logistical needs with these large organizations.
Logistics Plus Inc., a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to confirm that its founder and CEO, Jim Berlin, continues his 10th year as a member of the Business Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. As one of the twelve members representing the Erie metro area, Mr. Berlin continues to provide the Federal Reserve with valuable data and insights on current economic conditions for the region. Information provided by council members helps Federal Reserve officials keep their fingers on the pulse of the Fourth District’s economic environment and understand public perceptions of the Federal Reserve and its actions.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Business Advisory Councils (BACs) comprise thought leaders from diverse industries and community development, consumer, and labor organizations throughout the Fourth Federal Reserve District. Members are identified through Bank and community-sponsored events, referrals from current council members and directors, civically engaged Bank employees, and regional outreach. Council members are selected to serve a two-year term and may serve more than one term
